Films to escape into under 90 minutes
Films to escape into, under 90 minutes: 9 titles. Mood and the time you have, crossed. Updated 25 September 2026
The Secret of NIMH leads with 7.4 out of 10, ahead of Justice League Dark (7.3). Ratings range from 6.9 to 7.4. The oldest, The Secret of NIMH, goes back to 1982. The selection leans towards films from the 2010s, 5 of 9.
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The Secret of NIMH
A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.
Justice League Dark
When innocent civilians begin committing unthinkable crimes across Metropolis, Gotham City and beyond, Batman must call upon mystical counterparts to eradicate this demonic threat to the planet; enter Justice League Dark. This team of Dark Arts specialists must unravel the mystery of Earth's supernatural plague and contend with the rising, powerful villainous forces behind the siege—before it's too late for all of mankind.
Wonder Woman
On the mystical island of Themyscira, a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons have raised a daughter of untold beauty, grace and strength: Princess Diana. When an Army fighter pilot, Steve Trevor, crash-lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Two years have passed since the final battle with Sephiroth. Though Midgar, city of mako, city of prosperity, has been reduced to ruins, its people slowly but steadily walk the road to reconstruction. However, a mysterious illness called Geostigma torments them. With no cure in sight, it brings death to the afflicted, one after another, robbing the people of their fledgling hope.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
Amanda Waller's top-secret "Task Force X" — consisting of Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, and Copperhead — is on a mission to retrieve a mystical object so powerful that they're willing to risk their lives to steal it. However, the Suicide Squad isn't the only group of villains seeking to possess the object. It's a race for the golden prize, and second place isn't an option if they want to stay alive.
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
In an alternate universe, very different versions of DC's Trinity fight against the government after they are framed for an embassy bombing.
Reign of the Supermen
In the wake of The Death of Superman, the world is still mourning the loss of the Man of Steel following his fatal battle with the monster Doomsday. However, no sooner as his body been laid to rest than do four new bearers of the Superman shield come forward to take on the mantle. The Last Son of Krypton, Superboy, Steel, and the Cyborg Superman all attempt to fill the vacuum left by the world's greatest champion. Meanwhile, Superman's death has also signaled to the universe that Earth is vulnerable. Can these new Supermen and the rest of the heroes prove them wrong?
Futurama: Bender's Game
When Leela is insulted by a group of space-rednecks (like regular rednecks, but in space), she enters the Planet Express ship in a demolition derby. Leela emerges victorious, but when she brings the damaged ship home, and the Professor sees the fuel gauge, he's enraged by the hit he's going to take at the Dark Matter pump. Now the crew have to find a way to break Mom's stranglehold on starship fuel, even if they have to wade through a Lord of the Rings-inspired fantasy-land to do it!
Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer
Agent Coulson stops at a convenience store and deals with a coincidental robbery during his visit.
What to know before choosing
Escaping means asking a film to supply an elsewhere solid enough that you do not have to work at believing in it. It is not a question of genre — science fiction, fantasy and adventure manage it equally well — but of density: you need a world, not just a set. That is the criterion this list is built on.
A film under ninety minutes is not a failed film someone cut down: it is a form, and often the hardest one. It has to set up, develop and resolve in the time an ordinary film spends on its opening act alone. The genres that excel at it are not the obvious ones — animation, documentary and comedy hold this length far better than drama, which needs time to be believed. This is the selection to open on a weeknight, when there is an hour and a half left and not one more.
See also
- Films to escape into
- Films under 90 minutes
- Films to escape into over 2.5 hours
- Films to make you laugh under 90 minutes
- Films that scare you under 90 minutes
- Films that make you cry under 90 minutes
- Films that make you think under 90 minutes
- Films to watch as a family under 90 minutes
- Films to watch with friends under 90 minutes
- Films full of adrenaline under 90 minutes
- Films to escape into on Netflix
- Films to escape into on Prime Video
- Films to escape into on Disney+
- Films to escape into on Apple TV+
- Films to escape into on HBO Max
How this list is built
Films come from the TMDB catalogue, filtered on audience rating and vote count, then cross-checked against real availability in the country. No paid placement, no partnerships. How we choose the films.
Film data and posters: TMDB. This app uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.