Time-Traveling Trilogy: Part I

Back to the Future is one of those movies that reminds you why 80’s movies are so much fun.  I will never forget the first time I saw it.  It is easily one of my favorite movies of all time.

Back to the Future is the story of Marty McFly, who travels back in time to save his own existence.  It is easily the greatest time-travel movie ever.  This movie perfectly shows that even the most minor actions in the past will affect the future (such as Twin Pines Mall becoming Lone Pine Mall because Marty crashed into one of the trees with the car).  History does indeed change in the movie, for better or worse. 

Michael J. Fox plays Marty McFly.  I have always liked the idea of an ordinary person being thrust into an extraordinary situation.  Marty is both afraid and fascinated by what he encounters, and Michael J. Fox really taps into that as an actor.  What I love so much about Back to the Future is how crucial Marty McFly is to the story.  As important as the year 1955 is, with his parents kissing at the dance and Doc Brown inventing the Flux Capacitor, none of that would have happened without Marty’s involvement.

Christopher Lloyd is one of my favorite actors.  I could watch him do anything.  In Back to the Future, he plays Dr. Emmett Brown.  I always liked that is evident that Marty and Doc Brown clearly have an existing friendship even though we do not see Doc Brown until almost 20 minutes into the movie.  Emmett Brown is thought of by the public as a mad scientist, except he is not mad at all.  He knows exactly what he is doing, even though he may be a little weird.  Christopher Lloyd plays this role perfectly with all his quirky body movements and facial expressions.  It is the performance of a lifetime in a long and storied career.

I have been a huge fan of director Robert Zemeckis my whole life.  When it comes to combining visual effects wizardry with characters you can connect with, nobody does it better than him.  Back to the Future is a perfect example of that.  1955 is recreated spectacularly.  Everything from the music, the clothing and even the gas prices at that time….it is all there.  You really feel like you are on this journey with the characters, which is why the climax of the movie is so wonderful both visually and emotionally.

Writing a time-travel movie can be excruciating, but Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale really knocked it out of the park because they made sure that everything from the past is connected with the future.  I would put Back to the Future on one of those “Movies To See Before You Die” lists.  It is one of the greatest movies of all time, no pun intended.