Science-fiction blockbusters have evolved a lot over time. While some have become painfully outdated, a few of them remain timelessly classic. A remarkable facet of the great bunch of the 70s and 80s science-fiction films was the diversity that existed among them. It was much richer in comparison to Disney-owned everything today. The films often did comply with some general blockbuster standards, but they still had much more of an aesthetic and narrative identity than a good bunch of blockbusters of today.
The diversity can be seen in the different ways a science-fiction mechanism like time travel was explored. From the case of The Terminator’s Kyle Reese to the adventurous experimentation of Back to the Future itself. Time travel in the blockbusters of back then was much more than a plot device, and a film like Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future still remains one of the best time travel blockbuster films of all time.
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The Movie Review
Back to the Future features one of the cleverest science-fiction scripts ever. The entire lore is so fascinating that even its sequels couldn’t fill the void enough. Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s classic writing still serves as an influencing blueprint for time travel franchises. It may not have been the most original take ever on time travel, but it’s definitely an extremely close case of greatness for a blockbuster science-fiction film.
The story is set in 1985, surrounding a teenager named Marty McFly. His is a family in the worst of predicaments. The father George who gets bullied for incompetency, a depressed and alcoholic mother, Loraine, and siblings who fail to make a living.
It’s not like Marty himself finds any success either, his music band is rejected from a music contest. The only things going right in his life are his supportive girlfriend and his friendship with the genius scientist Emmett “Doc” Brown, who’s on the verge of experimenting with his revolutionary time travel invention. He’s invented a way to time travel with the help of a modified DeLorean that runs on plutonium, which he stole from Libyan terrorists. It’s not just Marty’s family that has things going south.
The world itself is kind of in need of a correction too. It’s just that in this case, the correction is occurring during the calm rather than the storm, which isn’t very common for blockbuster spectacles. Attempting to escape the Libyan terrorists, Marty drives the car and ends up arriving on November 5, 1995, a date inputted by Doc, and also the day he first came up with the idea. Both Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd were made for their roles, and do an excellent job.
Marty’s correcting adventure in the past takes all sorts of turns, from things getting awkward between him and a teenager Lorraine (which adds the burden of hitching Lorraine and George for him), to him finally finding some recognition as a musician in the past. But what’s still left to be done, however, is a trip back to the future, and a hopefully better one at that. With the help of Marty, Doc is able to attain his invention even earlier, and just like that, goes on the saga of Back to the Future.
It is by far one of the subtlest science-fiction films ever written and is arguably Zemeckis’ best work as a director. It’s amazing how nuanced his ways of visually telling the stories are in this blockbuster flick. Every little visual adds up to all the things going on in the film, and never does one lose track of the fiction.
The excellence of its writing can also be seen in the fact that its comedy and drama are almost as compelling as the main fiction. It’s aided further by Alan Silvestri’s classic original soundtrack and is complemented well by Dean Cundey’s cinematography.
Back to the Future may as well be one of the best blockbuster films ever made. It features ultimately interesting lore, well-written and relatable characters, excellent storytelling, and greatness in technical aspects. It may not be among the best science-fiction films of all time but is not far from that tier at all.
If you enjoyed this title, check out our reviews and streaming guides for Bee Movie and Elektra.
For your next weekend watch, check out our complete review and viewing options for Ozark.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Marty McFly travel back to 1955 in Back to the Future?
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-written with Bob Gale (produced by Steven Spielberg), the 1985 classic sends California teenager Marty McFly from October 1985 back to November 1955 when he hits 88 miles per hour in eccentric inventor Doc Brown’s plutonium-powered DeLorean time machine – accidentally interrupting his teenage parents’ first meeting.
Who stars in the original Back to the Future?
Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly alongside Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett ‘Doc’ Brown, Lea Thompson as Lorraine Baines, Crispin Glover as George McFly, and Thomas F. Wilson as bully Biff Tannen.
What milestones made Back to the Future a pop-culture touchstone?
Back to the Future was the highest-grossing film worldwide of 1985 ($388 million), won an Oscar for Sound Effects Editing, popularized Alan Silvestri’s brass theme and Huey Lewis’s The Power of Love, and entered the US National Film Registry in 2007.
Where can you stream or digitally download Back to the Future in 4K?
Remastered in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Back to the Future is available for digital download and rental on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube, and streams periodically on Peacock and Netflix.
