Talk:List of films featuring time loops

Definition of a time loop.

Hello

I can see that the issue of what should be considered a time loop has already been discussed multiple times. It is not my intention to engage in this discussion here.

However, I would like to draw attention to another problem.

Currently, this article uses a "broad" definition of a time loop. Citation: "where characters experience the same period of time repeatedly". This definition encompasses any time travel to a time period which the character has lived through at least once. However, this article also links to the article Time loop which uses a much narrower definition. Citation: "time loops are constantly resetting: when a certain condition is met, such as a death of a character or a clock reaches a certain time, the loop starts again, with one or more characters retaining the memories from the previous loop". That is what is popularly known as a "Groundhog day-type" loop.

I think it is essential that all articles in Wikipedia relating to the same concept, must be consistent in their definition of that concept. I hope you agree.

Regards, --David162se (talk) 13:03, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

Definitions are never going to encompass every possible approach. It is a challenge especially with genres. We can try to clearly define something like science fiction, but there will likely be works that challenge that definition. In this case, I think "time loop" has to be taken pretty broadly. There are going to be variations of time loops, so we as editors need to follow sources when they say so-and-so film has a time loop. All we can do is explain best we can how the loop works in the film. Erik (talk | contrib) ^{(ping me)} 13:09, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

Just to be clear, I don't mind using a broad definition of a time loop. All I am saying is that the definition must be the same on this page and in the article Time loop. Right now there is a discrepancy which would be confusing for a reader wishing to learn about this concept. Regards, --David162se (talk) 13:32, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

I agree that Wikipedia articles shouldn't contradict each other. However, the sources we find sometimes do contradict each other. We've had some trouble in resolving this. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 15:56, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

After much work there are ample scholarly sources for differentiating time loop from causal loop and this article should rely on them. Bright☀ 08:26, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

Added a reference that defines time loop and differentiates it from other types of time travel and causal loops Bright☀ 06:53, 22 February 2019 (UTC)

The contributor Barry Wom wants to add The Time Travelers, based on a source that has a different definition of time loop (EDIT: see this review to have a short description of what the loop consists in). I really think that we should stick to what was decided in 2018/2019, and not contradict with the beginning of this article (or the Time loop article). — Vincent Lefèvre (talk) 19:05, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

Going off my recollection of this from the MST3K version, the characters themselves do not relive the time loop, they only end up in one that they created. So I do not think it belongs despite reviews using "time loop". Masem (t) 20:04, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

Sort by film release date instead?

It seems to me that the the most relevant variable to sort the table by is not the film's name but the year it was released. I'm asking here because the page specifies otherwise, and also in the spirit of Wikipedia:Chesterton's fence. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Orpheus Lummis (talk • contribs) 19:47, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

Looper

Why is Looper not included? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2a01:c50e:3833:b00:18d2:4dc8:52c7:563e (talk • contribs)

Likely because as mentioned on this page, Looper isn't a time loop movie. It doesn't involve the same character repeating variants on the same events. DonIago (talk) 02:16, 25 October 2018 (UTC)

Happy Death Day 2u

The article says that Happy Death Day 2u picks up two years after the events of the original film, and the source says this too, but I just watched the film and it definitely picks up the day after the events of the first film. I found a new source and will edit the blurb. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bb49 (talk • contribs) 05:52, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

How reliable sources define "time loop"

Since the discussion was archived I thought I'll recap it here on the current talk page:

• The scholarly sources make a very clear distinction between "regular" time travel and time loops:
  1. A time loop resets upon some event (clock strikes a certain time, a character dies, something else)
  2. At least one character retains some memory of the loop and tries to exit or end the loop
• There are many non-scholarly sources that define time loop, like articles in entertainment publications and wikis, that should not be regarded as reliable for the purpose of this article.
• Sometimes "time loop" is used to mean causal loop, but this article is not about movies with causal loops.

So when choosing the content of this article, ask "Did time reset?", "Did one of the characters retain their memory?", and "Is there just one instance of the characters, which makes it a time loop, or multiple instances, which makes it a different type of time travel?"

Sadly, the abundance of verifiable but unreliable sources that misuse the term "time loop" makes it easy to classify any time-travel film as a time-loop film. Even worse, there are films where a time loop is merely implied according to reliable sources (Run Lola Run) where there's no definite answer if there's actually a time loop or some other artistic instrument (alternate realities, a hallucination, something else). Bright☀ 12:42, 29 April 2019 (UTC)

I've suggested before that a way to address the non-scholarly-but-reliable-source issue is to make this list about any time travel film (as long as it can be sourced), and then add a column to reflect the type of "time travel", whether its a time loop, a "grandfather paradox" one, etc. Once that is in place, then the focus on which ones should be called true "time loops" can be noted with the scholarly sources, while those that are not fall to just a more generic term. --Masem (t) 13:56, 29 April 2019 (UTC)

But the list isn’t about any time travel film. For that, go to “films about time travel” or whatever page already exists for that. UniNoUta (talk) 05:02, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

Inclusion of TV show episodes

What do you think about allowing the list to include episodes of TV shows or TV shows as a whole? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Very Fantastic Dude (talk • contribs) 18:46, 21 February 2020 (UTC)

I would like this too, but I don't know what Wikipedia best practices are around expanding the scope of an article like this. Should we instead create a separate list of TV series and episodes featuring time loops? --Elysdir (talk) 07:26, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

That might be an easier option. If experience is any indication, you're going to want some eyes on it to ensure that entries are properly sourced. If you create the page, I'd be happy to watchlist it. The two lists could reference each other in a WP:SEEALSO section.

All of that said, the editor who made this suggestion hasn't been active since May, so we may want to hear from additional editors. DonIago (talk) 13:23, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

There’s already one TV show on there (Russian Doll). I don’t have a problem with it. I would say do a separate list (but on the same page) for TV shows/episodes, same way filmographies / TVographies are often done on actor’s pages. Would be silly to have a whole separate page for it.

TV chart should probably have a different format. Columns for show title / episode # / ep title. Or something like that. UniNoUta (talk) 04:57, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

TV Tropes has a page on this that could be a good starting point (under '"Groundhog Day" Loop'), though I notice it's not completely exhaustive; s4e11 of the 1993-97 Lois and Clark TV show, for instance, is not listed. AlphaCentauri900 (talk) 03:52, 8 June 2021 (UTC)

We can't use TV Tropes, but there reliable sources that discuss TV episodes that use time loops. Actually, this could be transitioned to "List of media featuring time loops" (ncluding TV, books, video games, etc.) as long as the same strict requirements are kept (eg external sourcing required, that we're talking time loops and not simply just time travel like Back to the Future, etc.) --Masem (t) 05:35, 8 June 2021 (UTC)

Haruhi Suzumiya film?

It's been quite some time since I've seen it, but I recall that "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" features a time loop that's more lengthy than usual. CFLeon (talk) 14:35, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

This is Haruhi Suzumiya's arc "Endless Eights", which takes place in the TV aired anime, not the movie. The movie does have elements of time travel, but that's less of a loop, and is instead the characters, being saved by characters from the future, and accepting that one day they will have to go back and save themselves. 14.200.10.207 (talk) 13:47, 30 October 2022 (UTC)

The Final Girls

By no definition of the word time loop is this a film that should be included in this list. "A group of friends find themselves trapped in an 80s horror movie that restarts every 92 minutes" is a massive overstatement. There is only a very short segment shortly after entering the "movie" where somethin reassembling a "time loop" happens. The only thing that happens is that the main characters are forced to go with a bus driven by the "movie" characters, as the "movie" can't continue otherwise. The main characters don't do anything of note during this period - they just wait 92 minutes until the next chance to go with the bus comes. Time loops as a concept are never a theme explored in this otherwise very linear movie - its gimmick is the "stock in a movie" trope instead and this time loops is just a way of the "movie" taking control. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2003:E5:1F24:AC00:71F4:3080:D4F6:D754 (talk) 18:51, 17 July 2021 (UTC)

Timecrimes

It seems to me that Timecrimes is missing from the list, but since it's a fairly well-known film, I'm going to first assume that it's been discussed previously and rejected. It seems that since there are 3 versions of the character who interact -- as in Triangle -- it is a time loop movie. So is it considered a "causal loop" movie? If so, it seems that Triangle would be in the same boat (pun intentional). Or was it somehow missed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Taed (talk • contribs) 02:51, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

If you search the archives, Timecrimes was discussed previously and was deemed a causal loop film, not a time loop film in the sense that is meant with regards to this list. Characters interacting with versions of themselves doesn't necessarily mean anything in the context of a time loop for the purposes of this list. For instance, nobody interacts with themselves in Groundhog Day, yet that may be one of the most archetypal films for this list's purposes. Hope this helps! DonIago (talk) 03:27, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

@Taed: I agree with DonIago. In a time-loop film, the timeline of the main character (or of several characters) resets; the only thing that remains is that the character has learned something. In Timecrimes, the main character has a single timeline, and there are several versions of this character at the same time just because of time travel (due to the time travel machine). So this is not a time-loop film. For the same reason, I would not see Triangle as a time-loop film either; but Triangle is a bit closer to conventional time-loop movies, in the sense that the time resets (or perhaps more accurately loops), but the difference is that the characters don't reset and they follow their own timeline. — Vincent Lefèvre (talk) 03:33, 20 December 2021 (UTC)

Include (estimated) loop count and other relevant details?

I think it would be useful here at the list level to include an the overall loop count (or an estimate) if it can be sourced, potentially along with other information on the loop: duration, cause, escape method. Thoughts? Geoff Canyon (talk) 03:39, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

I think we'd end up needing to do a lot more reverting to the list as well-meaning editors added such details without providing sources, sorry to say. I also see it making the table into a bit of a muddle, since some of those fields can't be completed succinctly. It might be possible if the table was reconfigured and there were default options akin to a drop-down, but I just don't really see it working out. DonIago (talk) 04:14, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

It would be really hard to source, and without sourcing it can easily be a dumpster of unverifiable numbers. Artem.G (talk) 05:29, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

Can someone add Timecrimes

That is actually the first movie I think of when I think of movies with a time loop and it's not even on this list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timecrimes YeahResident (talk) 19:41, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Literally talked about two threads above this one. DonIago (talk) 20:21, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Butterfly Effect films?

Why the Butterfly Effect films serie (first one with Ashton Kutcher) is not included,? 80.39.148.68 (talk) 05:53, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

Probably because either those films aren't time loop films or because nobody's found reliable sources that describe them as such. DonIago (talk) 12:24, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

Inclusion of Streamer multi-part series

Similar question to above. Given the growth of streamer services partially replacing single-episode film viewing, should this list include multi-part series on Netflix, Amazon, Tencent, etc? If so, then Tencent's "Reset" should probably be included. IanWorthington (talk) 07:41, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

Not as things stand currently. If we were going to do that, then either this list should be renamed, or a separate list article should be created. I don't have a strong opinion either way, though I can think of at least two or three instances of time loops in television. DonIago (talk) 17:59, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

What about this Rom-Com TV movie?

The 2023 Hallmark TV movie "A Biltmore Christmas" (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24822574/) appears to be a time-loop movie that might qualify for this list. 23.252.91.253 (talk) 08:39, 18 March 2024 (UTC)

We don't add films to this list based on what we think, but what sources say. If you can find a source that refers to this film as including time loops, you're welcome to add it to the list. DonIago (talk) 02:13, 19 March 2024 (UTC)