Trying to Change the Future, Pointless or Not?
Say the future is apocalyptic, kind of bad, or just personally unfulfilling. You have the opportunity to time travel and change it. Is it possible or is time a fixed loop and nothing you can do can change it, or worse, you ending up causing the catastrophe by trying to change it and now don't you feel like an asshole. We've sorted through some time travel scenarios to see if success is possible or not, and why sometimes you're messing it up when you really don't have to if you just prepare better.
The Twilight Zone
Episode 141 (1964) "Spur of the Moment"
Outcome: HARD FAIL
You're a young, wealthy woman engaged to a nice guy. You're out for a nice horseback ride in the woods because you're rich. A terrifying middle-aged woman in goth makeup and a black cloak chases you down. She's on her own, scarier horse and she shouts your name in the most disconcerting way possible. You freak the eff out, especially when she keeps showing up, day after day, and you realize she's trying to warn you not to marry the wrong guy who turns out to be a monster and turns you into a bitter alcoholic. But which guy, your current fiancé or your old flame who just came back into your life? Just give us a name, crazy lady.
Consider Her Ways
A Novella by John Windham adapted for TV for "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour."
Outcome: Ambiguous but probably a FAIL
The story imagines a future world where all men have been wiped out by an engineered virus and women carry on in an all-female society with strict caste system. A doctor named Jane Waterleigh takes an experimental drug that mentally projects her to the future and into the body of a member of the "mother class." This class of women is forced to do nothing but rest and have babies over and over again, all bloated up like queen bees. It's sort of a "Brave New World" meets meets accidental 'gendercide' meet social insect documentary. Later, Dr. Waterleigh manages to travel back to the present and does her best to stop that bonkers future, but will her efforts actually cause said catastrophe? Duh-duh-dum!
The novella was adapted into an episode of Alfred Hitchcock's anthology show, and is available for free on the Roku Channel. I recommend the original book, "Consider Her Ways, and Others" which contains additional short stories. It's available used all over the web.
A clip from the Alfred Hitchcock adaptation with Barbara Barrie as time-traveling protagonist Dr. Jane Waterleigh
The Time Machine
The film adaption of the classic novel by H.G. Wells
Outcome: FAIL because of hero's failure to get enough data points before giving up
Inventor Alexander Hartdegen (Guy Pierce) builds a time machine to stop the senseless murder of his fiancee 4 years earlier. (Note: Don't try to hold onto your engagement ring while you're being mugged. It's not worth it.) He then tries to change the past exactly once before he concludes it is futile. He then travels to (yet another) bonkers future and and the movie morphs into a horror story. He battles a race of creepy underground dwellers called Morlocks (excellent name, H.G. Wells) to protect a bunch of people on the surface but mostly a hottie in a cavewoman outfit. I enjoyed the adaptation mostly for Jeremy Irons's insane morlock costume and the fact that he died of old age hanging onto the outside of the time machine during his final battle with the hero. The machine speeds forward decades in time (from the hero's perspective inside the machine.) From Jeremy Irons's perspective outside the time machine, time goes by at normal speed, which mean her didn't let go or starve for 40 or so years and inside died of old age while holding on. I kept screaming "Effing let go of the machine, morlock Jeremy Irons!" Here's the offending but hilarious clip:
Looper (2012)
Outcome: SUCCESS, but bummer, man
The scariest aspect of this film is watching Joseph Jordan-Levitt morph into a Bruce Willis donning the world's most terrible wig. It's pretty good movie and super weird to see Jeff Daniels play the heavy. Here's a fun video dissecting the logic of time travel:
The Terminator
Outcome: I have no effing idea
If you haven't seen this movie it's because your parents think you're too young to watch it and frankly I'm dumbstruck you're reading this article. This is one of the most bizarre loops ever in a movie. John Connor sends fellow survivor Kyle Reece (why wasn't Michael Bein in more stuff?) back in time to save his his mother, Sarah Connor from the Terminator (Aaaahnold Schwartzenegger, duh) and he succeeds but then gets down with Sarah in a scene I really wish I hadn't had to watch with my parents and she conceives dddddd. What? I guess he might have chosen Kyle regardless of him being his father but…whaaaaaaht? Still, it's both a totally awesome movie and one of the most 80s things you'll ever see. Just don't think about any of the sequels past T2 or your brain and heart will break. Check out the adorable stop motion skeleton sequence then go compare it to the CG in T2 which still holds up.
Travelers (2016)
Outcome: Success but also a bummer for the travelers
This Netflix series from Canada lasted 3 seasons are was seriously underwetched. Some great, layered characters and unexpected twists kept the show humming and invested the viewer in the time travelers even more than the fate of the world. That's why, even though the mission is a success, The full series is still available on Netflix. things don't end up great for the travelers themselves. For another good Canadian time travel show, see Continuum. It's no longer on Netflix and impossible to stream in the States, but available in Canada.
About Time (2012)
Outcome: TTOTAL SUCCESS and everyone is really, really happy because they have no idea how much their lives have been messed with by the protagonist.
This rom com is the time travel movie with possibly the most self-centered protagonist and worst mentor ever. Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is shocked when his dad (Bill Nighy) tells him all the men in their family can time travel when they get inside a large bureau and think really hard about which date they want to go to. then proceeds to use this incredible gifts almost exclusively to help himself, most in his romantic pursuits, The one time he tries to stop his sister from being critically succeeds, but when he returns to the past, he find he has a toddler-aged son rather than his toddler-aged daughter from the initial timeline. His dad tells him that he can't change anything once he has a child, because chaos theory will dictate the odds of having the same exact child are basically zero. So he goes back in tie again and changes things back and crosses his fingers his sister will survive. Of course she does, but ew. Plus, lots of other people had children while he was changing things so why was that okay? It's all in good fun…I guess, and the cast is delightful. Here's the trailer:
Futuristic Time Agent (3057)
None of you know it now, but when this movie is beamed directly into people's minds in the year 3057, it's going to be totally baller and launch the career of future superstar Blarforkd673-94a.
Obviously there are tons of other movies, books, and shows on the topic. Let us know which are your favorites and whether predestination or free will is the ticket.
