Review of Back to the Future (1985) by Jeff B — 02 Dec 2018

Back to the Future Review.

Back to the Future is a very colorful film with a vibrant story and vibrant characters with acting that conceives the characters to be vibrant with unforgettable special effects, and with brilliant set and costume design.

The beginning of Back to the Future introduces the protagonists of the picture Marty Mcfly and Emmett Brown in a genuinely vivid manner. The audience already really knows who Marty Mcfly and Emmett Brown is before they even see them in person because who they are is explained through set design we know they're authentically into or even authentically obsessed with: time, technology, and electronics because we see plenty of different clocks in Emmett's garage. There is also a TV, toaster, and a robotic arm that operates a can opener present. Marty Mcfly is later known to be into music when we see he has a guitar and speakers. Back to the Future is a cleaver film with the fact that it admires cleverness with having pictures of clever people in the introduction of the film such as Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Benjamin Franklin and this is clever because it shows that what Marty and Emmett admire the most in life is wisdom and inventiveness. Back to the Future also cherishes wisdom later on with a picture of Sir Isaac Newton in Doctor Emmett Brown's mansion.

Michael J Fox brings plenty of excitement to the character of Marty Mcfly with making him have moments where he has shocked expressions on his face such as when he's see's his mom's younger self for the first time in the 50s and his eyes and mouth are wide open, and he's breathing very hard. He also enables Marty Mcfly to have a startled countenance when he sees the van of the Libyans going after his friend Emmett Brown and he says "holy shit!" in a loud tone with his eyes wide open.

Christopher Lloyd also gives Doctor Emmett Brown an abundance of enthusiasm and fascination with making it so he talks and acts with an abundance of enthusiasm and fascination when he's introducing Marty to his time machine with his voice being high pitched, and his eyes being wide open. He also makes Emmett Brown have a petrified look on his face with his eyes wide open, and making lots of shrieks in a terrified manner when he's on the clock tower assuring Marty gets sent back to the future, thus he's making Emmett Brown perplexed in the perfect presence at the perfect time.

Lea Thomson makes Lorraine look and sound shy and frightened such as when she says "somebody's coming" when she's in the car with Marty and when she's talking to Marty about the enchantment under the sea dance when she's in Emmett Brown's garage. Lorraine is also made to look like she's curious and fascinated with the world around her such as with the way she looks at Marty with whom she's in love with.

Thomas F Wilson makes Biff the antagonist of the picture precisely: cruel, tough, and intense because he makes him look this way when he rises after Marty trips him and he says "alright punk" and also towards the end of the film when he twists George Mcfly's arm.

Crispin Glover plays George Mcfly in a similar manner to the way Lea Thomson plays Lorraine by also making him shy and frightened such as when he's sweating and breathing hard and acts very nervous when he's outside Lou's café, and he's getting advice from Marty on how to ask Lorraine out to the enchantment under the sea dance. There is a brilliant scene in the film where we see Crispin Glover transform George Mcfly from a hesitant terrified man into a brave confident man with the way he has his mouth open, and then closed when he's about to knock Biff out after Biff is twisting his arm.

The script of Back to the Future uses the concept of time travel in a unique method with changing things for the better but also with making sure things aren't changed because they were meant to be such as with Lorraine and George falling in love, and it thus uses the same concept that was used in the picture The Terminator because the concept of not changing something because it was meant to be is used by making sure Sara Connor the mother of John Connor isn't killed so her son John Connor can lead the humans in a war against machines.

There is an ingenious transformation of the town in the film called Hill Valley from the 1980s with aerobics type clothes being worn and cars shaped in a rectangle like presence to the 1950s with people wearing suit like clothes and cramped in like cars.

There is also memorable special effects in the picture particularly with the effects of the delorean time machine with sparks of lighting and fire, as it travels in time and with lighting and clouds towards the end of the picture when there is a big storm. The delorean time machine is given even more memorable special effects towards the end of the film when heat comes up from the bottom and top of it as it floats in the air and lighting coming out of it when it flies towards the screen.

Back to the Future has some flaws despite these perks. It suffers from plot holes such as with the matter that in the 80s Marty's family watches the 50s sitcom The Honeymooners, and in the 50s Lorraine's family also watches the 50s sitcom The Honeymooners, and this makes me wonder wouldn't it make more sense to have Marty's family watch an 80s sitcom in the 80s such as: The Cosby Show, Mama's Family, or Cheers.

There is also a moment in the film when we see George sitting at a table and then all of a sudden he's outside on his bike we don't hear him go outside or see how he goes outside, and this isn't just poor writing but also poor or lazy editing. Biff tells George that he sleeps in on Saturday in the 80s, but in the 50s he tells him he sleeps in on Sunday why is this? However Back to the Future is the perfect film if you just ignore its flaws. I give Back to the Future a 10 out of 10.