Back to the Future - Review

“Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads” – A review of Back to the Future. 

I genuinely love good, serious science fiction. I love realism, I love to believe that the story I’m watching unfold could someday be possible, I love to imagine a future where spaceships, alien lifeforms and travels through time and space will be possible. Yet, despite my preferred genre of sci fi being on the more serious side, I cannot deny how much joy watching Back to the Future brings me every single time I watch it.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in 1985, Back to the Future is one of the best loved science fiction comedies ever made. Witty, engaging and full of brilliant storytelling and performances, it’s a real pop culture classic that has truly earned the adoration it receives.

The film follows the adventures of Marty McFly, a teenager who is good friends with a scientist he knows as Doc. Marty is a good-looking lad and has a girlfriend, but his family life is less than ideal. His mum is an alcoholic whilst his dad is unfortunate enough to be working for his former high school bully Biff, who still delights in tormenting him. Marty wants more out of his life than his parents have gained from himself; he wants to be a rock star, he wants to own a massive 4x4 truck, and he wants to sleep with his girlfriend. All of these dreams seem to fail, purely due to the family he comes from.

Everything changes when Doc finally, at long last, invents something that actually works. He has created a time machine in a DeLorean car, which can travel through time when it hits 88 miles an hour. When Marty ends up in the car, he is accidentally sent back 30 years into the past, where he meets his own parents and risks erasing his own existence. Marty must make sure his parents meet, fall in love, or he may never be born! For any wannabe time travellers out there, never mess with your own family history.

You can’t deny how great the performances are in this film. Michael J. Fox is Marty, and he’s incredibly likeable, relatable, and cool enough to skateboard and have a girlfriend yet somehow apparently not cool enough to have friends his own age. His best friend, Doc Brown, is played by Christopher Lloyd and his energy and enthusiasm is contagious, and his earnest care for Marty brings so much warmth to the platonic bond the two share.

I can’t pretend that the special effects have aged perfectly but honestly, for their time, they were pretty good. I particularly enjoy the effects of the DeLorean, which used animation, lighting effects and even vapour trails to create the time travel scenes.

Despite this being a comedy, and a very funny one at that, there are some deeper themes to be found as well. Destiny, personal growth and familial relationships are all explored, and the film asks you to think about the way your every day choices can have a profound effect on your future yet does so in a truly fun loving and light-hearted way meaning that no matter your age, you can understand the messaging and enjoy the comedy. Indeed, I certainly enjoy Back to the Future just as much now as I did when I was eight years old.

You can probably tell that I adore this movie. It’s spawned sequels, its influence can be seen across a variety of media, and it’s so quotable that it appeals just as much now as it did in 1985. Whether you’re watching for the first time or sitting down for a rewatch, this is science fiction comedy gold, and I guarantee you’ll have a great time with it.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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