Back to the Future Review: The Perfect Time-Travel Comedy
9/10 — Back to the Future (1985)
Pros
- Perfectly constructed script
- Fox and Lloyd's chemistry
- Iconic score and set pieces
Cons
- Awkward Oedipal undertones
- Some dated attitudes
Teenager Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a DeLorean time machine built by the eccentric Doc Brown and must make sure his parents fall in love so he can exist. It’s a story that never puts a foot wrong.
What works
The script is a model of tight plotting, with every setup paying off, and Fox and Christopher Lloyd are a joy together. Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson are very funny as Marty’s parents, and Alan Silvestri’s score and the ‘Johnny B. Goode’ scene are unforgettable.
Where it falters
The scenes involving Marty’s mother’s attraction to him are uncomfortable, and the film hasn’t aged perfectly in its handling of women and people of colour.
Verdict
Pure movie magic. Smart, funny and endlessly rewatchable.
