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
A young man (Michael J. Fox) is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), and must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to save his own existence.
After almost thirty years (2014), this film loses none of its charm, and actually gains respect. The movie has had such a strong impression on everyone, whether they have seen it or not, as it completely permeated pop culture.
The script is genius, not only how it parallels 1955 and 1985 (some of the references are dynamite), but how it set the scene for the sequels (despite allegedly not intending to have any). This is just one clever gag after another, and may require repeated viewings to catch them all.
After almost thirty years (2014), this film loses none of its charm, and actually gains respect. The movie has had such a strong impression on everyone, whether they have seen it or not, as it completely permeated pop culture.
The script is genius, not only how it parallels 1955 and 1985 (some of the references are dynamite), but how it set the scene for the sequels (despite allegedly not intending to have any). This is just one clever gag after another, and may require repeated viewings to catch them all.
A funny sci-fi? Unusual but here it not only works but does so spectacularly. A whimsical but very clever time travel story that bedazzles you leaving you wanting more.
The charasmatic Michael J Fox plays a wonderful bumbling high schooler searching for love, a guitar gig and his existence which he himself threatens to erase.
Clever and humourous references litter this fun flick; references which are further improved upon in the sequels. Views of the same scenes from different angles, different perspectives and different timelines abound.
Fun for the entire family.
The charasmatic Michael J Fox plays a wonderful bumbling high schooler searching for love, a guitar gig and his existence which he himself threatens to erase.
Clever and humourous references litter this fun flick; references which are further improved upon in the sequels. Views of the same scenes from different angles, different perspectives and different timelines abound.
Fun for the entire family.
Back To The Future (1985) is my all time favourite movie. It's a thoroughly feel good film, accessible to all ages and enjoyable from the 1st to the 45th time of watching and never fails to bring a smile. Humour for all ages and a kick-ass car to boot, what more could a young kid want? Or those young at heart?
From Marty's "Johnny B Goode" to Doc's classic "Run For It Marty!" You'll find that even though you know what's coming next, you'll still laugh. It is the ultimate feel good movie, the weed overcomes the bully, the dreamers wishes come true and all because a nosey old bird thrusts for a nickel "Save The Clock Tower!"
It's popularity spawned 2 sequels and although it got decreasingly good in terms of quality as a film, Back To The Future remains the best film in my repetoire and a safe bet when you need to feel good.
It gets a solid 9 out of 10, comedy, fantasy, the gorgeous Lea Thompson, the insane but comic Doc and the typical teenager Marty make this film a must for all young at heart.
From Marty's "Johnny B Goode" to Doc's classic "Run For It Marty!" You'll find that even though you know what's coming next, you'll still laugh. It is the ultimate feel good movie, the weed overcomes the bully, the dreamers wishes come true and all because a nosey old bird thrusts for a nickel "Save The Clock Tower!"
It's popularity spawned 2 sequels and although it got decreasingly good in terms of quality as a film, Back To The Future remains the best film in my repetoire and a safe bet when you need to feel good.
It gets a solid 9 out of 10, comedy, fantasy, the gorgeous Lea Thompson, the insane but comic Doc and the typical teenager Marty make this film a must for all young at heart.
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.
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 creditsFor the video release, "To Be Continued" was added before the closing credits. This title has disappeared from the DVD release.
- 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.
- How long is Back to the Future?Powered by Alexa
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
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
