#35: Back to the Future
Release Date: July 5th, 1985
Format: Theater (Long Beach Art Theatre in Long Beach, CA)
Written by: Bob Gale and Robert Zemekis
Directed by: Robert Zemekis
4 Stars
Back to the Future is thought by many as a “perfect” movie. I think there are a few reasons for this, the primary one being a wholly unique and fascinating concept. The plot conceit - what if you could time travel to the past, but it affects the former “present”? - opens endless wormholes and fan theories that are debated to this day. It’s in my top 3 favorite plot conceits of all time, the other two being Groundhog Day and The Truman Show, with honorable mentions going to dual Crichton-ian conceits, Jurassic Park and Westworld.
I’d argue that Back to the Future’s conceit is the largest of the bunch, and the most fun. Who hasn’t daydreamed about going back to a particular time and witnessing some important event, whether it be for historical or personal reasons. What makes Back to the Future so brilliant is introducing the concept of irrevocably changing and possibly damaging the future with your actions in the past. This wrinkle to the time travel concept gives weight to the suspense of the plot, since now there is a Pandora’s Box of mayhem awaiting Marty McFly should he become too reckless with his personal actions. This is explored more in the inferior sequels, but here Marty is gambling mostly with the dynamics of his family (and his own existence).
Watching it again, I was struck by how much the movie is rewarded by the time and place in which it was made. Today this story probably ends up on a streaming service for 4 or 5 seasons, where every minutiae is given its own episodic arc. But in 1985 in the US, Zemekis’ only option was a 2-hour studio film. Thank god. The pacing here is immaculate, both because of the beats of the script and the editing.
Another reward of making this in ‘85 is examining the state of Reagan’s America. The movie does a great job of balancing nostalgia with progress, showing that as much as things change, they largely remain the same. But none of this gets in the way of this being a fun movie. Back to the Future is not a thought piece. It's an adventure. And it’s a perfect movie.
