A generational epic disguised as a sci-fi comedy

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2013)

In the movie Back to the Future, we follow Marty McFly, a typical American 1980s teen (performed by a 24 year-old Canadian...) who has big dreams. Much of his ambition is driven from his underachieving family, headed by an alcoholic mom and a nerdy beta male dad. His two older siblings aren't much better. He just can't seem to make sense of how he, a seemingly cool guy in a garage rock band, with a hot girlfriend, can be related to these losers. It is easy to see why he was drawn to a persistent dreamer, an inventor by the name of Doctor Emmett L. Brown. This relationship leads him on the adventure of a lifetime - not just his, but those of his ancestors and descendants.
Over the course of the film, Marty finds out that his loser, hopeless parents, once had the same hope for the future and dreams that he had. He finds out that his dad got that way that he is by suppressing his dreams to become an author due to fear of rejection, much like Marty himself is afraid of taking his guitar talents all the way. He also finds that his seemingly traditional "nun" of a mom was actually quite the opposite in her earlier years. It turns out they aren't that much different from himself as he had imagined.
This is a major theme of the film. It was very relevant in the era of the 80s, where so-called "generation gap" alienated teens from parents who came from an era before the cultural revolution of the 60s and 70s. Often many young people of that time thought what they saw in 50s reruns (also referenced in the film) was the way life was really life back in the 50s. This is natural. For whatever reason, younger generations paint a picture of previous generations. Some of this is their own imagination based on a lack of experience, and some is the idea that parents have of making sure their kids don't repeat the same mistakes that they did. Either way, it is an issue that kids of the "Generation X" or "MTV Generation" dealt with, and also covered in John Hughes movies like the Breakfast Club.
Another theme is that of the wise sage and his protégé. This goes back to ancient times, Alexander and Aristotle, David and Samuel, Arthur and Merlin, and so on. This relationship is also used in the Star Wars movies, with Luke and Obi-Wan. Of course in the modern frame of reference, a wizard, philosopher or prophet becomes a mad scientist aloof to the world, and the young protégé is a high school kid who plays the guitar and rides a skateboard. The basic idea, however, is still the same. The old man, declining in years, passes on some wisdom to the next generation and helps the hero come of age.
Back to the Future is, after all, a coming of age story. It is perhaps *the* coming of age story of the generation. While some come to the realization that their problems are not "unique" to their era through contemplation, Marty came to this realization based on first hand experience. Marty starts out somewhat immature and naive about the world. He thinks every parent started out as a parent (with maybe a few less gray hairs) and that for him it will be different. He starts to realize that the way people are in their adult life are the direct result of their choices as dumb teens, when they think that they know better. Back to the Future is a trilogy, of course, so Marty doesn't learn all of his lessons in the first movie, but he does learn a lot of them.
Of course this is not all that the movie offers. There are perfectly-executed action sequences, the stories of Marty's parents getting a second chance at life, and one of the best villains in a teen movie - Biff Tannen. A lot can be said about the small town of Hill Valley, with its repeating generational problems. However, I don't think this message is as universal since most today live in different towns and neighborhoods than their parents did. Still it an amusing plot device to see how these small town families repeat the same patterns over the generations. Even the manure haulers are not left out of this generational gag.
I call Back to the Future epic, because it is. It deals with a "heavy" issue - time, and plays with it in ways no other movie has before or since. The heroic scale of preserving one's own material existence seems to me to be worthy of being called epic. The isolated three-dimensional location of Hill valley is purposely small and obscure. It is not a sprawling land like Tolkien's Middle Earth or a vast space empire like Lucas' Galaxy far away. Its is very unlikely it has had many newcomers in its 100+ years of history. This isolated spot is not to give the movie a quaint feel, as small towns are used in other films, but to focus on the epic nature of time itself. The musical soundtrack of this film definitely adds to the epic feel of the movie. It is still a sci-fi comedy, however, and there are plenty of laughs to be had, and many technical wonders to behold. It's best not to label the movie and enjoy it for what it is. I think movies like this defy traditional labeling by genre.