Back to the Future
In 1985, in Hill Valley California, teenager Marty McFly is best friends with the town loony scientist Dr Emmett “Doc” Brown. When Doc shows Marty he has a time machine made out of a DeLorean, a series of events sees Marty travel back to 1955.
Now he must find 1955’s Doc, all the while making sure his parents ‘find’ each other, after he inadvertently takes the place of his father during the ‘way they met’.
Pretending to be an “out-of-towner” named Calvin Klein, he must find a way to get them together at the upcoming school dance.
Direction
Robert Zemeckis directs, giving audiences a taste of what he would bring in the future. Some decent effects for the time period too. Steven Spielberg produced.
The use of make-up, especially for the “older versions” in 1985 – are done very well – and considering what some of the cast look like in 2025 – was right on the money.
Cast/Characters
Michael J Fox plays Marty, who was then a television star in Family Ties. He is the perfect lead – as he had non traditional lead like features in his diminutive stature. This pre-dated his health issues that would plague his career, and life.
Christopher Lloyd is the perfect accompaniment to Fox, as Doc. He too, a television and movie star plays the both ‘zany’ – and at often times heartfelt adult to Marty – as he lacks that at home.
Lea Thompson, plays Marty’s mother – in both ‘midlife crisis’ 1985, and teenager in 1955. She is perfect in both, and has brilliant comedic timing alongside Fox, and great chemistry alongside Glover.
Thomas F Wilson gets my MVP, as Biff – the bully in both 1955 and 1985 to George McFly. The ‘change’ he takes after Marty gets back to 1985 is hilarious.
Crispin Glover is also equally MVP to Wilson as George McFly – who goes through a big change after meeting
Screenplay/Setting/Themes
The 1955 setting is simply flawless, with hardly a fault in sight – which all films should look towards to get it done correctly. Even small moments such as Marty not knowing how to open a bottle, are so well thought out and nuanced that they are absolute perfection.
One of the primary themes and story lines is that it is inherently a love story – yet it is such a unique film ahead of its time – the two people in love not the primary characters. Here it is Lorraine and George – Marty’s parents – who he must get to fall in love in an alternate way.
I would have liked to know how exactly Doc and Marty became friends, and would have enjoyed seeing more of them play off each other in 1955 – as I think this seemed to be ignored somewhat.
I did forget how ‘violent’ some of the moments are – and this is not the comedic violence of Biff v Marty, or Biff v George – but the Libyans moments in the bookends of the film. It’s probably a little out of place in such a PG movie.
There are some well written and executed obstacles that the characters face (Marty working out how to get his parents together after taking his dad’s place at their time of meeting, getting his mother to not fall in love with him, Biff taking Marty’s place with Lorraine at the car, and Doc trying to get the power cables together before the storm hits. All perfectly written and executed.
A brilliant screenplay, with such iconic lines as ‘this is heavy’, ‘great scott’, ‘if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything, and ‘roads.? where we’re going we don’t need roads…
This also gives one of the best open ended endings of all time with one of the greatest lines of all time…
Score/Soundtrack
Both the pop culture famous theme, and the score by Alan Silvestri are simply brilliant.
The use of ‘pop culture songs’ like Johnny B Good, and Huey Lewis’ The Power of Love are used brilliantly with Lewis even getting a cameo and Chuck Berry ‘appearing’ on the phone with his brother ‘Marvin’ when Marty is able to influence future pop culture history by his actions in 1955..
Overall
Still near perfect after 40 years.
If you haven’t seen this… where have you been?
5/5