What does it take to get time travel right in movies?

By Scott Detrow,

Regina G. Barber, Mallory Yu

Published July 27, 2025 at 5:43 PM EDT

To mark the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future, NPR looks at what it takes to get time travel right on the big screen

Scott Detrow

Scott Detrow is a White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.

Regina G. Barber

Regina G. Barber is Short Wave's Scientist in Residence. She contributes original reporting on STEM and guest hosts the show.

Mallory Yu