Sooo its time for another review and this one is an a rather famous trilogy known as Back to the Future, so over the next three posts (including this one!) I will cover all three parts of the Back to the Future trilogy. And as it will be done chronologically, why not start with the first one.....
OK so to get on with the plot we all know about it already but let's look: the film is set in Hill Valley, California in the year 1985 and the main character is Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) who lives with his family. Marty's family include his cowardly father, George (Crispin Glover), his out of shape mother Lorraine (Lea Thompson) who is a drinker, and his two older siblings Dave and Linda who are both underachievers. At dinner Lorraine recalls how she first met George when her father hit him with his car and she soon fell in love with him. Later that night, Marty receives a phone call from his friend, Dr Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) who tells he needs his help with an experiment down at a deserted shopping mall. The Doc reveals that he has built a time machine into a DeLorean and he sets an experiment where the car travels fast up to 88mph and when it does it transports itself forward in time, arriving back a minute later. The Doc explains in order for time travel to be possible he created the flux capacitor and he uses plutonium to channel 1.21 gigawatts of power into the car so it can transport it through time. As the Doc prepares to leave for a trip, having set in November 5, 1955 (as an example date of when he first had the idea for the flux capacitor) a group of Libyan terrorists arrive and shoot him (as he stole the plutonium from them). And Marty narrowly escapes in the DeLorean and as he speeds away from them, the car's speedometer clocks 88mph and he is transported back in time to 1955.
In 1955, Marty hides the car but discovers that there is no more plutonium for him to return back to the future. On exploring his surroundings of Hill Valley in 1955 he enters a diner and finds himself sitting next to his future father, George, who is a teenager at this time. George is bullied by Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) who demands that he do his homework for him and tells him never to come back into the diner. As Marty follows George, he saves him from being hit by a car, belonging to Lorraine's dad, and he himself is knocked out by impact. Marty wakes up in Lorraine's room and its obvious from here that she has fallen for Marty instead of George, and he eventually excuses himself and leaves. Marty soon finds the Doc's house, who is now a younger man, and he tells him about the flux capacitor and takes him to see the DeLorean, convinced that he is genuine by this, the Doc helps to try and get home. However during the playback of Marty's videotape of the Doc in 1985, he hears him say 1.21 gigwatts and he says there is simply no way to generate that power, other than a bolt of lightning. Marty realising he was given a flyer in his own time which is donated to the cause to save the clock tower, shows the Doc that the clock tower will be struck by lightning on 12 November 1955. However in the meantime, Marty shows the Doc the picture of him and his two siblings, which shows that as a result of Marty's intefering with his parents first meeting that it will threaten his future existance and if he doesn't get George together with Lorraine then Marty will cease to have ever existed. And this is where the real battle against time starts with Marty and the Doc trying to find a way for his parents to get together and for him to get back to the future....
The appeal of Back to the Future nearly 30 years later is still undeniable and it still remains a really charming, funny and intelligent science fiction comedy film. Bob Zemeckis, the director and co-writer Bob Gale came up with the idea initially together from two different ideas they had of what if both their own parents had different personalities if they were alive at the time before they were born and they discovered what they could have been like. The film itself took five years to finally get made as Zemeckis and Gale had written several drafts of the script and taken it to different film studios who all turned it down, but Zemeckis eventually got Steven Spielberg's backing after his success with Romancing the stone. The film also is undoubtedly very creative in how it deals with the whole time travel concept and it actually does it better than most films of its kind, in that the events that affect us in the past will shape our future. This is well demonstrated of course where Marty realises that his actions in saving George from being hit by the car will eventually lead to his own demise if he doesn't somehow get George and Lorraine together. The film also pokes fun at some of the old sci-fi comics of the period, and we see Marty in his radiation suit as he arrives in 1955, he exists a barn of a family who think him to be from outer space! But it also looks at the themes of courage, love, fear and what could have been if things didn't pan out the way they could have, although ultimately the changes Marty makes in the film eventually turn out in a way he never expected either!
So as for the performances they are all excellent, starting with Martin J. Fox who is perfect in his role as the young, genial and plucky Marty McFly, who unlike the rest of his family has drive and ambition to do something with his life. Fox was originally set to be cast in the film but his contractual obligations to the hit TV show, Family Ties, meant he was unable to be cast in the role. As a result Eric Stoltz was cast in the role, but Zemeckis felt after a few weeks he wasn't right for the role and he eventually managed to secure Fox for the part. Fox has several highlights in the film such as the memorable opening scene where Marty enters the Doc's garage, which is filled gadgets of all sorts, and he plugs his guitar into a power amplifier system, but as he plucks the strings the system overloads and blasts Marty back against the wall! Also later in the scene where the school's discipline officer, Mr Strickland (brilliantly played by James Tolkan) berates Marty for being late and he says to him "No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!" and Marty says "Well history is gonna change". Fox also has some fun moments with Crispin Glover as George, where he has to try and hide that he is his father such as after Marty runs after George when he leaves the diner and he shouts "Hey, dad! George! You on the bike!". And later when he tries to help George build up the courage to ask out Lorraine, Marty says to him "Jesus, George, it was a wonder I was even born!". Also later when Marty in the past with the Doc goes to the school and finds out that Lorraine has fallen for him he says "Wait a minute, Doc, are you trying to tell me my mother has the hots for me??! Woa, this is heavy!". Another highlight is of course where he plays Johnny B Goode at the prom dance and he get's a bit too carried away with himself and the crowd and the band all stop and look aghast, and he quietly gets up and says "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it!". Also as Marty and the Doc arrive at the school and the Doc asks which one is George, and Marty points out George who is being bullied and kicked by two boys, and the Doc says "What did your mother ever see in that kid??" and Marty says "I don't know. I guess mom just felt sorry for him as her dad hit him with the car." and then it dawns him he has changed events "He hit me with the car!".
Christopher Lloyd is also great as Doc Brown, the eccentric scientist, who creates a time machine out of a DoLorean car and he has a nice friendship with Marty as it progresses throughout the trilogy. Lloyd quite a few standout scenes such as where in the past he first meets Marty and is incredilous at first of his theory of being from the future, and he says "Tell me future boy, who is the president of the United States in 1985?" and Marty replies "Ronald Reagen!" leaving the Doc astonished "Ronald Reagen??? The actor????!". Also later when he plays back the video of himself saying how much energy he needs to power the time machine, the Doc goes ballistic "1.21 GIGAWATTS???????! 1.21 Gigawatts???? Great Scott!!!". Lloyd's Doc of 1955 also provides some funny lines due to his overly scientific and logical nature and how he fails to get some of Marty's figure of speech, such as when Marty says the situation is heavy, and the Doc says "Weight has nothing to do with it!" and "There is that word again "heavy". Where are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull???". And also when at the school the Doc sees the poster the Enchantment under the sea school dance, and the Doc says "Look! There is a ryhthmic ceremonial riutal coming up!". Also in his first scene where he says to Marty as he is about to rev up the DeLorean by remote control "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88mph, you're gonna see some serious shit!". Also near the end of the film Lloyd has another nice moment with Fox, as the Doc is gunned down by the Libyans as Marty goes over to him afterward, the Doc appears to lie dead, with Marty sobbing, the Doc suddenly opens his eye and he then hands him the letter that Marty wrote him 30 years earlier. And Marty looks at the letter (which was taped back together as the Doc has torn it up back in 1955) and he says "What was all that you said about future events and screwing up the space time continium?" and the Doc smiles "Well I figured... what the hell?!".
Lea Thompson is also very good as both the middle aged Lorraine at 47, and the young Lorraine aged 17. And the most amusing thing about Lea's performance is the contrast between the two characters of the aged out of shape mother and the young promiscious girl, who ends up falling for her future son! Thompson has some funny moments in the film, such as in her first scene with Marty as she keeps calling Marty "Calvin" as he is wearing Calvin Klein underwear! Also later on in the scene where Marty stages out his plan for George to get together with Lorraine, it backfires a bit when Marty takes Lorraine to the dance and they park the car and as he sees her smokes and take a drink he says "Jesus, you smoke too?!!" and she says "Marty you are beginning to sound just like my mother!". Also in the next scene where Lorraine kisses Marty, she pulls back as she realises something doesn't feel right and she says "This is all wrong. I don't know what it is, but when I kiss you its like I'm kissing my brother!".
Thomas F. Wilson is also excellent as the bully, Biff Tannen, who is even meaner in his younger years back in 1955 as he bullies and torments George and tries to forcefully woo Lorraine as well. Wilson get's some good scenes, one as such is where Marty confronts him in the school canteen and Biff smiles at Marty and says "Cos you're new here, I'm gonna cut you a break. So why don't you make like a tree and get out of here!". And of course his classic line is when he bullies George in 1985 and in 1955 and with Marty present at both times, he just stares at Biff who turns and says "What are you lookin at, butthead??!". Crispin Glover is also good in his role as the cowardly George, although his make-up as an older man isn't quite so convincing! Glover (who resembles Doctor Who's Matt Smith somewhat I have to say) has some good moments in the film, such as in the scene where he summons up all his courage to go over and chat to Lorraine in the diner. Marty feeds George some lines he can say such as "tell her your her destiny" and he goes over to her and says "Lorraine, my density has popped me to you! I'm George McFly. I'm your density! I.. I mean your destiny". Also he amusing scene prior to that where Marty is dressed up in his radiation suit, who sneaks into George's bedroom, puts the headphones on a tape of Van Halen blaring out a full volume, which has him leap out of bed!! And in the next scene he says to Marty "Last night Darth Vader came down from Vulcan and he said if I don't ask out Lorraine, he's gonna melt my brain!".
In supporting roles James Tolkan is also great in his role as the discplinarian school officer, Mr Strickland, who is at the same high school even 30 years earlier, and he says to George "You are a slacker! Do you want to be a slacker the rest of your life???!". And when Marty is back in 1955 and he sees Strickland is still bald he says, "That Strickland??? Jesus, did that guy ever have any hair?!". And in his first scene where he hands out tardy slips to Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer he says to him "I noticed your band is on the roster for the dance auditions after school. Why even bother, McFly? You don't have a chance. You're too much like your old man! No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!". And lastly I will mention Claudia Wells as Jennifer, Marty's girlfriend, whom comforts Marty after his rejection at the band auditions for the school, and he says how his mum said she never did anything when she was younger he says "I think she was just born a nun!" and she says "She's just trying to keep you respectable!". And later at the end of the film when Marty sees her in front of his newly bought and paid for jeep (due to changing the timeline, George is now a confident and successful sci-fi writer) he says to her "you are a sight for sore eyes!" and she says "Marty you are behaving like you haven't seen me for a week!" and he says "I haven't!". Wells however unfortunately was not able to reprise her role as Jennifer as her mother was diagnosed with cancer at the time of the sequels being made.
Which brings on to the director, Bob Zemeckis, who does a wonderful job with Back to the Future as he provides plenty of charm, fun and suspense along the way and he keeps the pace of the film pretty tight as at just under two hours it never lags. The film also has a memorable music score written by Alan Silvestri, which is at times a bit overbearing in the way it keeps rising into dramatic crescendos, but its main theme is well worth remembering and to this day is instantly recognisible as well hummable! And the film also features two great tracks from Huey Lewis and the News, "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time".
So after all this, does Back to the Future have any flaws????? Well it doesn't really have too many, as it is a really well written and crafted film which has also really well though out the logistics involved in time travel. Although one or two things do springs to mind, first off, why is that George and Lorraine never seem to mention or pay homage to Marty, as years later after Marty helps get them together, but in the end they put it down to Biff, but excuse me, it was Marty that went and helped George out and he even thanks him for giving him the advice after the dance and how "he will never forget it" well he clearly did forget in 1985 that he had the help of a young guy at the same time called Marty!! Its also bizarre that Marty would wake up in the altered 1985 and his parents see him that they don't put two and two together that he is the dead spit of the kid who helped them back in 1955! Or am I just looking into things just a bit too much here????
I also felt the scene near the beginning where the Doc and Marty watch the DeLorean disappear and makes it maiden travel through time that when we see the large pair of flame trails left behind, I find it amazing that the trails doing end up setting Marty and Doc on fire as they are pretty big! Also the scene where Marty manages to travel forward in time to 1985 with the Doc's help and the Doc manages to connect the conducting cables just in time as the lightning bolt strikes the tower, the lightning surge hits while he has just finished making the connection, and surely that would have fried him!! But again it is just a film and of course the Doc was wearing some gloves at the time so just maybe they were shield proof from the lightning! I mean if the guy can build a time machine he can surely build some lightning proof gloves as well! ;-)
Another niggle was one that was actually raised by Dr Michio Kaku, a professor in theoretical physics, who made a short feature on the science behind the time travel of the trilogy and how it is sound, what isn't is that it would take ALOT more than 1.21 gigwatts of power to make time travel possible! Kaku also makes an interesting point in how Doc Brown's usage of the fusion reactor at the end of the film to power the time machine is ridiculous, as presently fusion reactors in reality are the size of a football pitch, but somehow the Doc manages to build a small one into a DeLorean harnessing the same power! But then again it is a Hollywood film and perhaps Zemeckis and Gale weren't prepared to delve too deeply into it and Doc Brown is a genius after all so he most likely found a way to defy or even enhance the laws of physics in order to make it possible in the first place!
So all that aside Back to the Future to this day is still a highly entertaining, charming, funny and intelligent sci-fi comedy which warrants repeated viewings and if you haven't seen it in a while, I'd recommend to give it another whirl.
So with that I shall see you later and cue part II.....
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