15 Movies About the Multiverse, Ranked from Worst to Best (original) (raw)
Updated Sep 18, 2024, 10:40 PM EDT
Jeremy has more than 2500 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows.
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One thing's become clear lately: we're living in a universe where multiverse movies are extremely popular. The idea of multiple universes existing is a sci-fi concept that's existed for decades, but as far as movies go, stories about people traveling to different universes have only recently become very fashionable. Despite it being a TV show, Rick and Morty may have played a part in this. And of course, once the MCU started exploring multiverses, other franchises would inevitably follow.
Some of the biggest and most successful films of the last few years have set themselves within the multiverse, and it seems here to stay for as long as audiences continue to find such a concept interesting. Below are some of the most noteworthy multiverse movies of all time, and are ranked from worst to best, showcasing the mind-blowing opportunities fictional multiverses allow.
15 'The One' (2001)
Directed by James Wong
Jet Li and a man standing in kung fu positions, preparing to fight each other in The One.
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Okay, The One is not the #1 multiverse movie when judged by quality. That does need to be emphasized, because it's not exactly a movie that critics flocked to and subsequently praised. However, The One was #1 when it came to exploring the idea of the multiverse within a large-scale action movie, with it having a decent-sized budget of $49 million (not adjusted for inflation).
It's an action/sci-fi movie starring Jet Li, following his character being forced to fight another version of himself: a universe-hopping agent who's killed various other alternate versions of himself, growing more powerful with each kill. It deserves credit for coming out more than a decade before action movies with multiverse settings truly took off, and even if it can't fully be considered a masterful trailblazer, it can at least be called ahead of its time.
Release Date
November 2, 2001
Runtime
87 Minutes
Director
James Wong
14 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (2022)
Directed by Sam Raimi
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Doctor Strange possesses the dead in the Multiverse of Madness to fight the Scarlet Witch.
Image via Marvel Studios
While it's not one of the best MCU movies by any means, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness isn't without its merits. It manages to have some fun with the premise, which involves the title character traveling to different universes, but doesn't push things as far as it could, feeling strangely tame in some areas.
Still, it does sometimes go a little bananas with its horror elements, certain creative action scenes, and a level of violence that's a little more intense than most MCU movies. It's neither the worst nor best MCU movie to tie into the multiverse in some way, but is worth mentioning for having its premise centered on the multiverse, even if it didn't explore it as much as it should've.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
13 'The Flash' (2023)
Directed by Andy Muschietti
Michael Keaton as Batman in 'The Flash'
Image via Warner Bros Pictures
When judged as a superhero or time travel movie, The Flash may falter a little, but it does at least utilize the multiverse well. It's the first theatrical film to focus on the title character, who's previously been seen in both Justice League (2017) and the better-received Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).
It's easy to see it as DC's response to various MCU and other Marvel movies utilizing the multiverse well, with The Flash bringing in multiple versions of familiar characters (and some alternate versions previously unseen) and putting them in one film. Whether it's a concept that will continue to be explored in future DC films remains to be seen.
12 'Deadpool & Wolverine' (2024)
Directed by Shawn Levy
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine tied together in Wolverine & Deadpool.
Image via Marvel Studios
The whole multiverse thing continues in the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine, a film that does acknowledge a certain amount of fatigue with the multiverse while engaging with it nonetheless. But that’s kind of on-brand for the Deadpool movies. Your mileage will vary on whether clichés are still clichés if the film says to you, “Hey, check out all these clichés that are super silly.”
Still, the multiverse is used here to bring back Wolverine in a way that doesn’t entirely undermine the powerful conclusion (of sorts) to the character’s arc that was Logan. And the Ryan Reynolds + Hugh Jackman pairing is a fun one, with Deadpool & Wolverine certainly being fun in bursts, even if the film falls apart more than a little the more you think about both it and what it could ultimately mean for the superhero genre going forward.
Release Date
July 26, 2024
Runtime
127 Minutes
Director
11 'Mr. Nobody' (2009)
Directed by Jaco Van Dormael
Mr. Nobody and a handful of soon-to-be-mentioned movies kind of stretch the definition of what a multiverse movie is, but this film, plus those others, can be seen as sort of proto-multiverse films. Looking at the idea of a different reality, timeline, or universe is potentially emblematic of baby steps taken before exploring the idea of countless universes or realities, which is kind of what modern-day multiverse flicks do.
Anyway, that’s all preamble to say that Mr. Nobody is an intricate and perhaps even mind-bending sci-fi film about the last mortal man on Earth near the end of the 21st century, and how he recounts his life… or lives? Across the different periods he talks about, things branch out and potential new realities and/or false memories are explored. It’s lofty stuff and perhaps bites off more than it can chew, but there are certainly interesting things to think over here.
10 'Altered States' (1980)
Directed by Ken Russell
Thaao Penghlis as Eduardo Echeverria and William Hurt as Dr. Eddie Jessup standing together in 'Altered States'
Image via Warner. Bros
A little like Mr. Nobody, Altered States is all about exploring the human mind, consciousness, and the unreliability of memories in a way that almost replicates the feeling of traveling across different realities. Perhaps it’s more literally about that; it could all depend on the way one wants to interpret an out-there movie such as this one (and it’s far from the only unusual/mind-blowing film Ken Russell directed).
The film follows a scientist exploring such things and putting himself at the center of such a journey, with Altered States also being about the consequences of such a decision. It’s an effective blend of science fiction and psychological horror, being a slow build that gets more intense as things progress into an outright nightmare where reality bends and shocking, hard-to-define new spaces unfold while promising to be places to get lost in.
Release Date
December 25, 1980
Director
Ken Russell
9 'The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension' (1984)
Directed by W.D. Richter
Jeff Goldblum wears a cowboy outfit and hat and talks to others in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.
Image via 20th Century Fox
Going back to the idea of baby steps preceding a full-on cinematic descent into the multiverse, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension – despite its wild title – keeps things safe by “only” focusing on the idea of another dimension. Yes, it’s the 8th one, and from it come aliens who have typically evil plans that need to be stopped by a group of scrappy Earth heroes.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is absolutely a cult classic in every sense of the term, having a loopy plot, a strange sense of humor, and undeniably admirable ambition, even if it’s more than a little messy. It’s just a good time if you find yourself able to click with it (even just a little), and it’s another quality proto-multiverse flick.
Release Date
August 10, 1984
Runtime
103 minutes
8 'Run Lola Run' (1998)
Directed by Tom Tykwer
Franka Potente as Lola running through a group of nuns in Run Lola Run.
Image via Sony Pictures Classics
Run Lola Run has a genius premise for a thriller, revolving around two people who need to find a large amount of money in a very short time, because their lives essentially depend on it. One decides he has to resort to armed robbery, while the other – the titular Lola – believes she can find another way to collect the necessary cash, and so she ends up doing a lot of running to achieve this before a robbery can happen.
Not only does she run a lot initially, but Run Lola Run has a time loop structure, showing the same situation playing out three times, each one a little different thanks to small deviations snowballing. With different realities effectively created from each of these timelines, it almost has the feeling of exploring different universes… kind of. Sort of. Again, expansion of one’s mind might be necessary, but the movie does inevitably scratch the same itch that good multiverse movies do.
Release Date
March 3, 1998
Runtime
81 Minutes
Director
Tom Tykwer
7 'Last Action Hero' (1993)
Directed by John McTiernan
Jack Slater standing near his fake Terminator 2 poster in Last Action Hero.
Image via Columbia Pictures
An action movie that's also a parody of action movies, 1993's Last Action Hero is a very underrated Arnold Schwarzenegger film that has at least gained a cult following in the years since its release. It follows a young boy who's sucked into the world of an action movie he loves, with fictional characters eventually making their way into the real world, too.
It can be viewed as a proto-multiverse movie, because while it's not a multiverse movie in the modern sense, it does get a ton of mileage out of a premise involving every movie effectively being its own universe. Also, there are two Arnold Schwarzeneggers for the price of one, seeing as he (briefly) plays himself and the fictional character that he plays within the film inside the film. It might make you go cross-eyed, but in a fun way.
Release Date
June 18, 1993
Runtime
130 Minutes
Director
6 'Coherence' (2013)
Directed by James Ward Byrkit
Coherence - 2013
Image via Oscilloscope Laboratories
Coherence came out a few years before the recent wave of multiverse blockbusters, and showed how it's possible to explore such a huge concept with a tiny budget. This 2013 sci-fi/mystery film was made for just $50,000, and follows the strange things that begin happening to a group of people at a dinner party when a comet flies overhead.
Reality bends in interesting ways as the film goes on, with alternate selves - and the possibility of two universes crossing paths - being explored effectively within a small-scale story and a low budget. It's an engaging and mind-bending movie, and one of the more creative and down-to-earth multiverse-themed movies out there.
Release Date
August 6, 2013
Runtime
89 Minutes
Director
James Ward Byrkit