The Temporal Screen: Love & Time Machines

Time is one of the few variables with enough power to end, improve, inspire, and change the memory of love. Whatever its influence, we usually understand its meaning years later, but on the screen, we can live through its passages in hours. Manipulating time lends not only the philosophical and societal questions science fiction asks, but also those of personal reflection, changes in perspective, and a chance to see how our lives might have turned out if we had loved differently or… loved better.

A time travel romance can be a comedic romp when lighthearted, or a tragedy capable of bringing us to our knees. In either case, the marriage of the time machine and the love story is one with a special connective ability.

In the 1800s, the dawn of time travel did not focus on romantic relationships but often relegated love to the B and sometimes C plot, as did films for the majority of their first seventy-five years (with some exceptions). The plot tended to lean more heavily on the mechanics and mystery of time travel itself, placing emphasis on adventure, discovery, and science. However, romance found its way in as a subtle undercurrent, quietly hinting at the human desire for connection amidst the vastness of temporal exploration.

In the 1980s, a time travel blockbuster was released almost every other year. Both comedic and serious films leaned into the personal and emotional consequences of traveling through time. The cultural urge to look backward began to make itself seen in a big way on screen, along with future realities speaking to the cultural anxieties of those years. Whether your flavor is the action film, the fantasy, the adventure, or the sugar-sweet period piece, there is an 80s time-traveling romance for everyone.

“Somewhere in Time” (1980), based on Richard Matheson’s novel “Bid Time Return,” follows playwright Richard Collier, who becomes enamored with a portrait of a woman and travels back in time to meet her—not with the use of a time machine, but through the power of self-suggestion. Christopher Reeve, who played Richard Collier, and Jane Seymour, starring as Elise McKenna, fell in love during filming but did not pursue a romantic relationship, remaining lifelong friends instead. This connection, while not romantically realized in life, lends an intensity that can be felt in the performances of each, creating a unique believability to the fantastic circumstances. The haunting score by John Barry, who would also score the subsequent time travel romance “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986), grabs the heartstrings and doesn’t let go until it’s good and ready.

In “Peggy Sue Got Married,” time travel becomes a vehicle for self-reflection. The titular character, Peggy Sue, faints at her high school reunion and awakens as her younger self in the 1960s. Armed with hindsight, she revisits her choices, particularly her troubled marriage, gaining a deeper understanding of her life— showcasing how revisiting the past can illuminate and clarify the present.

“Back to the Future Part III” (1990) travels into the Wild West, lending a playful tone to the mismatched era romance of time traveling’s favorite Doctor, Emmett Brown. Don’t we all hope to bond with our soulmate over the works of Jules Verne? The last entry in this beloved franchise is the perfect reminder that love can blossom in even the most unexpected of places—or times.

“Highlander” (1986) centers on a Scot named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), who meets the love of his life shortly after becoming immortal in 1518. Though he is urged to leave her to avoid the pain of loss, he does not. Connor remains devoted to her, refusing to leave her side until the end of her life. His last moments with her are paired with the musical equivalent of a gutpunch, “Who Wants to Live Forever,” written by Queen for the film. It’s easy to connect with Connor’s struggle to live a lifetime of lives with a heart open to the possibilities of connection. We all know that’s no easy feat. For me, it’s much easier to contemplate the most difficult moments romance has to offer when a sword fight follows.

The love story within “The Terminator” (1984) has some of the highest stakes imaginable, creating the kind of passion that impending danger is happy to provide. At its core is the relationship between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, a soldier sent from the future to protect her from the relentless Terminator. Kyle’s love for Sarah is predestined, yet deeply personal. He fell in love with her through a photograph given to him by her son, John Connor, the future leader of the resistance. Doomed romance from the future is difficult enough to contend with, let alone summoning the strength necessary to battle a cybernetic assassin at the same time.

“Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986) hits a science fiction sweet spot, focusing on the playful connection between Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Gillian Taylor. It’s “fish out of water” meets “mission to save Earth” meets “feel-good romance,” and it’s Star Trek—certified in the art of time traveling and always a good time.

The time machine is able to control what we cannot but often wish we could—something closely connected to our hearts. Through this union, we as the audience are invited to explore universal themes of longing, regret, and hope, framed by the idea that time can be bent, rewound, or stretched to serve matters of the heart. At its most valuable, it may inspire us to better serve all of the different types of love that live right here in the present.