Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Won 1 Oscar
- 27 wins & 25 nominations total
Tom Wilson
- Biff Tannen
- (as Thomas F. Wilson)
J.J. Cohen
- Skinhead
- (as Jeffrey Jay Cohen)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Summary
Reviewers say 'Back to the Future' is acclaimed for its inventive time-travel plot, blending comedy, adventure, and romance. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd's performances and chemistry are celebrated. The nostalgic depiction of the 1950s and 1980s, along with cultural references, resonates deeply. Special effects, especially the DeLorean, are praised for their ingenuity. Themes of family, self-discovery, and consequences are noted for their depth. Its enduring appeal and cultural impact are frequently highlighted.
Featured reviews
As a child, I used to watch this movie religiously. I loved the chemistry between Doc Brown and Marty McFly, I loved the all too familiar soundtrack and the ridiculous way in which George McFly laughs. This movie has become such a nostalgic and feel-good film for me. I had the good fortunate to see all three 'Back to the Future' movies in cinema last year and it was such an experience to watch this timeless classic with people who enjoy this film as much as I do. Everyone has to see this film at least once in their life! Such an amazing, funny Sci-Fi from the 1980's. I just can't get enough of this movie - it will just never get old. Cannot recommend it enough!
I love Back to the Future. While having a typical 80s feel to it, which I like, I love how fun, irresistible and original the film is. The special effects are dazzling and the comedy is suitably sly and sophisticated. Helping along the way is a script that is pretty ingenious, the sort of script that has quotable lines and also pokes fun at 1950s icons and lifestyles during the frequent bouts of time travelling. The score by Alan Silvestri elevates the sense of fun to a greater level, the main theme is one of the most memorable themes ever in the history of film, or so I think anyway. Robert Zemekis's direction is very good, and the cinematography, scenery and costumes are also excellent. And I have to mention the acting, Michael J Fox is really appealing in the role of Marty McFly, the role that propelled him to stardom, and Christopher Lloyd is brilliant in one of his most memorable roles(and yes this includes Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Professor Plum from Clue). Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover are also great. Overall, brilliant film that is good in so many ways. 10/10 Bethany Cox
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) **** Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Marc McClure, Wendy Jo Sperber. This generation's "It's a Wonderful Life"? Think about it. Very popular and very entertaining sci-fi comedy that made Fox a movie star after success with tv's "Family Ties", casting him, after Eric Stoltz was dropped, as Marty McFly who winds up in a nuclear-powered DeLorean time-machine and is sent back in time to 1955 by his quintessentially eccentric friend Dr. Emmet Brown (Lloyd doing a fine Art Carney). There he meets up with his parents to be and realizes his chance encounters have changed his future and he must see history repeat itself or perish. High-concept hilarity and some truly ingenious schematics thanks to screenwriter Bob Gale and director Bob Zemeckis. Wondering what it would be like to never be born and/or what it would be like if things were different...see what I mean. Oscar-nominated song "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis (who has a fun cameo) fuels this dynamo gem of a film. Classic.
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 was absolutely perfect, and the performances were spectacular. I first saw this film when I was six years old, and it is the only movie that I know of that I don't think I could ever get sick of.
One of the best things about Back To The Future is that it really makes you think. You can have in-depth conversations about the plausibility of the story-line and spend hours discussing the film. The story is awesome, it is delivered cleverly and entertainingly, and the movie as a whole is just so much FUN that it can be forgiven whatever number of time-travel discrepancies that may be found in the plot.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. I have never found a movie other than this one that provides such a huge dose of great fun, and it has the desirable quality where you are able to see something new each time you see it. The only problem is that they stopped at part III.
One of the best things about Back To The Future is that it really makes you think. You can have in-depth conversations about the plausibility of the story-line and spend hours discussing the film. The story is awesome, it is delivered cleverly and entertainingly, and the movie as a whole is just so much FUN that it can be forgiven whatever number of time-travel discrepancies that may be found in the plot.
I cannot recommend this movie enough. I have never found a movie other than this one that provides such a huge dose of great fun, and it has the desirable quality where you are able to see something new each time you see it. The only problem is that they stopped at part III.
Zemeckis's 'Back To The Future' trilogy has been a childhood favourite for a long time. Having revisited it today, brought me to a nostalgic state. The 80's saw a lot of excellent original fun 'young' films like 'Back To The Future' (of course), 'Better Off Dead', 'Heathers', 'The Breakfast Club' etc. What really made these films immensely enjoyable then, and classics today, is that they really reflected what it was like being a young person in the 80s. The movies themselves were well written, well executed, well acted and they cut straight to the point.
Back to 'Back To The Future'. This one is sheer fun, even today. There's an incredible energy about it but it still manages to stay an 'innocent' film. The music is very effective. It's slick and follows a steady pace. The special effects are decent. Though people might pick on the plausibility of the time travelling, I think this is really a very minor flaw because it is overall a well written movie and the point was to entertain. Yet, this is not to say that it's brainless entertainment. I think it cleverly brings forth some interesting themes and I liked how they funnily used some ideas of Oedipus Rex's story.
The acting is superb overall. Christopher Lloyd as the over-the-top mad scientist is a laugh riot. Michael J. Fox totally owns Marty McFly with his natural charisma, raw energy and brilliant dialogue delivery. Lea Thompson is cute and vivacious and Crispin Glover is good.
'Back To The Future' is one of the most enjoyable time-travelling classics. It's over 23 years old and it still hasn't gotten old. Sadly, they don't make it like this these days but then again we always can revisit them. That's why they're classics.
Back to 'Back To The Future'. This one is sheer fun, even today. There's an incredible energy about it but it still manages to stay an 'innocent' film. The music is very effective. It's slick and follows a steady pace. The special effects are decent. Though people might pick on the plausibility of the time travelling, I think this is really a very minor flaw because it is overall a well written movie and the point was to entertain. Yet, this is not to say that it's brainless entertainment. I think it cleverly brings forth some interesting themes and I liked how they funnily used some ideas of Oedipus Rex's story.
The acting is superb overall. Christopher Lloyd as the over-the-top mad scientist is a laugh riot. Michael J. Fox totally owns Marty McFly with his natural charisma, raw energy and brilliant dialogue delivery. Lea Thompson is cute and vivacious and Crispin Glover is good.
'Back To The Future' is one of the most enjoyable time-travelling classics. It's over 23 years old and it still hasn't gotten old. Sadly, they don't make it like this these days but then again we always can revisit them. That's why they're classics.
Did you know
- TriviaThe rights to the film and its sequels are owned by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. In a 2015 interview, Zemeckis maintained that no reboot or remake of the film would be authorized during his or Gale's lifetime.
- GoofsWhen Marty is being chased by terrorists, Eric Stoltz is playing Marty. Michael J. Fox was later chosen over him, but they kept the driving scenes at the mall with Stoltz in, since the shots were fairly distant and the driver's face is not particularly visible.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Marty McFly: Hey, Doc, we better back up. We don't have enough road to get up to 88.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.
- Crazy creditsThe character Marty McFly is credited as a performer on the song "Johnny B. Goode". It is actually sung by Mark Campbell with a guitar solo by Tim May.
- Alternate versionsSpanish dubbed version also refers to Marty in 1955 as Levi Strauss instead of Calvin Klein.
- ConnectionsEdited into Marty McFly & The Starlighters: Johnny B. Goode (1985)
- SoundtracksThe Power of Love
Performed by Huey Lewis & The News (as Huey Lewis and The News)
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records, Inc.
Written by Huey Lewis, Johnny Colla and Chris Hayes
Published by Hulex Music
Administered by Red Admiral Music Inc.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Volver al futuro
- Filming locations
- Whittier High School - 12417 E. Philadelphia Street, Whittier, California, USA(Hill Valley High School)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $19,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $214,553,307
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,152,500
- Jul 7, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $385,053,307
- Runtime
- 1h 56m(116 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
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