Previously Viewed: Back to the Future (1985)

I've recently been playing Back to the Future: The Game whenever I have a spare moment between movies. I got so into the series that I really wanted to re-watch the movie Back to the Future, so I did just that tonight! I was really curious, and a little worried, that it wouldn't live up to my nostalgic memories. The worst thing is to find out a childhood favorite doesn't live up. So hit the jump at 88MPH and find out what it's like to go back to Back to the Future!

I'm not going to bother going into the story, because if you don't know what the story is, then just stop right now and GO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!



I'm happy, nay, ecstatic to pronounce that "BttF" totally still works. There are one or two special effects shots that are a little more obvious how they did them, but most of the effects are either practical (fire tracks) or done with that weird animation that they did the Ghostbuster's proton streams (lightning & energy). I have to say, how ever they did that animation for the lightning and whatnot just looks so good to me, I really wish they still used it today. It just looks so... electric!

How do they do that lightning?! So awesome!

One of the things I was worried about was that the acting wouldn't hold up and would seem really cheesy. There's both good and bad news here. On the part of Marty (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Llyod) I thought the acting and their characters were still great fun and worked perfectly. Christopher Lloyd will always be Doc Brown to me, even though he's had plenty of other great roles like in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His over-the-top facial expressions just bring him to life in all the best ways. He's just so animated and a joy to watch on screen.

"Great Scott!"

Likewise, pretty much the entire cast while Marty is in 1955 was fine, if not still good. The problem and cheesiness comes from the early scene of Marty hanging out with his family, namely his mom and dad. Obviously, due to the script, they had to hire young actors for when they were teens in the 50s, and then they just loaded them up with pretty poor make-up and had them try to act old. This is where they really poor, nearly painful to watch bits are. But as soon as Marty leaves his family and goes to meet Doc Brown, it's pretty much smooth sailing from then on out.

88 MPH

I wouldn't be much of a child of the 80s if I didn't bring up the soundtrack. In particular my foot was tapping to "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" by Huey Lewis and the News, and "Johnny B. Goode" as performed by Marty McFly at the end of the film. But of course, the star of the show is the Back to the Future Overture. It just brings a huge smile to your face when you hear it. Sometimes the music adds an air of mystery, other times a sense of wonder and awe, and at the best of times a feeling of total victory and satisfaction! I really should buy this score and soundtrack off iTunes or something.

One last thing I want to bring up is how great the final scene still works. I haven't seen this film for many many years, but I hadn't forgotten how it ended of course. Even so, watching Doc struggle to get the cables connected while Marty fights the car to start and knowing that the lightning will strike at any moment. They cut it so close, literally down to the wire! I was shocked at how much I was on the edge of my seat! The tension and excitement in this scene are fantastic and probably tops all other scenes from the rest of the franchise.

"IT WORKS! WOO-HOO!"

This was a great movie to revisit and was such a blast. I'm so glad it still held up over all these years, for the most part. I kinda wish I could have a time machine and go back in time to give them better make-up artists for the parents. I really fear when this film eventually gets remade, which I'm sure it will at some point. I'm sure all the time travel and effects will be amazing, but they'll just never find someone who could replace Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. Maybe they'd have a totally new character running around time, but it won't be the same. Luckily, even if a remake ever materializes in the future, we'll always have the original and we can be safe in the knowledge that it will stand the test of time. It's as if it never left! Heavy.