Back to the Future, Finally.

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2016)

I was definitely late to the party on this one. I missed out on watching this at anytime over the past 26 years of my life, and I also missed watching it during the anniversary event in October 2015. I believe the adage is "better late than never", I hope it is anyway. No matter how late I was to this film, I'm glad I watched it. Back to the Future was a wonderful tale of ingenuity, diligence, and retribution. Michael J. Fox teams up with Christopher Lloyd in a quest finish his greatest invention and freely travel the realms of time.
Our story begins in 1985, as we are introduced to Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a quintessential American teenager, forever embarrassed of his parents and seeking independence. His friendship with the zany Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is well- established as he is in tuned to the many experiments he is in the process of developing. When Doc is ready to unveil his creation, he asks Marty to meet him at the mall in the middle of the night. Shocked at Doc's explanation that he has uncovered the secret ingredient needed to power his time machine, Marty is intrigued. When a terrible accident takes place, Marty is accidentally send to November 12th, 1955 where his entire existence hangs in the balance, as he must be sure that his parents to-be meet and fall in love, in spite of the fact that his entry into the past has disrupted this. The audience accompanies Marty through a nostalgic look at life in the 50's, and all that Marty introduces to the past. Marty's trip culminates with a big finale that must spark him back to his present.
No one talks about Back to the Future without mentioning the incredible on-screen chemistry between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Despite their vast differences in age, they pull off a believable well-established friendship beautifully on-screen. Several scenes throughout involve just the two of them, a type of movie in which chemistry is crucial. Another bright spot of the film is the shooting. With many special effects, especially in the climax, it needs to be believable or the story would fall apart. Robert Zemeckis obviously directs a beauty with Back to the Future and is a joy for audiences from beginning to end.
A powerful message emerges as one watches Back to the Future. Many of the film's leads at one point has their character questioned. At the beginning of the film we meet George McFly (Crispin Glover), who doesn't look like he's strayed far from the 1950's even in the 80's. He is getting pushed around in the film, like he has all of his life, and seems to be destined for a life filled with this type of abuse. He seems to have no respect from his family members, or anyone else that comes into contact with him. Marty shows us, through his journey that sometime all it takes to make someone realize they deserve better is a little confidence from a friend. We also learn early on in the film that Marty has a passion for music and a dream to pursue it. He gets a big chance to realize this musical dream at his parent's dance in the past. He convinces his dad to pursue his own writing dream when he visits him in 1955, and seeing his father's dream pan out, one can only assume Marty will take his own advice in the future. One can also take a lesson from Doc Brown's perseverance throughout the film. He is never appreciated for his ingenuity, and often thought of as crazy for pursuing his scientific endeavors. In spite of all this criticism, Doc presses on and remains steadfast in his scientific exploits. There is something in this film for everyone, and the audience is given enough tools to find whatever suits them.
Now that I have finally seen Back to the Future, I can understand why it has remained such a staple for decades after its release. This story provides a feel good story of normal, good people overcoming the evils of other normal people. Not an overwhelming moral story to the point where it is cheesy and unbelievable, but one that tugs at this reviewer's heartstrings nonetheless. Back to the Future is a four star prize for me, and I would recommend it to anyone that likes to follow an engaging story with fun characters. One does not even have to be a fan of time travel movies, as I am not, to enjoy this film. I'm glad I finally gave this movie a chance, and I will probably be along for the whole series.