Time travel paradoxes have fascinated audiences and filmmakers for decades, leading to some of the most thought-provoking and entertaining movies in the science fiction genre. Here are 10 of the best movies about time travel paradoxes that will leave you contemplating the complexities of time long after the credits roll:

1. “Back to the Future” (1985) – Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this classic film introduces us to Marty McFly who inadvertently travels back to 1955 and nearly erases his future existence by interfering with his parents’ first meeting.

2. “Looper” (2012) – Rian Johnson’s inventive narrative involves hitmen known as “loopers” who eliminate targets sent back from the future, but things get complicated when one looper recognizes his future self as a target.

3. “Predestination” (2014) – Based on Robert A. Heinlein’s short story “—All You Zombies—,” this mind-bending film recounts the life of a time-traveling agent caught in an endless loop of cause and effect.

3. “Primer” (2004) – Shane Carruth’s low-budget indie explores the unexpected consequences of two engineers who accidentally create a machine that can send them six hours into the past.

4. “12 Monkeys” (1995) – Terry Gilliam’s dystopian epic sees a prisoner sent back in time to prevent a deadly virus from decimating humanity, but his actions may or may not affect the future as intended.

5. “Timecrimes” (2007) – This Spanish thriller directed by Nacho Vigalondo revolves around a man who, through a series of unfortunate events, unknowingly becomes entangled in a time loop with dire results.

6. “The Terminator” (1984) – James Cameron’s iconic action film shows an advanced robot assassin sent from a desolate, machine-dominated future to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to save humanity.

7. “Interstellar” (2014) – Christopher Nolan’s space epic involves “time slippage” due to relativity near a black hole, resulting in paradoxical experiences for astronaut Joseph Cooper and impacts across generations.

8. “Donnie Darko” (2001) – Directed by Richard Kelly, this cult classic follows Donnie Darko as he navigates disturbing visions and manipulates time after narrowly escaping death, leading to an existential paradox.

9. “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014) – Doug Liman directs this action-packed movie where Major William Cage relives the same battle against an alien race over and over again, allowing him to alter events with each iteration.

Each of these films offers a unique perspective on temporal anomalies and their consequences, combining storytelling with theoretical quandaries that challenge our understanding of time itself. Whether it’s altering past events or learning from future outcomes, these movies captivate with thrilling narratives around one central enigma: What if you could change time?