RELATED: 5 Time Loop Movies To Watch If You Like Palm Springs (& 5 Similar Romantic Comedies)

While the film emulates various clichés from similar films, Palm Springs manages to add a certain touch of originality too, keeping viewers engaged for its 90-minute duration.

Best: It Smoothly Blends Various Genres

Because of the time loop element, there’s obviously a hint of sci-fi in the story. But otherwise, Palm Springs works perfectly well as a feel-good rom-com.

It also feels like a ‘slice of life’ film as Samberg’s Nyle and Milioti’s Sarah also share several scenes as friends rediscovering their lives. It doesn’t force its characters to fall in love directly. Instead, the film’s narrative gives enough montages for both characters to live their ‘repetitive’ life to the fullest while connecting with each other.

Alternative: Happy Death Day

Happy Death Day is another time loop film that blends several genres. It’s a highly entertaining black comedy with elements of time loop and slasher films.

Jessica Rothe stars as a college student who is murdered on her birthday, an experience she gets to live over and over again till she finds the true identity of her killer. The ways in which she dies and her subsequent acceptance of the time loop makes for several hilarious scenes.

Best: The Lead Actors

While JK Simmons seems to be showing off his versatility and comedic timing in a memorable ing act, Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are the heart and soul of the film.

RELATED: Andy Samberg: 5 Of His Best Movie Roles (& 5 Of His Worst), According to IMDB

Both form an unlikely adorable couple and even when they talk in cliched dialogues at times, the actors’ prowess adds a fun twist to the chemistry. A standout scene is towards the end when Samberg channels his usual goofy self to apologize to Milioti’s character. But the heroine instead points out various grammatical errors that he makes in his speech.

Alternative: Run Lola Run

This German film has rightfully acquired a cult status thanks to its adrenaline-fueled style of filmmaking and a heavy trance soundtrack. The red-haired protagonist Lola (Franka Potente) is given 20 minutes to deliver a huge amount of money to her boyfriend before he robs a store. For if he does rob the store, there will be immense consequences.

In a video-game-like fashion, Lola gets three tries at completing her mission to fix the situation. Run Lola Run makes for a highly engaging watch for those who want to immerse themselves in a fast-paced cinematic experience.

Best: A Somewhat Realistic Solution To End The Loop

There are various time-loop films ranging from Groundhog Day to Edge Of Tomorrow with seemingly scientific solutions to end the time loop in the third act.

However, in Palm Springs, Sarah’s experiment with exploding a sheep in the cave (the portal) seems like a fairly realistic solution that’s not that over-the-top. Of course, quantum physicists might easily debunk Sarah’s solution, but because its general plot isn’t that ambitious, Palm Springs’ third act seems like an actual solution if we were to be stuck in a time loop.

Alternative: Edge Of Tomorrow

Tom Cruise gets stuck in a loop while Emily Blunt turns into a complete badass in this action/sci-fi film that is worthy of acquiring cult status in the future. Directed by Doug Liman, the Edge Of Tomorrow’s alternative title was ‘Live Die Repeat’ and this perfectly sums up the essence of the film.

RELATED: Emily Blunt’s 10 Best Movies (According To IMDb)

Unlike other films on this list, Cruise’s protagonist is tasked with the responsibility of saving not just his own life in this time loop but also saving the human race from an alien species. Aided with the military warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt), he struggles to figure out a strategy with the limited lifespan he gets in this ‘Groundhog Day of the future’.

Best: Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

Palm Springs seems to be made in a self-aware universe and yet attempts to craft a new story, despite the various aforementioned time loop movies there are in existence. By not taking its theme that seriously, it can be said that Palm Springs is to the time loop genre what Zombieland is to zombie films.

Usually, such movies have the classic scene where the protagonist is initially confused and troubled on discovering their existence in a loop. But in Palm Springs, Nyle is shown to be already aware of being stuck in a loop. Instead of panicking or finding a solution, he seems to be content with his new life, sipping on a beer, getting in bed with new people, and crashing the same wedding every day.

Alternative: Source Code

Imagine that you wake up randomly in someone else's body in a moving train, and then to make matters worse, you're to protect the train before a enger explodes it. And of course, as this is a time loop film, you are given limited time to do all this. Then you start questioning reality and think you're probably in a simulation program.

These are the situations that Duncan Jone's Source Code presents. It's a speedy thriller that doesn't break momentum from the start. It starts off showing the lead (Jake Gyllenhaal) to be as confused as the viewers but as each scene, and each repetition of the loop takes place, both the protagonist and viewers are rewarded equally for their patience.

Best: Duration And A Simple Story

Rather than getting into the science and details of its premise, Palm Springs is a heartfelt and tight-knit story of two people finding their true selves in the course of 90 minutes.

It could have added sophisticated plot points in between to make the time loop stand out from those of other movies but simplicity is key in Palm Springs. Maybe, sometimes, viewers need a film that doesn’t make them scratch their heads and at the same time doesn’t give them an extremely dumbed-down experience. Palm Springs strikes the balance as it’s filled with smart jokes throughout along with a very straightforward time-traveling routine.

Alternative: Groundhog Day

If a cinematic staple in the future. Widely considered as the originator of the genre, it’s difficult to not crown Groundhog Day as the best time loop film of all time.