Alternate history is a genre characterized by featuring historical events with a twist. The twist being that events unfold in a different way than they actually did. However, true alternate history likes to stay mostly grounded in reality, and doesn't stray too far into fantasy or sci-fi. Usually when an alternate history film is created, it centres on a central "what if?" question.

Films like Threads (1984) and Dr. Strangelove (1964) don't technically count since they were products of their time, meaning they weren't consider alternate history at the time of their release on account of the fact that their plots centre on events that occur during the "present" or the near future. They've only become alternate history now that time has passed. Even with these criteria there are plenty of amazing alternate history films out there that both stay grounded in reality and take place in eras before the films were released.

10 'Walker' (1987)

Director: Alex Cox

Walker is a pretty polarizing movie because it's just so ridiculous. Many hate it, and many consider it a cult classic. It starts off like your stereotypical western, but things quickly get bizarre when things like helicopters begin flying around. The premise of this movie is that technology, at some point, advanced a lot quicker, leading to modern machines populating the Wild West at the same time as cowboys.

The story concerns the life of William Walker (Ed Harris), an American mercenary who illegally appointed himself the president of Nicaragua. Except this time, he is aided by automatic weapons, cars, and other anachronistic technology. While the story of William Walker is more or less correct, these anachronisms are what make it so interesting and appealing. It's a severly underrated entry in the wierd western genre, and an alternate history flick that is well worth the watch.

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9 'Resistance' (2011)

Director: Amit Gupta

Resistance asks what would happen had Nazi Germany launched a full-on invasion of Britain after D-Day fails. In Nazi-occupied Britain, many wives have been left behind after their husbands have been sent off to join the war effort. Many of the German soldiers now occupying Britain begin to take an interest in the women, despite them wanting to remain loyal to their husbands.

At an impasse, the British women are forced to team up with the Germans as a hard winter lies ahead, and they need all the help they can get tending to their farms. Over time, one of the German officers forms a special bond with a British woman named Sarah (Andrea Riseborough), and the two form a forbidden relationship à la Romeo and Juliet. Apart from its romantic plotline, it also serves as a harrowing film, with tensions running high amidst secret love and wartime fighting. Sure, it's not fantastic, but it's one that's worth a watch.

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8 'Yesterday' (2019)

Director: Danny Boyle

Imagine a world where an influential and hugely successful artist like The Beatles never existed. That's the basic premise of Yesterday, a musical romantic comedy film directed by Danny Boyle. It stars Himesh Patel as Jack Malik, a budding musician who wakes up one day after an accident to find himself in a world where his idols, the Beatles, never existed. Since he comes from our world and knows all of their songs, he decides to start performing iconic Beatles numbers to the populace, and becomes a huge commercial success.

Alternate history films tend to focus a lot on war or conflict, so it's nice to see an alternate history movie that's more light-hearted and innocent. The musical numbers also make it must-watch for Beatles fans. It's not the best musical movie out there, but it's a fun time nonetheless.

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7 'Never Let Me Go' (2010)

Director: Mark Romanek

Never Let Me Go is another movie that leans more towards the innocent rather than war. In this universe, a huge medical advancement has been made in the 1970s, allowing all humans to live well past the age of 100. This isn't just a novelty like it is in the real world--this is commonplace. But the ethics surrounding it are questionable. While the plotline is more innocent, it does grapple with themes about human mortality, as select individuals are cloned and raised in boarding schools solely for the purpose of dying as young adults to donate organs to the rest of the population, who will live past 100.

The movie was praised for its performances and portrayals of the characters taken from the original novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. The cast is small, but carries a lot of big names like Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, and Keira Knightley. Even though it's not about war, it still proves to be melancholic and oppressively macabre all the same, forcing viewers to take a look at their own mortality and to consider the fact that for every breakthrough, there can be serious consequences.

6 'C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America' (2004)

Director: Kevin Willmott

The American Civil War happened nearly 200 years ago, and began when then-president Abraham Lincoln pushed to outlaw slavery throughout the country. The Southern states weren't too happy about this, and thus seceded and formed the Confederacy before going to war with the Northern Union. Luckily, the Union won, and slavery was subsequently abolished throughout the United States. But what if it was the other way around? Fortunately, there's C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, a mockumentary-style comedy movie that shows more or less what it would be like had the Confederacy won.

The movie makes the choice to present this alternate reality in a comedic way, which actually kind of works because had it been a reality, it probably would have been just as absurd as the movie makes it out to be. It plays out like you're watching part documentary, part shopping channel, mixing American consumerism with alternate history. While the movie pushes the boundaries a bit, it does it in a way that pokes fun at the losing side, and serves as a subtle reminder of how lucky Americans really are that the Civil War ended how it did. There's nothing quite like this movie--it's unique, daring, and funny all in one package.

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5 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' (2019)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is a comedy that comes from the mind of the one and only Quentin Tarantino. It centres on a groupn of fictional actors who befriend Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), a real Hollywood actress, and her husband, director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha). But things quickly turn dark when the cult of Charles Manson is introduced, who famously murdered Sharon Tate in the late 1960s.

But this doesn't happen in the film. Instead, Sharon Tate's would-be murderers arrive at her house to find Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), who orders them to buzz off, essentially. Recognizing him as the actor from a 50s western show (neither of which actually exist, but Tarantino treats them as if they do), the murderers believe that he is responsible for teaching them how to kill, and opt to try and kill him rather than Sharon Tate. This comedy film tackles some heavy topics, as many Tarantino comedies do, but that makes it a whole lot better. Plus with its cast of A-list actors, it was hard to go wrong with this one.

4 'Anastasia' (1997)

Directors: Don Bluth & Gary Goldman

Anastasia is a movie that screams Disney in every way, from its musical numbers to its animation style, yet funnily enough, the Mouse House didn't lay a single white-gloved finger on it. Set during the Bolshevik Revolution at the end of the First World War, the film follows Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (Meg Ryan) as she struggles to evade the evil Grigori Rasputin (Jim Cummings). Both of these people were real, however, it is widely known that Anastasia, along with the rest of her family, was assassinated by the reovolutionaries at the young age of 17.

Anastasia explores what could have happened if Anastasia had actually survived the revolution, taking up the name of "Anya" to escape those who would wish her dead. And also what it would be like if she could break out into song at the drop of a hat. Anastasia introduces history to children in a fun, presentable way that appeals to them, and it's a superb film to watch if you're hungry for Disney princess-esque movies.

3 'April and the Extraordinary World' (2015)

Directors: Christian Desmares & Franck Ekinci

April and the Extraordinary World is a French animated film that received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, yet many still haven't even heard of it. The movie explores what the 1940s would have been like had the French emperor, Napoleon III been killed, and the Franco-Prussian war been averted. Over the next several decades, scientific progress comes to a screeching halt and pollution levels skyrocket. Unfortunately, this huge change in history doesn't prevent World War II from happening.

April, a young scientist, develops a serum for eternal life along with her family, but is pursued by government officials who hope to exploit their efforts to use in the war. While the sentient animals in the film are a bit fantastical, there is an explanation as to why they can behave the way they do. Above all, the animation is different, but beautiful, and it's a whimsical journey through a world very different from our own, playing out like a fantasy, but without crossing the line too far.

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2 'The Woman King' (2022)

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

The Woman King is a highly-underrated entry into cinema that features a part of history that is far too overlooked. Taking place in the early 19th Century, the movie depicts the two West African kingdoms of Oyo and Dahomey as they go to war with each other. Truth be told, these kingdoms did in fact go to war with each other, but it was roughly 100 years earlier--this movie decides to depict a second conflict between the two. Amidst the conflict, the two kingdoms also find themselves at odds with Portuguese colonialists.

Aside from exploring an exciting time in history that otherwise doesn't get much time to shine, it features a star-studded cast of Viola Davis, John Boyega, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, among others. But it isn't just about war--it's about the Agojie, an all-female contingent of Dahomey warriors, which were also real. It did receive some criticism on account of it being historically inaccurate, however, with it being an alternate history, that's sort of the point. With its intriguing plot, stellar action, and exceptional performances, there isn't a movie that's ever come close to matching the singular energy of this movie, making it a standout entry in the alternate history genre.

1 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

The best (and perhaps most famous) alternate history flick comes once again from Quentin Tarantino, who based his Inglourious Basterds off of a 1975 Italian film of the same name. Despite the similar naming convention and the clear inspiration that Tarantino took from the original, the two share different plots. Tarantino's version explores what it would be like if there was a special task force created to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II.

Much of what Tarantino touches turns to gold, and while this film isn't his best, it's still a really incredible watch. While the film is a bit silly, that seems to be the point of it--it's a ridiculous movie that knows how ridiculous it is, and it owns this. It flaunts the truth of its absurdity at every corner, making it just as fun to watch a second, third, or fourth time as it was the first time. It's got classic Tarantino genre-mixing violence, making it something no movie fan will want to miss.

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