A masterpiece at any time

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2017)

Quite possibly, and quite probably, my favourite film of all time is "Back to the Future", released on 3 July 1985, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson, and Crispin Glover, and features a score composed by Alan Silvestri. ​
Writing is an essential part of filmmaking, and the script in "Back to the Future" is nearly a perfect one. Of course, in a time travel film, the appearance of inconsistencies, paradoxes, and other similar errors are almost inevitable. But, on first viewing "Back to the Future", and even for subsequent viewings, these plot holes aren't very noticeable due to the engaging story. The film explains the science of its time travel perfectly, with lengthy but fast- paced exposition. ​
Marty, played by Michael J. Fox, is a likable and relatable protagonist. At the time of filming, Fox was busy working on the NBC sitcom "Family Ties", and so director Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale hired young actor Eric Stoltz to fill in the part. A few weeks into filming, Zemeckis and producer Steven Spielberg decided that Stoltz just wasn't the actor they needed. Pushing back the film's release date and adding $3 million to its budget, they recast Fox as Marty under the condition that Fox would work on "Family Ties" during the day and "Back to the Future" at night. Fox often slept on the way to the film's shooting locations.
Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, is both interesting and funny to watch. His long explanations of his work, along with his misunderstandings of what the future is like, make for plenty of amusing and intriguing dialogue. George McFly, played by Crispin Glover, is likable in his awkwardness and inflections. ​
The film's antagonist, Biff Tannen, played by Thomas F. Wilson is a fantastically well-acted character that a viewer loves to hate. His arrogant nature and loudmouth remarks easily allow the audience to want to see him defeated by the end of the movie. The beautiful Lorraine Baines-McFly, played by Lea Thompson, also offers a great performance, both as her teenage and middle-aged selves, adding more comedy to the table. ​
The music for the film is also spectacular. The score to "Back to the Future" was composed by Alan Silvestri. Silvestri's compositions for the film are orchestrated expertly, and the main theme carries a sense of adventure and awe. The songs "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" by Huey Lewis and the News, created specifically for this film, fit well and are great to listen to on their own. The tracks covered by the fictional band Marvin Berry and the Starlighters are excellent renditions of the real-life oldies. "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)", originally by the Penguins, earned actor Harry Waters, Jr. a gold record certification, and rightly so. Chuck Berry's famous rock and roll tune "Johnny B. Goode" (performed in the film by Marty McFly, but dubbed over by Mark Campbell) adds a great musical scene and leads to a terrific comedic moment. ​
The visual effects work in the film is always a treat. Three DeLorean cars were purchased to be modified for the film. The DeLorean time machine was designed by Ron Cobb, Andrew Probert, and Michael Scheffe, while effects supervisor Kevin Pike helped build the time machines. The flying DeLorean at the end of the film was created by the wonderful people at Industrial Light & Magic.
The DeLorean is an aesthetically cool-looking car, and a far better choice than what was originally intended. When envisioning the film, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale had a time machine made from a fridge in mind. They decided to pass on the idea, since it could lead to inspired children getting stuck in refrigerators. The film's title was even a stroke of genius that had some concept issues. Sid Sheinberg, head of Universal Pictures, made some helpful alterations to the script, but insisted that the film be called Spaceman from Pluto. Subsequently, Steven Spielberg sent him a memo that implied that the crew thought it was a joke, and Sheinberg decided sheepishly to drop the idea.
The set of Hill Valley was shot at the Courthouse Square backlot of Universal Studios. It was used in numerous films aside from "Back to the Future", including "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) and "Gremlins" (1984). The scenes in the film that took place during 1955 were shot first in the beautified backlot. For the scenes in 1985, the crew simply trashed and uglified the square, like leaving garbage on the streets and replacing classic motion pictures on a movie theatre sign with sleazy titles. Industrial Light & Magic animation supervisor Wes Takahashi created the lightning effects for the climactic clock tower scene by hand, which is an impressive and awesome-looking achievement. ​
In finality, "Back to the Future" is a contemporary classic. Its acting, direction, music, visual effects, editing, sound mixing, and most importantly, screen writing, all lend to it being an engaging, story-and-character driven film. It has marvelous foreshadowing, superb character development, and a well-structured story without any unnecessary scene; whatever few problems it could have are insignificant, and there may be no film I enjoy more.