Well it's Groundhog day....again...which means it's time to talk about what makes a good time loop movie. (See what I did there?)
There's been dozens of time loop films since Groundhog Day was released in theaters in 1993, which begs the question "What makes it good?" As I was working on a time lopp film myself, I realized that the common trope will never go away, which is nice to see.
There's a few things you have to keep in mind to make your film stand out from the others, so audiences don't think, "I've seen this before."
Show us what the protagonist is prior to the time loop
Like any film, we have to get a sense of who they are, and in most cases, they're kind of stubborn or selfish. Phil Connors, for example, clearly is stubborn and despises the holiday and the town. Even once he steps into the town the day before, his true colors show, and we have an idea of who he is. Another thing to consider is how they became that way, and feel free to be creative about it.
Keep the audience in suspense of what is going to happen
Happy Death Day is a great example of keeping the audience in suspense because Tree's goal is to find out who keeps murdering her and once she does, the loop will be broken. It's also a fun way to have audiences play along and see if they can spot any clues because once you think you know who it is, you end up surprised. Even if you're not writing a horror comedy time loop film, audiences want to wonder how the protagonist is going to break the loop.
What causes the time loop
Clearly, it's something they have to overcome within themselves. Perhaps they have to develop better connections with their family, whether it's a romantic partner or a sibling. It should also include a ticking clock. Going back to Groundhog Day, Phil experiments with resetting the time loop and learns it doesn't restart at midnight. If he dies, he wakes up in bed. Christmas Do Over is quite different because the loop ends at midnight and the protagonist appears at the front door.
Add your own taste
Like I've said, no one wants to watch something that's been made multiple times before, so you have to provide your own teists and turns on the common tropes. For my fim, i provided a ticking clock and a limited amount of loops to create urgancy, because if the protagonist doesn't evolve or change, there's going to be dire consequences. Until Dawn is another good example where there's a twist on the time loop trope where every time they die, the characters are faced with different villains/creatures who are out to get them. However breaking the loop might not be simple as you think because after all, they have to survive until dawn in order for the loop end.
If you've enjoyed this, please let me know! I'd love to answer any questions you have!