Back to the Future

Comment: The on-screen duo of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd embodies the off-screen brilliance of director Robert Zemeckis and producer Steven Spielberg in this cinematic treat, and is a prime example of two actors feeding off of each other's draw and thrusting their film into a classic rank among others of its kind. Full of friendly, funny quotables--one of which Ronald Reagan used in his State of the Union Address--Back to the Future acquired a mass of followers, celebrities and civilians together, and spawned two sequels that closed out the trilogy's better-than-modest success. And rightly so. This is a sure-fire classic.

Comment: I'm glad that Back To The Future's been released by it's self. I have the trilogy set from 2005 and have watched dozens of times. I got this rerelease mainly because of the BTTF ride footage and the Leslie Nielson documentary. I don't know if I'll pick up the other two films, but since I'm a bit of a completest, I probably will sometime. This is a great 80s film and if you grew up in the 80s or just love retro 80s goodness, you should get this set....even if you already have the previous dvd set !

Comment: It is the year 1985. Marty McFly, a mild-mannered high school student, stopped by Dr. Emmett L. Brown's laboratory to play around with an amplifier. Then he receives a message from Doc that he needs help from him for Doc's latest invention, a time machine made out of a DeLorean sports car that can travel through time instantaneously when it reaches a speed velocity of 88 MPH. Then, Doc was gunned down by Libyan Nationalists, Marty makes an effort to escape from the Lybians by using the time machine. Then Marty accidentally warps himself into 1955. Where he meets both of his parents when they were teenagers, then Marty unintentionally interrupts his parent's first meeting together, he then finds a younger version of Doc and together they try to find a way to get Marty's parents-to-be back together, and to get Marty back to 1985. Back To The Future is such an inventive and exciting piece of filmmaking that it is impossible to forget about it. The casting of every character involved is absolutely perfect, and the performances are spectacular. I can't recommend this movie enough.

Comment: Looking back nearly 25 years ago and it's hard to believe that Back to the Future almost never got made. It doesn't seem even slightly conceivable that Back to the Future almost didn't get made because almost all but one studio thought it wasn't risque enough to compete with other teen comedies like Revenge of the Nerds, Porky's, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. (That other studio was Disney, and they passed on Back to the Future because they thought it was too risque because it featured a girl falling in love with her future son who hadn't actually been born yet.) To add to that, it almost didn't exist in the form that we know it today. Michael J. Fox initially wasn't available to play Marty McFly due to scheduling conflicts with Family Ties, so the filmmakers went with Eric Stoltz (Butterfly Effect, Pulp Fiction, etc.). But they couldn't agree on the tone of the film, and Stoltz, while a great actor, didn't "get" Marty McFly. Despite all these setbacks and more Back to the Future finally hit the screen to become the highest grossing film of 1985, and launching one of the most loved trilogies of all time.

Marty McFly is a regular high school teenager. He's in a band, but can't catch a break. His parents are lame. He has a hot girlfriend. His best friend is a local scientist and inventor. Late one night Marty goes to meet his friend, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), at the local mall to document the unveiling of his new invention: a time machine made out of a DeLorian. But the unveiling goes awry when the Libyans Doc Brown conned out of their precious plutonium they asked him to use to make an atomic bomb, Marty finds himself in 1955. Having taken his father's place for his mother's affection, Marty must get them together or risk fading into nothingness.

Written by Bob Gale based on the concept of would him and his dad be friends if they were in high school together, Back to the Future is a masterpiece. All of the characters are well written and rounded (with the possible exception of the school bully, Biff Tannen) and the plot takes us somewhere foreign yet familiar, magical but still down to earth. With the direction of Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Disney's A Christmas Carol, Beouwolf, Polar Express, etc.), despite the effects (or lack thereof)and kitsch of the 80's you still get something timeless. Even now, the style of the 80's is played at times as a joke against the backdrop of the 50's, which only adds to the timelessness of this classic. Not to mention the sets, all done on the Universal back lot, really embody the 80's, and then the 50's. BttF is a true testament to all the components coming together to make a film perfect.

Everyone in this movie is practically known for who they play in this movie, not because they haven't gone on to do other great things, but because they fit the characters so perfectly. Michael J. Fox might have Teen Wolf, Spin City, Doc Hollywood, and Family Ties but people will always call him Marty McFly. Same for Christopher Lloyd, he'll always be Doc Brown. For most of the actors in this film this is not their first forray into film (except for Billy Zane, who you'll catch in his first film appearance if you watch real closely), and it won't be their last, but if all of their other films are forgotten, what will probably be all of the casts most iconic performances will live on.

I'm sure most of you have already seen this film, if not all of you, but it can't be too far fetched to think there are still some out there who haven't (heck, I know a guy who hasn't seen the Star Wars Trilogy, or hadn't as of a few years ago). If you haven't seen Back to the Future, get on board, you seriously don't know what you're missing!

5/5

Comment: When you head to your local video rental store, or browse the selection online with a site like Netflix, the titles are usually arranged according to genre, such as drama, action, comedy, romance, etc. However, when it comes to Back To The Future, truly one of the classic films of our generation, a copy would need to be put in almost every category, as it is the only film I have seen to date that defies the very notion of genre.

The basic story revolves around young 1980s kid Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) whose friendship with mad scientist "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) ends up with Marty in a time machine (made out of a Delorean, as if any more humor was needed!) whisked away to the year 1955, where he skewers the timeline and must make sure that his parents meet (and procreate sometime down the line, if you will) and fall in love once again.

Yet, that "simple" plot contains so, so much more in terms of just overall entertainment. It is hilarious ("Why don't you make like a tree...and get out of here"), romantic (the George-Lorraine plot thread), dramatic (will Marty make it back home?), and full of enough action and adventure to rival a Stallone or Schwarzenegger flick!

The acting is also some of the best that cinema has to offer. While Fox and Lloyd play the primary leads, the acting trio of Lea Thompson (playing Lorraine Baines), Crispin Glover (George McFly), and Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen) almost steal the entire show on certain occasions with their various personalities. Even the "bit players" are superb in their short, yet very important/meaningful appearances.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this entire film experience, though, is the detail put into each and every scene. One must pay close attention to every single detail (no matter how seemingly small) of every single scene in the 1980s-portion of the film in order to better understand the jokes and sight gags of the 1950s-era time frame. I have probably watched this entire film all the way through at least a dozen times, yet on each viewing I find something new that I seemed to have missed.

Thus, on my list of "greatest movies of all-time", this effort is without a doubt in the top five for its ability to suck a viewer in on all levels. Watch with confidence knowing there will never be a dull moment!