Following the release of Used Cars in 1980, writer Bob Gale thought of an idea for a time-travel movie. While visiting family in St. Louis, Gale thought if he would’ve been friends with his dad in high school. With that, he brought his idea to director Robert Zemeckis, who immediately loved it, and they took it to Columbia. Unfortunately, Columbia and various other studios turned the script down for being too light-hearted compared to other teen comedies. Around this time, Zemeckis went off to shoot Romancing the Stone, which ended up being a huge hit in 1984. Following its success, Zemeckis and Gale presented their concept to Steven Spielberg, who agreed to produce it through Amblin Entertainment. In the end, the film got picked up Universal and was given a $19 million budget despite its risky nature. Finally, on July 3rd, 1985, Back to the Future was released to theaters.
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Synopsis
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is an average high schooler with a beautiful girlfriend in Jennifer Parker (Claudia Wells). However, Marty also likes to hang out with the eccentric Doctor Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd) as his assistant. One night, Doc asks Marty to meet him at the mall to show him his latest invention: a time-traveling Delorean. Unfortunately, Doc gets shot by Libyan terrorists, and Marty escapes in the Delorean, unexpectedly traveling to the past. Marty arrives in 1955 and almost immediately meets his younger parents George (Crispin Glover) and Lorraine (Lea Thompson). He also runs into local bully Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), who constantly picks on George and soon threatens Marty. Once he meets young Doc, Marty convinces him to help get back to his own time, but there’s a catch. Lorraine’s fallen in love with Marty, so he has to make sure his parents get together.
Review
Back to the Future is a film that defined the 1980s despite how much of a gamble it was. First off, the cast is wonderful, especially because they all play their roles completely straight, which adds to the comedy. Fox is instantly likable as Marty McFly, having great comedic timing and perfectly reacting to everything around him. Lloyd is wonderfully eccentric as Doc Brown, able to play it straight while managing to act over-the-top without being annoying. Glover is both off-putting and loveable, Thompson is overtly sweet and beautiful, and Wilson steals the show as the bully. There are also some fun appearances from character actors George “Buck” Flower, Will Hare, Courtney Gaines, and even Huey Lewis. Speaking of, his songs “Power of Love” and “Back in Time” are instantly catchy and will stick with you. Also, Alan Silvestri’s score adds to the scope and gives the film added weight.
What also makes Back to the Future so special are the themes it touches on, specifically on family and time. The film reminds us that, while we may have disagreements with our parents, they’re still responsible for us being here. It also makes you realize how fleeting time can be and how we should be willing to take chances. Even though some have criticized the ending’s implications, it does show how one little change can make a huge difference. As phenomenal as the film is, there are a few shortcomings, namely that some of the humor is slightly on-the-nose. There are tons of jokes about how something old in 1985 is new in 1955, and they start running thin. Even then, this is still one of those films I would classify as being perfect, if not a masterpiece. Overall, Back to the Future is a classic that’s worth revisiting.
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