Back to the Future is a great movie from 1985. It changed Michael J. Fox’s career, transforming him from a sitcom star to movie star. Although this movie is almost 25 years old, I still enjoy watching it.

Marty McFly is your typical teenager.  The principal calls him a slacker, his father was a slacker.  Marty has a band and likes to play the guitar, but the school administration says that he’s just too loud.  History was just about to change.

Doc Brown calls him up to tell him to meet him at the mall in the middle of the night.  Doc Brown is an eccentric inventor, who invented a time machine.  Unfortunately, the time machine needs 1.21 gigawatts of power to run, and was designed to run on plutonium.  Plutonium is not easy to come by, so Doc had stolen it from some Libyan terrorists.  Doc demonstrates the time machine to Marty, and tells him about how he had invented a key component for the time machine in 1955.  The Libyans discover that Doc had stolen the plutonium, and show up kill him.  They try to kill Marty too, but he gets in the time machine and drives off.  He accidentally activates the time machine, and is transported through time, arriving in 1955.

Marty’s mother, Lorraine, and father, George, had initially fallen in love after George was hit by a car.  Marty has to get his father and mother to fall in love again, or he will never be born.  He has a week to accomplish this, before the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance, where his parents are supposed to kiss and fall in love.  In the meantime, Doc Brown has to get the time machine ready to take Marty back to 1985.

It’s been almost 25 years since this movie came out, and it’s interesting to see how technology and culture has changed since then.  Small video cameras integrated with traditional cameras and telephones have replaced clunky old video cameras, iPods have replaced walkmans, and even the Pepsi cans have been redesigned.  It’s a blast from the past for anybody that remembers the 1980s.  Even the reference to the Libyan terrorists is a trip down memory lane; I remember as a kid being fearful of Ghaddafi and the Libyans.

The movie was well done, which is why I think that it was so popular.  The past is connected into the future with clever references to the past in 1985, and explanations to future events in 1955.  Popular culture is even referred to in this movie.  Marvin Berry calls his brother Chuck and lets him listen to the “new sound he’s been looking for” and lets him hear a little Rock and Roll that Marty is playing.

I enjoyed the culture shock that appeared while Marty was in the 1950s as well.  Marty's mom thought his name was Calvin Klein, because it was written on his underwear.  Upon entering the 1950s in the Delorian, wearing a radiation suit, he runs into a barn; the family living there think that he's a space alien.  Marty wants the soda called Tab, but it hadn't been invented yet.  People from the fifties think that his jacket is a life preserver.  All these little details add to the interest of the movie.

I introduced my daughter to this movie yesterday.  Her first comment after watching it was “I love this show!”  She wanted to watch the sequel today.  This movie is worth watching even now.

Additional Details:

The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis.  In addition to Michael J. Fox, the movie stars Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Crispin Glover.  The run time is 117 minutes.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8