Thirty Five Years Ago - Back To The Future

Yeah, come on, it was always going to be leading up to this one. A film for which I had a frustratingly 99.99% complete Panini sticker album (one sticker missing). A film for which I have (somewhere) an “OUTATIME” number plate and used to have a “What are looking at, butthead?” T-shirt. Oh, and this one I did very much watch at the cinema (although we were late and I didn’t see the first 5 minutes until it came out on VHS).

(Brief Note:- Some of you may be thinking, “Hang on, there’s one notable film from 1985 that he hasn’t covered.” And you would be right. I do like The Goonies but it’s one that my obsession for faded very quickly and it’s not one that I ever really have a desire to rewatch for some reason. Not sure why, I just don’t.)

Back To The Future
Dir. Robert Zemeckis / Dur. 116 minutes

What’s It About? Weird old man who inexplicably hangs around with a teenager accidentally sends him back in time so his mum can try to get off with him.

Why’s It Good? It’s Back To The Future.




Oh, fine, I’ll give you a bit more than that. This, along with Ghostbusters, is probably of the pinnacle of a genre that very much feels like it hit the peak in the 80s and 90s but seems to be somewhat in decline these days - the family friendly high concept comedy which is actually still genuinely funny. It’s smart, it doesn’t talk down to its viewers, it’s got some slightly risque stuff hidden in plain sight (so the kids won't notice it but the adults will get it) and it bears up to repeated viewings. It’s got a main and supporting cast that doesn’t really have a weak link (OK, Claudia Wells as Jnnifer is pretty underwhelming but you do get the far superior Elisabeth Shue for the sequels). Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd have a natural easy going chemistry, Crispin Glover’s George is suitably nerdy and a bit off-kilter and Thomas F Wilson’s Biff is a powerhouse comic supporting role* (with a special mention to James Tolkan as the strict and seemingly ageless Principal Strickland). 

It’s tightly plotted and has a number of nice details that reward multiple viewing (for example, the mall where Marty meets Doc at the beginning of the film is the Twin Pines Mall whereas, following his destruction of one of the pines as Marty arrives in 1955, the mall at the end is now called Lone Pine Mall). It also builds nicely on the “rule of three” style repetition and subversion of events across the subsequent sequels.

There’s a sense of joy and urgency that sweeps you long for the ride. Plus, impractical though it may be, the DeLorean with its flux capacitor is one of the coolest time machines around. (I said “one of” - we all know that the TARDIS is the coolest.)

So there you go - a brief nostalgia fest through the films of thirty five years ago / thinly disguised attempt to wring some blog posts out of nothing. You just know that there’s likely to be more of these on the way at some point...


*So synonymous with the role is Wilson that he carries around a business card of Biff FAQs to hand out to people to avoid having to constantly answer the same questions, which includes such facts as "Michael J Fox is nice. I'm not in close contact with him", "I made less money than you'd think" and "I don't talk about the movies much because I'm busy with standup comedy and music performances."