Original, imaginative, clever and highly entertaining.

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2010)

I have fond memories of seeing "Back to the Future" for the first time when first released during the summer of 1985. The audience I saw it with actually applauded at the end of the film, which is rare for a movie. I remember coming back to see it five more times that summer. Yes, it was only "just a movie", but such an original, clever, imaginative, heartwarming, charming movie. One that is very enjoyable and relate-able to a wide audience.
"Back to the Future" made a big, positive impression on me. I realized I had seen a special, unique film, that might stand the test of time, which it has. I've seen this film many times since 1985 and it has never failed to lift my spirits. It's simply one of the most entertaining films I've ever seen.
"Back to the Future" was the product of the imagination of director Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale. The story idea was in genesis for several years. This was the third film of Zemeckis, after "Use Cars", 1982 did poor box office and "Romancing the Stone", 1984 became a minor hit.
Marty McFly is an average 80's teenager who accidentally gets sent back in time and interferes with the meeting of his mother and father, jeopardizing his very existence. A simple premise, but one really well thought out and done with imagination and heart. It's part comedy, part action-adventure, part science fiction and part drama. All together, a very entertaining and enjoyable film with great appeal.
Here's where Zemecicks first showed what would become one of his trademarks: using the same characters in the same setting of different times. This playful manner with history that would fully develop in the visual effect techniques of "Forrest Gump", 1994.
"Back to the Future" is really not much of a visual effects film. What sets "Back to the Future" apart is, that it focuses on story, characters and circumstances, in a playful, clever and imaginative manner.
For science minded viewers, it's the first a time travel film got most of the physics correct about time travel. It broke the old designs of past time travel movies. Here, energy is used to crack open the space time continuum and the trip through time occurs in a fraction of a second.
There's some surprisingly heartwarming and charming moments between the main and supporting characters, such as Marty and Doc saying goodbye and Marty talking to his mother and father at the dance after they've been reunited. All the characters and situations are very relate-able, which is part of the films' appeal.
Zemecicks knew he had a small film here, so he requested and received a big, rousing, traditional style film music score from Alan Sylvestri. The climax and epilogue/twist ending of the film were especially memorable and engaging. "Back to the Future" was a critical hit and an enormous box office success, that really launched Zemecicks as a prominent director. The film stayed at number one for 11 weeks, which is the third best ever performance for any movie. It received four Academy Award nominations, the most important and nomination being for Best Original Screenplay.
I'm happy this film has stood the test of time to be appreciated and enjoyed by a new generation. In 2007, "Back to the Future" was added to the National Film Registry as a film of historic or cultural significance. My personal favorite line: "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything".