Pocket Time Machine

Tag Area: Time Machine
Novella

The Fall of Mercury

Mort Forrest and his fellow explorer Bruce are headed for supposedly uninhabited Mercury when they are captured by Mercurians intent on taking over the solar system, but fortunately, a friendly Saturnian named Chen-Chak (with a small globe that can momentarily transfer bad guys into the future) rescues them, tells them of the history of species from all the planets, and saves the solar system. —based on Frank J. Bleiler
“They are not dead,” he averred; “within half an hour of your time they will be returned, unaware of what has taken place. They must wait for Time to catch up with them!”
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  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Men in Black 3

When Boris the Animal escapes from lunar prison and returns to 1969 to kill Agent K and expose Earth to attack, Agent J must follow to save Agent K and all of Earth!

Tim and I saw this on Fathers Day Eve in 2012. —Michael Main
This is now my new favorite moment in human history.
Will Smith (as Agent J) sits on a motor inside a giant wheel, zipping down a highway in a tunnel.
  • Eloi Honorable Mention
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Definite Time Travel
Novel

Infinity Ring 1

A Mutiny in Time

This first book of the multi-author series tells of how teens Dak (a history buff and odd duck), Sera (a science nerd), and Riq (a member of the secret Hystorians society) end up as the only ones who can save the world by fixing breaks in time that changed what was meant to be. Their first mission—saving Columbus from a mutiny that was meant to fail—is a disquieting choice that I would not choose as an introduction of history to children. For starters, they are choosing to save the man who brought genocide to the Americas. And to boot, in the broken world where the mutiny succeeded, his three ships still completed their voyage with no noticable change to subsequent centuries (apart from Columbus resting at the bottom of the Atlantic). —Michael Main
Time had gone wrong—this is what the Hystorians believed. And if things were beyond fixing now, there was only one hope left . . . to go back in time and fix the past instead.
An eight-pointed gold compass, marked in twenty-degree intervals around the edge.
  • Science Fiction
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Flash Fiction

The Loneliness of Time Travel

A twist on how meeting yourself for coffee interacts with how time travel works in your universe. —Michael Main
You have no idea how many of my younger selves freak out when I show up.
A star emerging from behind a blue planet.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Film

One-Minute Time Machine

James takes his one-minute time machine to a park bench to try to pick up quantum physicist Rachel.

The gang up in the ITTDB Citadel showed this five-minute film to me on my first prime birthday of the 2010 decade. —Michael Main
Rachel: What’s that?
James: Huh? Oh, nothing.
Rachel: Sure it’s not a One-Minute Time Machine?
Erinn Hayes (as Regina) gazes skyward from a park bench while Brian Dietzen (as James) stares straight-ahead beside her.
  • Eloi Honorable Mention
  • Science Fiction
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Film

30 Second Time Machine

While trying to pick up Mackenzie, Ryan unknowning picks up a small, pink clicker that provides him with a clear path to improving his pick-up lines. —Michael Main
Okay, what are you doing with that clip?
Sitting in a library, Ryan Adams (as Ryan) closely examines a small pink-and-yellow clicker.
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel
Short Film

50 Year Calendar

A teenage boy opens a Christmas present that takes him from 2017 to 2047 where he meets two antisocial teens, learns of a future war, and has a confused end to his trip. —Michael Main
I’m from 2017. Can you fix it? I need to get back.
A handheld, brass device with rotating dials to determine the day of the week over a fifty year period.
  • Science Fiction
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

An Hour

  • written and directed by Prasanth Kumar
  • (Youtube: Andhra Pradesh Channel, 2 October 2020)
Young, unemployed Nanna seems to take everything in stride, even the arrival of unexpected package containing an artistic hourglass with the power to take him back or forward one hour in time.

The audio is mostly Telugu, but there are subtitles in broken English. —Michael Main
An old clock with ornate hands and Roman numerals shows behind the words "An hour".
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

The Christmas Chronicles 2

Two years after the first Christmas Chronicles movie, young Kate Pierce is sitting on a beach in Cancun, missing her father and losing her status as a True Believer, all of which causes her to try flying back to Boston on her own—a plan that plays right into evil Belsnickel’s plan to overthrow Santa Claus and Mrs. Santa Claus. —Michael Main
Santa: [shaking head] Only Belsnickel would power a time machine with triple-A’s.
Kurt Russell (as Santa) and Goldie Hawn (as Mrs. Santa) pose in front of his village and two sleighs in the sky.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Families
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Episode

Loki, Season 1

Hang on to your Tesseracts! Apparently, in Endgame, when the Avengers traveled back in time to swipe various things from the 2012 Avengers, they inadvertantly started a branch in time where Loki ended up with the Tesseract. Of course, once that occurred, the Time Variance Authority spotted him as a Variant and quickly recruited him to help in their fight against even more variant Variants. —Michael Main
Appears to be a standard sequence violation. Branches growing at a stable rate and slope. Variant identified.
Tom Hiddleston (as Loki) stands with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face, in front of a large analog clock with multiple hands.
  • Eloi Bronze Medal
  • Superhero
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Episode

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (s02e03)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

A mysterious, bloody man appears and warns La’an of an attack in the past, after which she races to the bridge, only to find herself in an alternate timeline with a young James T. Kirk at the helm.

A trip to the past seeems in order. —Michael Main
There’s going to be an attack. It’s going to change the timeline. We have to stop it.
No image currently available.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel