Going back again and again

Rating: 10/10 (28 April 2012)

How many movies can you honestly say you would never get tired of seeing? Most movies, no matter how notably excellent they may be, lose at least a little bit of their charm, their ability to thrill, when you've seen them a number of times. Back to the Future is one of those precious few movies for which the thrill is never gone. There's so much here. Action, adventure, humor, drama, romance. The story is fabulous. The performances are fabulous. The music is fabulous. Great characters, great dialogue, great effects. Pretty much great everything. And even if you know the movie by heart, and at this point I pretty much do, it doesn't get old. Not a bit. I'll go back in time with Marty McFly over and over again. What a fabulous journey Marty goes on. Lucky are we who are along for the ride.
The story is wonderfully simple and yet incredibly intricate. Teenager Marty McFly is sent back in time, from 1985 to 1955. In 1955 the most beautiful girl you'll ever see falls for Marty. Lorraine Baines is the dream girl any guy would fall in love with...if she weren't his mother. Yes, Marty's mom now has the hots for him instead of his father. Marty has prevented his parents from falling in love. If he doesn't fix that he will be erased from existence. Of course there is also the small matter of getting back to 1985. Thankfully Marty has a friend in 1955 who can help, Doc Brown. Marty and Doc, one of the great pairings in movie history.
The movie starts a little slowly as it sets itself up. But then Marty and Doc come together in that shopping mall parking lot and the magic begins. From the moment Marty hops into that DeLorean and revs it up to 88 this movie is sheer perfection. Michael J. Fox, playing Marty, is obviously the glue holding the whole thing together and he is magnificent. But Christopher Lloyd, playing Doc, may be most indispensable of all. Could there be any other Doc Brown? With gestures and reactions and facial expressions Lloyd brought this character to life in a way nobody else could. He can say it all without saying a word. Of course when he does say something that's memorable too. 1.21 gigawatts! If having the kooky Lloyd playing the exceedingly kooky Doc Brown weren't enough we also get Crispin Glover playing Marty's father George. Or would-be father once Marty screws things up. Glover is a performer quite unlike any other and he makes George his own. What a fabulous job he did. Thomas F. Wilson makes for a great villain with Biff, hated in two generations. And Lea Thompson as Lorraine? Now that's a girl worth getting run over by a car for. Thompson certainly looks the part of the dream girl but she proves to be much more than just a pretty face. Her performance is perfect. The sweet, innocent 1950s girl. Or is she really that innocent?
This is a story which had to be worked out meticulously and it was. Any missteps unravel everything. But at heart it's still rather simple which makes the story, and the characters, so easy to embrace. Director Robert Zemeckis tied it all together brilliantly. The story, the characters, the actors...it was a perfect storm which came together to produce true movie magic. This is a movie which is not just enjoyed, it is beloved. And it should be. What's your favorite Back to the Future moment? Is it one that makes you laugh? One that makes you cheer? Or one that makes you want to get up and dance? Go, go! Go Johnny go! Yeah, even the music in this movie is perfect as Marty desperately tries to get back to 1985. Ah yes, 1985, that glorious moment in time where if you wanted to put a really cool rock star in your movie you went out and got Huey Lewis. Everybody, Huey included, plays their part in this glorious movie. By the time the end comes, with one of the greatest closing lines in movie history because this movie is perfect right to the end, you want to stand and cheer. No matter how many times you've seen it. No matter if you're all by yourself in your living room. Stand. Cheer. You know you want to. And this movie deserves it.