Back to the Future Review

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2016)

There are some movies that you can view again and again especially when you grew up in the 80's. The films that came to mind also helped me remember childhood memories from the first viewing of Top Gun, Beetle Juice, The Breakfast Club, and the movie I most recently viewed Back to the Future with Michael J. Fox. As I viewed Back to the Future again, I could view the components that kept my attention back from younger years and even to this day. The movie's central focus was on a teenager, Marty that had a crazy scientist friend Dr. Brown. Although he was told not to associate with the scientist by the principle, Marty being the typical teenager, that didn't stop him. The story goes on leading you through scenes of the upbeat life style of a teenager of the 80's ridding his skate board as the sound of rock-n-roll music drowned all noises except the his interactions with his parents and a bully named Biff. The excitement rises as Marty goes to visit Dr. Brown, clocks ticking, alarms sounding, music sets the emotion of excitement. Marty meets up with Dr. Brown and witnesses the Dr.'s latest experiment called time travel. The theme is pronounced throughout the movie. Director, Robert Zemeckis introduces the characters and their change with time only in reverse. The first introduction of the characters playing Marty's parents are in a present time, 1985. Stories are vocalized by the mother of how the she first met their father George, ugh. Marty and his sister, Linda are very tired of listening to this story. Editing brings this scene to the viewer's attention using outside/in, leading you into another scene further in the movie. Lighting of the film was appropriately placed as scenes changed, from time travel full of sound and colors to the settings of past, 1955 colors to the more flaming colors of the present, 1985. The excitement begins when Marty witnesses Dr. Brown being shot by foreign terrorists. The dramatic sound as shots being fired, music tone drops in the scene only to transition to a faster tempo matched the pace with the scene as the terrorists begin to chase after Marty. Marty jumps into the DeLorean/ time machine and the chase begins. Continued are angled views through Marty's eyes of the digital displayed date and year with another date and year set back to 1955. The sounds of screeching tires and gun shots along with a fast-paced music sets for excited emotions with Marty speeding from his predators. The focus changes quickly and the angle of the speedometer comes to focus as it reaches 88 mph and with the sounds of a screeching swoosh, as the burning flames ignite sending Marty back in time. Upon his arrival in 1955, unexpectedly Marty is lead to his parents in the time they were teenagers. As the story proceeds it gathers your thoughts from a previous transition of editing scenes from the introduction and conversations of how the parents met. Marty, accidentally runs into his father, George at the town's local dinner. Curiosity leads Marty to follow George as he leaves, setting the transition of editing back to the time when George was hit by a car and met his mother. Only leading into more action. Marty interacts with the past occurrence and pushes his father to safety and gets hit by the car himself. Scenes begin to twist with the time, as his mother, Lorraine is introduced as a teenager to Marty who is now in place of George, as his mother, Lorraine now develops a crush on Marty. Conflicting thoughts and transitional emotions of the Marty taking place of George with is Lorraine. Marty must re-start time or find a way of bring his parents back to the first time they met or the family will disappear in the present time, 1985. The director doesn't let go of the movie's theme from scene to scene with the continued views of clocks and sounds of ticking, transitioning from the development of change from time and place. The director uses adult and teenage ethics and thoughts that change the emotional views through the movie. The action and excitement kept my attention from the first time I saw the movie to the most recent time. Even with a new-found viewing I've learning from the class of Film Appreciation. As I analyzed my viewing, I found the movie was one that I enjoyed to watch and continue to find entertaining. Back to the Future (1985) continues to be a movie to be viewed.