HILL VALLEY OR HILL NO?
If you went to the movie theater in 1985 like I did, you were likely to see a crowd of teenagers wearing neon vests and puffy vests, looking like they just crawled out of a clearance bin at a sporting goods store. They were all lining up to see a kid named Michael J. Fox drive a car that looked like a stainless-steel toaster. It’s called Back to the Future, and apparently, we all thought that traveling through time is as easy as hitting 88 miles per hour in a motorized hunk of junk.
Personally, I can’t even get my lawnmower to start on the first pull, so the idea of a teenager accidentally seducing his own mother in 1955 isn’t exactly my idea of a “family blockbuster.” But, because my editor insists I stay “relevant” instead of retiring to a cabin where I don’t have to look at denim jackets, I went down memory lane and rewatched this one. It’s a movie about a kid who goes back in time to fix his loser parents’ lives, which is a bit rich considering most kids today can’t even fix their own beds.
Review by Ben Dover
Let’s get one thing straight: Marty McFly is a nuisance. He’s got a skateboard, a guitar he doesn’t know how to play quietly, and a friendship with a local lunatic named Doc Brown that should probably have triggered a call to social services back in 1985. The plot kicks off when this “Doc” steals plutonium from some very angry terrorists, because that’s what we want to teach the kids, right? Grand larceny and nuclear physics in a parking lot.
Once Marty hits the past, the movie actually finds its footing, mostly because 1955 was a time when people actually dressed like they had some self-respect. Of course, the main conflict is that Marty’s teenage mother is “sweet” on him. It’s uncomfortable, it’s weird, and it’s exactly the kind of nonsense Hollywood loves to cook up. I spent half the movie wondering why Marty didn’t just walk to the nearest police station, but then I remembered he’s a teenager and therefore has the common sense of a ham sandwich.
The villain, Biff Tannen, is the only character I actually understood. Sure, he’s a loudmouthed bully, but at least he’s honest about being a jerk. Watching George McFly mumble and stumble around was like watching a wet paper bag try to stand up in a hurricane. I will admit, seeing the underdog finally punch the bully felt good, though I’m sure today’s kids would rather “talk it out” or some other nonsense.
The climax involves a clock tower, a bolt of lightning, and a lot of screaming. It’s high-energy, I’ll give it that. But the ending? Don’t get me started. “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” Well, great. Now we have flying cars to worry about on top of everything else. It’s a fun ride, I suppose, if you can ignore the fact that Marty essentially erases his original parents and replaces them with wealthy strangers who just happen to look like them.
Overall, it’s better than most of the garbage coming out of Hollywood these days. It’s got heart, even if that heart is slightly confused about its own family tree. I didn’t hate every second of it, which for me, is practically a rave review.
Cast and Crew
- Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly): The kid is charming, I’ll admit it. He spends the whole movie looking confused, which is a very accurate portrayal of a teenager.
- Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett Brown): He acts with his hair and his eyeballs. It’s a lot of shouting, but he makes you believe a DeLorean can fly.
- Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines): Does a fine job playing both a bored housewife and a boy-crazy teenager.
- Crispin Glover (George McFly): This man is strange. I don’t know if he’s acting or if he actually breathes like that, but it works for the character.
- Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen): The best “butthead” in cinematic history.
Special Effects and Music
The Special Effects are surprisingly decent. The DeLorean looks great when it’s glowing and spitting out fire trails, though the “disappearing” hand trick when Marty is fading away looked like a cheap magic trick from a birthday party.
As for the Music, Alan Silvestri’s score is loud and bombastic—it keeps you awake, which is more than I can say for the opera. And that Huey Lewis song, “The Power of Love,” is catchy, even if I have no idea what the lyrics have to do with time-traveling cars.
Rating
4.5 out of 5 Stars (It would have been 5 stars if the kid had gotten a haircut.) For all my grumbling, its a classic for a reason and is a lot of fun if you ignore some of the silliness.
Synopsis and Plot Breakdown
In 1985, Marty McFly is a high schooler with a loser family and a dream of being a rock star. He meets his eccentric friend, Doc Brown, at a mall at 1:00 AM (because that’s totally normal). Doc has turned a DeLorean into a time machine powered by stolen plutonium. Libyan terrorists show up, shoot Doc, and Marty escapes by accidentally driving the car back to 1955.
Once in 1955, Marty stops his father from being hit by a car, which means his parents never meet. Instead, his mother falls for him. Marty has to find the 1955 version of Doc Brown, convince him he’s from the future, and figure out how to get back. The plan: use a lightning strike at the town clock tower to power the machine.
Marty also has to play matchmaker for his own parents at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance. After a narrow escape involving a skateboard chase and a punch to Biff’s jaw, his parents finally kiss, saving Marty from vanishing. Marty makes it back to the lightning strike just in time, returns to 1985, finds Doc is alive (thanks to a warning letter), and realizes his family is now rich and successful. Then Doc shows up in a flying car and whisks Marty and his girlfriend off to 2015.
Famous Quotes
- “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”
- “Great Scott!”
- “If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?”
- “Why don’t you make like a tree and get out of here?”
- “1.21 gigawatts! 1.21 gigawatts. Great Scott!”
Interesting Facts
- The time machine was originally supposed to be a refrigerator, but they changed it to a car because they were afraid kids would lock themselves in fridges trying to time travel. (Finally, a smart decision).
- Michael J. Fox had to film the movie at night while filming his sitcom Family Ties during the day. No wonder the kid looks exhausted.
- The head of Universal Pictures wanted to change the title to “Space Man from Pluto.” Thank goodness someone had the sense to say no.
- The “Libyans” in the van were actually driving a Volkswagen Bus, which is about the least threatening vehicle on the planet.
- Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty and filmed for weeks before they fired him for being “too serious.”
Photos
Trailer
Notes
I wish I could go back in time and watch this for the first time again, but that would potentially create a time paradox and rip the entire fabric of space and time.
Its crazy how much this movie looks like 1985, I was 19 and it is exactly how I remember that time.
I love this opening, a funny bit with the amp leading right into the “too loud” rock band.
“When this baby hits 88 you’re gonna see some serious shit.” 🙂 More cussing than I remembered in this movie.
“Jesus Mom, you’re super horny.”
This is as close as a comedy gets to a perfect movie I think. It has flaws sure, but I just don’t really care about them.