My all time favourite time travel movie.

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2005)

I first saw Back to the Future a year ago. I couldn't believe I'd avoided seeing it for so long. It has to be one of the most enjoyable time travel stories ever put on the big screen, because it uses science fiction, and grounds the story in human emotion.
Robert Zemeckis made a name for himself as a director with Back to the Future, because it was with this film he demonstrated how his storytelling can be likened to Frank Capra. In other words, he infused the intricacies of time travel with a benign, gentle touch, and with his own sensibilities too.
Beginning in 1985, our tale centres around Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox). A typical teen of the 80's into skateboarding, rock n roll and girls, he is a young man who just wants to prove himself. He believes he can break the family curse common with all McFly's. Marty could actually amount to something.
The rest of his family are really just a bunch of losers. Marty's father, George McFly, is the biggest loser going. He is an overgrown nerd who enjoys corny sitcoms and not much else. George has zero self-confidence, and allows himself to be antagonised, especially at the hands of his own personal tormentor Biff Tannen.
Then there is Marty's mother Lorraine, who is an alcoholic, smokes, and looks older than she should. Its also clear she is in an unhappy marriage. Just look at her face when thinking about life with George. You really feel sorry for her.
Marty's brother Dave is a pizza delivery boy, and his sister Linda must be the youngest old maid ever. Marty is really the only normal person in the family. The only bright spots in his life are his girlfriend Jennifer, and his friendship with the wacky inventor, Doc Brown (the brilliantly nutty Christopher Lloyd).
Doc Brown is one of those eccentric kooks with a twinkle in their eye right out of a Jules Verne novel. One night, he needs Marty's help with his latest experiment. He has converted a DeLorean into a working time machine.
Powered by plutonium, and at 88mph, it can literally travel through time in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, Libyan terrorists Doc double-crossed have caught up with him, and kill him. Marty avoids the same fate by jumping into the DeLorean, and accidentally sends himself 30 years into the past.
1955 is completely alien to Marty, and an even bigger shock awaits him, when he meets his future parents who are still teenagers. Marty interferes with their first meeting, and puts his own existence in jeopardy. If George and Lorraine don't get together, Marty will never be born. And that's just one of the problems he has to contend with!
Since the DeLorean runs on plutonium, and used it up when Marty made the trip to 1955, he is now stranded. Fortunately, with the help of the Doc Brown living in 1955, they hatch a plan to get Marty home. In one week, a lightning bolt will strike the Hill Valley clock tower. By using its power, it will generate the electricity the DeLorean needs to make the return trip to 1985.
If all of this sounds complicated, it isn't. Back to the Future isn't nearly as complex as it sounds. It is wonderfully entertaining. Marty becomes George's best friend, and helps him find the confidence he needs to stand up to Biff. Marty playing matchmaker to his parents is not only fun to watch, but also amusing. Lorraine falls for Marty herself, which further complicates his agenda.
Although I am not a big fan of Michael J. Fox, he was spot on as Marty. He brings the right amount of teenage rebellion to the role, as well as amazement at his situation. He also has a terrific chemistry with Christopher Lloyd.
I can't imagine anyone else as Doc Brown. He is so zany, but so sincere. His hand gestures and body language are perfect, since he modelled his performance on the composer Leopold Stokowski. Every move he makes is always like addressing an audience.
The idea of a DeLorean as a time machine was brilliant. It is great to look at, and also provides one of the best visual gags in the film. After Marty first arrives, the family who see the car mistake it for a flying saucer with its gull-wing doors.
There are so many terrific scenes I could go on forever. Some of the most memorable are George standing up to Biff, George and Lorraine's first kiss, and Marty's attempt to return to 1985. You can't help rooting for George and Lorraine, because you really want them to get together. What is more satisfying, is because they meet under different circumstances, they become better people as a result.
Marty playing Johnny B. Goode is great too, especially when he confounds the audience with their first taste of rock n roll. It really gets intense and gripping towards the end, because you don't know how things will turn out for Marty. The musical score by Alan Silvestri helps no end, which is so uplifting and exciting.
Robert Zemeckis also showed his flair for special effects with Back to the Future. They hold up well after 20 years, and unlike most directors, Zemeckis incorporates them without overshadowing the characters.
Back to the Future is by far the best of the trilogy, because of its simplified theme. Part II broke that rule, and was too complicated for its own good. Part III made a welcome return to the simplification that made Part I such a big hit.
Back to the Future showed that science fiction can be used to promote humanistic values. Groundhog Day did the same thing for romantic comedies. There probably will never be a time travel story as compelling and heartwarming as Back to the Future.