Psycho's Movie Reviews #433: Back To The Future (1985)

Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, the story follows Marty McFly (Fox), a teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean automobile built by his eccentric scientist friend Doctor Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd). Trapped in the past, Marty inadvertently prevents his future parents' meeting—threatening his existence—and is forced to reconcile the pair and somehow get back to the future.

Back to the Future was conceived of in 1980 by Gale and Zemeckis. They were desperate for a successful film after numerous collaborative failures, but their idea was rejected over 40 times by studios because it was not considered raunchy enough to compete with the successful comedies of the era. A development deal was secured following Zemeckis' success directing Romancing the Stone (1984). Fox was the first choice to portray Marty, but he was unavailable; Eric Stoltz was cast instead. Shortly after principal photography began in November 1984, Zemeckis determined Stoltz was not right for the part and made the concessions necessary to hire Fox. This included re-filming scenes already shot with Stoltz and adding $4 million to the budget. Back to the Future was filmed in and around California and on sets at Universal Studios. Filming concluded the following April.

Replacing Stoltz delayed production and the film's release date but, following highly successful test screenings, the date was brought forward to July 3, 1985, to give Back to the Future more time in theaters. This resulted in a rushed post-production schedule, and some incomplete special effects. Back to the Future was a critical and commercial success, earning $381.1 million to become the highest-grossing film of 1985 worldwide. Critics praised the story, comedy, and the cast—particularly Fox, Lloyd, Thompson, and Glover. It received multiple award nominations and won an Academy Award, Saturn Awards, and a Hugo Award. Its theme song, "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News, was a significant success globally.

In the years since its release, Back to the Future has grown in esteem and is now considered to be among the greatest films of the 1980s, one of the best science-fiction films ever made, and one of the greatest films of all time. In 2007, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film was followed by two sequels, Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990). With its effect on popular culture and a dedicated fan following, Back to the Future launched a multimedia franchise. This includes an animated television series, video games, comic books, board games, clothing, music, books, food, toys, collectibles, and theme park rides. Its enduring popularity has led to numerous books about its production, documentaries, and commercials. Back to the Future has been adapted into a 2020 stage musical.

Plot

In 1985, Marty McFly is a typical teenager living in Hill Valley, California. Marty's meek father, George, is bullied by his supervisor, Biff Tannen. His mother Lorraine is a depressed alcoholic, and his older siblings are professional and social failures. Marty's band is rejected for a music contest. He confides in his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, about fears of becoming like his parents despite his ambitions.

That night, Marty meets his eccentric scientist friend Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Twin Pines mall parking lot. Doc unveils a time machine built from a modified DeLorean, powered by plutonium he swindled from Libyan terrorists. Doc inputs a destination time of November 5, 1955—the day he first conceived his time travel invention. The terrorists arrive unexpectedly and gun Doc down. Marty flees in the DeLorean, inadvertently activating time travel when he reaches 88 miles per hour (142 km/h).

Arriving in 1955, Marty discovers he has no plutonium to return. While exploring a burgeoning Hill Valley, Marty encounters his teenage father and discovers Biff has been bullying him since high school. George falls into the path of an oncoming car while spying on the teenage Lorraine, and Marty is knocked unconscious while saving him. He wakes to find himself tended to by Lorraine, who becomes infatuated with him. Marty tracks down a younger Doc and convinces him he is from the future, but Doc explains the only source available in 1955 capable of generating the power required for time travel is a lightning bolt. Marty shows Doc a flyer from the future that documents an upcoming lightning strike at the town's courthouse. As Marty's siblings begin to fade from a photo he is carrying with him, Doc realizes Marty's actions are altering the future and jeopardizing his existence; Lorraine was supposed to meet George instead of Marty after the car accident. Early attempts to get his parents acquainted fail, and Lorraine's infatuation with Marty deepens.

Lorraine asks Marty to the school dance. He plots to feign inappropriate advances on Lorraine, allowing George to intervene and "rescue" her, but the plan goes awry when Biff's gang locks Marty in the trunk of the performing band's car, while Biff forces himself onto Lorraine. George arrives expecting to find Marty but is assaulted by Biff. After Biff hurts Lorraine, an enraged George knocks him unconscious and escorts the grateful Lorraine to the dance. The band frees Marty from their car, but the lead guitarist injures his hand in the process. Marty takes his place and performs while George and Lorraine share their first kiss. With his future no longer in jeopardy, Marty heads to the courthouse to meet Doc.

Doc discovers a letter from Marty warning him about his future and destroys it, worried about the consequences. To save Doc, Marty re-calibrates the DeLorean to return ten minutes before he left the future. The lightning strikes, sending Marty back to 1985, but the DeLorean breaks down, forcing Marty to run back to the mall. He arrives as Doc is being shot. While Marty grieves at his side, Doc sits up, revealing he pieced Marty's note back together and wore a bulletproof vest. He takes Marty home and departs to 2015 in the DeLorean.

Marty wakes the next morning to discover his father is now a confident and successful science fiction author, his mother is fit and happy, his siblings are successful, and Biff is a servile valet in George's employ. As Marty reunites with Jennifer, Doc suddenly reappears in the DeLorean, insisting they return with him to the future to save their children from terrible fates.

Production

Conception and Writing

Long-time collaborators Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis conceived of Back to the Future in 1980. They wanted to develop a film about time travel but were struggling for a satisfying narrative and they were desperate for a successful project following the critical or commercial failures of their recent efforts. These projects had been collaborations with Zemeckis' mentor Steven Spielberg.

Following the release of their comedy Used Cars (1980), Gale visited his parents and came across his father's high school yearbook. Gale questioned whether he and his father would have been friends had they attended school together. He did not think so, but realized he could test his theory if he could travel back to a time when he and his parents were a similar age. He shared the idea with Zemeckis, who recalled his mother's childhood stories were often contradictory.

Gale and Zemeckis began a draft in late 1980. They sketched and acted out each scene to help develop the dialogue and actions. They believed many time travel films focused on the past being immutable, and wanted to show the past being changed and the impact those changes would have on the future. In the draft, video pirate Professor Brown builds a time machine that sends his young friend Marty back to the 1950s where he interrupts his parents' first meeting. In September 1980, Gale and Zemeckis pitched their idea to Columbia Pictures president Frank Price. Price had liked Used Cars and was keen to work with the pair. Gale recalled having to rein in Zemeckis' enthusiastic pitch before Price had time to change his mind. Gale and Zemeckis completed the first draft for Price on February 21, 1981. Price believed it needed significant refinement.

Some early concepts were abandoned. Originally, the changes to 1955 had a more significant impact on 1985, making it more futuristic, but every person who read the script hated the idea. Marty's father also became a boxer, a result of his knockout punch on Biff. The time machine was a stationary object moved around on the back of a truck. Inspired by the documentary The Atomic Cafe, the drained time machine was written to be powered by Marty driving it into a nuclear explosion, combined with an additional ingredient—Coca-Cola. Gale and Zemeckis took inspiration from tales of legendary scientists, opting to make the time machine's creator an individual instead of a faceless corporation or government. The pair knew the time travel had to be an accident because they did not want the hero to be seeking personal gain.

The pair drew humour from the contrasts between 1955 and 1985, such as Marty entering a 1955 soda shop while wearing 1985 clothing. The shop owner asks Marty if he is a sailor because his down vest resembles a life preserver. They also identified conveniences of 1985 that Marty would take for granted but be denied in 1955. The pair struggled as they were in their 30s and did not particularly identify with either era. The All-American aesthetic of films by Frank Capra featuring white picket fences and exaggerated characters like Biff, The Twilight Zone, science-fiction films, and books by Robert Silverberg and Robert A. Heinlein inspired them. The romantic relationship between 1955 Lorraine and her future son was one of the more difficult writing challenges. Gale and Zemeckis attempted to take the concept as far as possible to keep the audience feeling on edge. They knew it had to be Lorraine who stopped the relationship; she remarks that kissing Marty feels like kissing her brother. Gale jokingly said no-one asked how she could make that comparison, but audiences would accept it because they did not want the relationship to happen. The second draft was completed by April 7, 1981.

Development

Price opted not to green-light the second draft. He liked it, but he did not think it would impress others. The most successful comedies at the time like Animal House (1978), Porky's (1981), and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), featured sexual and bawdy elements; Back to the Future was considered too tame in comparison. The project went into turnaround—a process allowing other studios to purchase the idea. The script was rejected approximately 40 times, sometimes multiple times by the same studios. Reasons given included the concept being unappealing to contemporary rebellious youth, and the failures of other time travel films like The Final Countdown (1980) and Time Bandits (1981). Walt Disney Productions turned it down because they considered Marty having to fight off his future mother's advances too risqué for their brand. The only person supportive of the project was Spielberg. However, with their previous collaborations considered relative failures, Gale and Zemeckis feared another misstep would give them a reputation of only getting work because they were friends with Spielberg.

Zemeckis opted to accept the next project offered to him, Romancing the Stone (1984). Against pre-release expectations, the film was a significant success, and gave Zemeckis enough credibility to return to Back to the Future. Zemeckis held a grudge against the studios that had failed to support the project and turned to Spielberg, who had set up his own production company, Amblin Entertainment, at Universal Studios, where Price now worked. Spielberg disliked Price because he rejected E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and demanded his involvement in Back to the Future be minimal. Sidney Sheinberg installed himself as chief executive to oversee the studio's investment in the project. Amblin executives Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall joined Spielberg as the film's executive producers.

However, rights to Back to the Future remained tied to Columbia Pictures. Guy McElwaine—Price's successor at Columbia Pictures—was developing a satire of the Universal-owned noir film Double Indemnity (1944) called Big Trouble (1986). Its similarities to Double Indemnity meant the studio would violate Universal Pictures' copyright. With production imminent, McElwaine asked for the rights from Price; in exchange, Price obtained the rights to Back to the Future.

Sheinberg suggested modifications to the film including changing the title to Space Man from Pluto because he believed Back to the Future would not resonate with audiences. Gale and Zemeckis did not know how to reject Sheinberg's suggestions without risking his ire. Spielberg intervened, sending Sheinberg a memo reading: "Hi Sid, thanks for your most humorous memo, we all got a big laugh out of it, keep 'em coming." Spielberg knew Sheinberg would be too embarrassed to admit his memo was to be taken seriously. Sheinberg later claimed the story was "bullshit". He also wanted to change the name of Marty's mother from Meg to Lorraine (a tribute to his wife Lorraine Gary), and rename Professor Brown to Doc Brown because he considered it more accessible. A third draft was completed by July 1984. The lengthy development allowed Gale and Zemeckis to refine the script's jokes, especially ones that had become dated since 1980. The joke about former actor Ronald Reagan becoming President of the United States remained following his re-election in 1984.

Casting

Michael J. Fox was the first choice to portray Marty McFly. Gale and Zemeckis believed his acting timing in the sitcom Family Ties (1982–1989) as the sophisticated Alex P. Keaton could be translated to Marty's clumsiness. Spielberg asked the show's producer Gary David Goldberg to have Fox read the script. Concerned Fox's absence would damage Family Ties' success—especially with fellow star Meredith Baxter absent for maternity leave—Goldberg did not give Fox the script. Other young stars were considered including: John Cusack, C. Thomas Howell, Johnny Depp, Ralph Macchio, Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Ben Stiller, Peter DeLuise, Billy Zane, George Newbern, Robert Downey Jr., Christopher Collet, Corey Hart (who declined to audition) and Matthew Modine. Howell was the frontrunner, but Sheinberg wanted Eric Stoltz, who had impressed with his portrayal of Rocky Dennis in an early screening of the drama film Mask (1985). With the filming date approaching, Zemeckis opted to go with Stoltz. Sheinberg promised that if Stoltz did not work out they could reshoot the film. The character's name was derived from Used Cars production assistant Marty Casella. Zemeckis suggested McFly because it sounded "All-American".

Among others, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Dudley Moore, Ron Silver, Robin Williams, John Cleese, Mandy Patinkin, Gene Hackman, and James Woods were considered for the role of Doc Brown. Producer Neil Canton suggested Lithgow, having worked with him and Christopher Lloyd on Buckaroo Banzai (1984). Lithgow was unavailable, and the role was offered to Lloyd. He was reluctant to join the production until a friend encouraged him to take the part. Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein and conductor Leopold Stokowski inspired Lloyd's wild, white hair. Lloyd affected a hunched posture to lower his 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) height closer to the 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall Fox.

The filmmakers became aware of Lea Thompson while researching Stoltz in the comedy-drama The Wild Life (1984). Crispin Glover used many of his own mannerisms in portraying George McFly. Gale described his performance as "nuts", and Zemeckis was reportedly unhappy with Glover's performance choices and instructed him to be more restrained as the older George. Glover lost his voice during filming and later dubbed in some of his lines. Deluise, Zane, Tim Robbins, and J. J. Cohen were considered to play Biff Tannen. Cohen was not considered intimidating enough against Stoltz, and the role went to Thomas F. Wilson; his first feature starring role. Zane and Cohen were cast as Biff's minions Match and Skinhead instead. Tannen's name was taken from Universal Studios executive Ned Tanen, who had been unpleasant with Gale and Zemeckis.

Melora Hardin was cast as Jennifer Parker on a two-film contract. After Stoltz was replaced, the crew were polled about Hardin being taller than Fox; the female crew overwhelmingly voted Marty should not be shorter than his girlfriend. Hardin was replaced by Claudia Wells, who had been earlier offered the role but turned it down because of her commitment to the short-lived television series Off the Rack (1984). Actresses Kyra Sedgwick and Jill Schoelen were also considered; Schoelen was told she looked too "exotic" and not All-American enough. Doc Brown's pet dog Einstein was scripted as a chimpanzee named Shemp. Sheinberg insisted films featuring chimps never did well. James Tolkan was the first choice for Principal Strickland after Zemeckis saw him in the crime drama Prince of the City (1981). Singer and soundtrack contributor Huey Lewis cameos as a Battle of the Bands judge. Lewis agreed to appear as long as he was uncredited and could wear a disguise. Gale cameos as the hand in the radiation suit tapping the DeLorean time display.

Post-Production

Arthur F. Repola served as the post-production supervisor, but he became responsible for many aspects outside of his role, including budgets, storyboarding, and general problem-solving. Those roles belonged to Kennedy and Marshall but both were occupied on other films. Schmidt found editing the film difficult, because he had to imagine where the special effects would later be added; there was no time or budget to re-edit afterward.

A rough version of the movie was cut together for a test screening at Century 22 theatre in San Jose, California, in mid-May 1985, just three weeks after filming concluded. The audience was seemingly uninterested at the exposition-heavy opening but became engaged after the DeLorean appeared. 94% of the audience at a test screening in Long Beach, California, responded they would definitely recommend the film; 99% rated it very good or excellent. Gale said there was some concern when Doc's dog Einstein was sent through time, as the audience believed he had been killed. The film was re-cut and screened again at the Alfred Hitchcock theatre at Universal Studios for executives, including Sheinberg. He was so impressed he moved the scheduled release date forward to July 3, 1985, to give it more time in theaters. This reduced the post-production schedule to just nine weeks for special effects and editing. Zemeckis spent much of June 1985 rushing to finish the film.

Several scenes were filmed but did not make it into the finished film: a scene of Doc looking at an issue of Playboy, remarking the future looks better; a scene of 1985 George being coerced into buying a large amount of peanut brittle from a young girl; a scene of George being trapped in a phone booth by the man who interrupts his dance with Lorraine; and the scene of Marty pretending to be "Darth Vader" was shortened. Zemeckis considered cutting the "Johnny B. Goode" performance because it did not advance the story, but test-audiences reacted well to it. There is a dispute if a shot of Stoltz's hand is in the finished film in the scene where Marty punches Biff. Gale noted it is impossible to tell without checking the original film negative, which would risk damaging it. The final cut was completed on June 23, 1985. It had a runtime of 116 minutes. Universal Studios took out a full-page advertisement in Variety magazine, thanking the post-production crew for completing their work on time. The final budget was $19 million.

Special Effects

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) developed the film's special effects under the supervision of Ken Ralston and Kevin Pike. It contains approximately 27–32 special effects shots, compared to the 300 effects typical in higher-budget films of its time. Despite also working simultaneously on The Goonies and Cocoon, Ralston took on the additional project because it required relatively few effects, and he wanted to realize the planned ending of Marty driving the time machine into a nuclear explosion. The team had a nine-and-a-half week schedule, but this was reduced to eight once Universal Pictures moved up the release date. ILM was working on Back to the Future up to the moment it had to be handed over to print the theatrical film reels.

The tight schedule affected the special effects' quality. Ralston was disappointed by the scene where Marty's hand fades away as his future is altered. Fox was filmed separately from his hand and the two were composited together; the hand was filmed with a wide-angle lens, making it appear too large and it had to be scaled down. Zemeckis wanted a subtle fade, but it resulted in a small circle of the hand fading away and there was no time to fix it. In the same scene, Marty and his siblings fade away from a photo. ILM found it difficult to fade the photo's individual aspects, especially as it is moving on the neck of a guitar. A replica of the guitar neck was constructed at four times the normal size; the guitar strings were made of cable up to a quarter-inch thick. An 11x14 inch aluminium plate was attached to hold the enlarged photograph. ILM used a version of the photo without Marty or his siblings and individually pasted each character into the photo. When this failed, four different photos were used: one containing the background, and one for each McFly sibling. A mechanical camera cycled through each photo and printed it to the film. The enlarged guitar was moved around to add to the realism.

The original nuclear explosion ending was considered too complicated and expensive, with an estimated cost of $1 million. Art director Andrew Probert storyboarded the scene which would have been created using sets and miniatures. With the ending moved to the clock tower, ILM researched storms to achieve the right look. Clouds were constructed from polyester fibrefill, suspended in a net and filmed from above while Ralston shone a powerful light from below. He used a rheostat to rapidly change the lights' intensity to imitate lightning.

Developed by Wes Takahashi's animation department, the lightning bolt that strikes the clock tower was described as "the largest bolt of lightning in cinematic history". It was intended to originate far in the distance and move towards the camera, but the footage was filmed too close to the clock tower and there was insufficient space between it and the top of the frame for the effect. There was also an issue of showing the bolt onscreen for too long as it made it more obviously animated. The frame count was reduced but the effect did not look erratic enough. Zemeckis picked out a single frame of the bolt in an "S" formation and asked that the effect focus on that shape and be reduced to 20 frames. The bolt was drawn in black ink on white paper; a glow and diffusion effects were added by the Optical department.

Art Direction and Makeup Artist Drew Struzan in 2012. He designed the Back to the Future theatrical release poster.

The film uses a stylized adaptation of 1950s aesthetics closer to television show interpretations than an exact recreation. They used modern technologies—such as contemporary fabrics—because they felt the fashions of the time were less interesting. Using actual brand names like Texaco made the sets more realistic. Paull said the producers mandated the inclusion of certain brands who had paid to appear in the film. An unnamed gas company offered a large sum to be included, but Paull used Texaco because it reminded him of a joke from The Milton Berle Show. This led to some disputes. Pepsi's makers, PepsiCo, did not want a joke about Tab in the film as its rival Coca-Cola made it. Twenty clock wranglers were needed for the opening scene to synch up the many clocks. They used pulleys to start the clocks in sync with the scene recording. Drew Struzan produced the film's poster. The producers hoped his in-demand poster artwork would help generate public interest in the film.

To represent characters across three decades, the filmmakers did not want to have older actors stand-in for the younger ones, believing the change would be obvious and distracting. Special effects artist Ken Chase was hired for his experience with prosthetics. He performed make-up tests on the young actors to age them; initially, the results were discouraging. Chase created a prosthetic neck and a bald cap with a receding hairline for Glover, but they were considered excessive. Chase found it difficult to balance aging the actors while retaining enough of their natural appearance so they remained recognizable.

Casts were made of the actors' faces, from which plaster moulds were made. Chase sculpted more subtle effects over the plaster moulds using latex. For Lorraine, he crafted jowls and eye bags, plus body padding to reflect her increased weight and alcohol abuse. Instead of a receding hairline, Chase just changed the style of George's hair and used prosthetics to give him a less defined jawline. Biff's character changed more significantly; he was made to look fatter, given sideburns, and a comb over hairstyle to hide a growing bald-spot. Chase wanted him to look "obnoxious". The prosthetics were combined with makeup and lighting to further age the characters.

Chase found the work frustrating compared to his experiences with more fantastical prostheses that made it easier to hide defects. The rubber latex did not reflect light the same way as natural skin. Chase used a stippling process—creating a pattern with small dots—to add varied colours to the actors' faces to better conceal where the skin and prosthetics met; close-up shots were avoided. Doc's appearance was not altered significantly. Chase used a technique where he painted latex on Lloyd which, when removed, caused crinkles in the skin; other elements like liver spots and shadows were painted on.

Music

Alan Silvestri composed the score for Back to the Future; he had worked with Zemeckis on Romancing the Stone. The only direction Zemeckis gave him was "it's got to be big". Silvestri used an orchestral score to create a sound that contrasted with the small-town setting and the significant time-changing events occurring within it. He wanted a heroic theme that would be instantly recognizable in just a few notes.

Huey Lewis was approached to write a theme song for the film; he was coming off the success of his recent album Sports. He met with Gale, Spielberg, and Zemeckis, who intended that Huey Lewis and the News be Marty's favourite band. Though flattered, Lewis did not want to participate because he did not know how to write film songs and did not want to write one called "Back to the Future". Zemeckis assured Lewis he could write any song he wanted. Lewis agreed to submit the next song he wrote, which was "The Power of Love". Lewis maintains "Power of Love" was his first submission, but Zemeckis recalled a different first song that was rejected. Lewis later acquiesced to Zemeckis' request for a second song, "Back in Time".

Musician Eddie Van Halen performed the guitar riff Marty (dressed as "Darth Vader") uses to wake George. The filmmakers wanted to use Van Halen's music, but the band refused to take part, so Eddie took part on his own. Mark Campbell provided Marty's singing voice. Campbell did not receive credit as the filmmakers wanted to create the illusion Fox was singing. When music supervisor Bones Howe learned of this, he secured Campbell a small percentage of the soundtrack revenue as compensation. Paul Hanson taught Fox how to use a guitar to play "Johnny B. Goode", and choreographer Brad Jeffries spent four weeks teaching Fox to replicate various rock star moves popularized by artists like Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, and Chuck Berry. Berry withheld permission to use "Johnny B. Goode" until the day before filming. He was paid $50,000 for the rights. Harry Waters Jr. provided the vocals on "Earth Angel".

Release/Reception/Box Office

By June 1985, the theatrical industry had seen a 14% decline in ticket sales over the previous year's $4 billion record sales. The summer period (beginning the final week of May) had 45 films scheduled for release, including action film Rambo: First Blood Part II, adventure film The Goonies, the comedies Brewster's Millions and Fletch and the latest James Bond film A View to a Kill. This represented a 25% increase over the previous year's releases, leading to concerns among industry professionals the competition would divide audiences and limit financial returns at a time when the average cost of making and marketing a film had increased to $14.5 million and $7 million respectively. A higher budget to secure a popular cast was considered a suitable risk, as the resulting box office returns were typically higher. Most films scheduled for release were aimed at younger audiences, focusing on fantasy and the supernatural. Reflecting the times, these fantasy elements often employed a technological source instead of a magical one. Only a few films, like Cocoon and Prizzi's Honour, were targeted at adults.

Initially, Back to the Future was scheduled to be released in May 1985, but was pushed back to June 21, the earliest Zemeckis could have the film ready. The delay caused by Stoltz's replacement pushed the release back to July 19, and later to August. Sheinberg moved the release date forward to July 3, giving it an extra 16 days of theatrical screen time during the industry's most profitable period of the year. The move offered about 100,000 extra screenings worth an estimated $40 million. Sheinberg said he also wanted to avoid the negative perception of films released later in the summer period, instead of early like other blockbuster films. The change required renegotiations with theatre owners to secure screens in an already crowded marketplace. In some cities, it was legally required exhibitors be shown a film prior to purchase; an unfinished cut of the film was shown to theatre owners and young test audiences. They described it as not at the same level as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial or Ghostbusters, but a guaranteed box office hit. Fox was unavailable for promotional work because he was filming Family Ties Vacation (1985) in London.

Back to the Future received generally positive reviews from critics. Janet Maslin called it the "most sustained and entertaining" of the summer's films. Richard Corliss said the audiences' kids would love the film over the next 30 years. For Paul Attanasio the film offered a return to a focus on storytelling. He added that even though every facet seemed mechanically designed to create a broadly appealing film, it never felt too safe. Attanasio concluded Back to the Future was a "wildly pleasurable" and sweet science-fiction comedy. Several reviewers compared it favourably to the 1946 fantasy drama It's a Wonderful Life. Roger Ebert said Zemeckis had delivered a "fine comic touch" and humanity, offering charm, humour, and a lot of surprises that offered the film's "greatest pleasures". Kirk Ellis (writing for The Hollywood Reporter) offered a similar sentiment, saying Zemeckis' direction added a comic humanity to the science-fiction setting. Ellis called it the Oedipal version of It's a Wonderful Life. He said that despite Spielberg's role as a producer, Back to the Future was clearly Zemeckis' film, being more subtle, gentler, and less noisy.

Gene Siskel said initially Back to the Future seems to be everything wrong with youth-targeted movies of its era; however, it subverted his expectations by avoiding traveling to an unidentifiable future or historical event to focus on the unique perspective through a relatable tale. It offered something for both children and adults. Sheila Benson was more critical; she called the film "big, cartoonish and empty". She said Back to the Future had an interesting premise but was overproduced and underdeveloped. Benson believed the film lacked tension because there was never any doubt Marty would succeed, and the ending was left feeling hollow with materialistic rewards. Siskel countered the tension came by defying the expectations of a typical time travel film in making the past mutable and the future uncertain.

Dave Kehr remarked Gale and Zemeckis were among the first wave of filmmakers openly influenced by growing up on televised entertainment, and their inspirations are evident throughout Back to the Future. He described it as "zestfully tasteless" with a uniquely American vulgarity, crassness and manic energy. Attansio appreciated the film had irreverent humour that was not mean-spirited. He felt the film succeeds by having an emotional core that keeps the audiences' interest among the laughter.

Reviewers agreed the exposition-heavy opening leads into a better half. Ray Loynd, writing for Variety, described the opening as "shaky", but noted the rest of the film is filled with wit, wonder, and fresh ideas. He appreciated the comparisons between 1955 and 1985, and the "delicious" premise of Marty returning to the past only for his mother to fall for him romantically. Corliss agreed the opening was akin to a "long fuse that explodes into comic epiphany mid way". Leonard Maltin said it took a while to get to the action, but in describing the ending, he said it was a "wow".

All the cast performances were generally well received, particularly those of Fox, Lloyd, Thompson, and Glover. Reviewers were consistent in their praise for Fox's "appealing" performance. Several reviewers believed Lloyd's performance stole the show. Ellis said Lloyd was at his "scene-stealing best", offering an uncontrolled performance that would redefine movie scientists for the modern audience. Attanasio agreed; he said Lloyd demonstrated his unique "intensity" could carry a film. Kehr called Lloyd's character a tribute to every great mad scientist portrayed by the likes of Sid Caesar and John Belushi. Vincent Canby and Loynd said both Fox and Lloyd were good, but it was Glover and Thompson who were the standout performers. Loynd said Glover's bumbling-to-confident George McFly was the highlight, supported by Thompson's "deceptively passionate" performance So.me reviewers considered the use of Libyan terrorists, an actual fear at the time, to be in poor taste.

In North America, Back to the Future received a wide release on July 3, 1985, ahead of Independence Day holiday weekend. The film earned $3.6 million during the opening Wednesday and Thursday. During its inaugural weekend, it earned a further $11.3 million from 1,420 theaters—an average of $7,853 per theatre. Back to the Future finished as the number one film of the weekend ahead of the western Pale Rider ($7 million) in its second weekend, and Rambo: First Blood Part II ($6.4 million) in its seventh. It retained the number one position in its second weekend with a further gross of $10.6 million, ahead of the debuting action film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ($7.8 million) and Cocoon ($5 million). It remained number one in its third weekend, ahead of the re-release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ($8.8 million) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ($5.4 million). In its fourth weekend it fell briefly to number two behind the comedy National Lampoon's European Vacation ($12.3 million). It returned to number one in its fifth weekend with $8.4 million, and remained there for the following eight weeks. Recalling the opening weeks, Gale said, "our second weekend was higher than our first weekend, which is indicative of great word of mouth."

The film remained a steady success through to September. By October, it had surpassed Rambo: First Blood Part II's $149 million box office earnings to become the year's highest-grossing film with $155 million. In total, Back to the Future was the number one film for 11 of its 12 first weeks of release. It remained in the top ten highest-grossing films for its first 24 weeks of release. By the end of its theatrical run, Back to the Future earned an approximate box office gross of $210.6 million. This figure made it the highest-grossing film of 1985, ahead of Rambo: First Blood Part II ($150.4 million), the sports drama Rocky IV ($127.9 million), and the drama The Colour Purple ($94.2 million). According to estimates by Box Office Mojo, this indicates over 59 million tickets were bought to see the film. Industry experts suggest as of 1997, the box office returns to the studio—minus the theatres' share—was $105.5 million.

The year was considered an unsuccessful one for film. Despite a record number of film releases ticket sales were down 17% compared with 1984. Industry executives blamed the problem, in part, on a lack of original concepts, and a glut of youth-oriented films targeted at those under 18. Only Back to the Future and Rambo: First Blood Part II were considered blockbusters, earning more than double the box office of Cocoon. Films offering escapism and pro-America themes also fared well. After years of poor performances, Back to the Future, alongside Fletch, Brewster's Millions, and Mask, reversed Universal Picture's fortunes.

Outside North America, the film earned a further estimated $170.5 million. This made it the third-highest-grossing film behind the romantic drama Out of Africa ($179.1 million) and Rocky IV ($172.6 million). Cumulatively, Back to the Future earned a worldwide gross of $381.1 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 1985 worldwide, ahead of Rocky IV ($300.5 million) and Rambo: First Blood Part II ($300.4 million).

Back to the Future has received several theatrical re-releases to celebrate anniversaries, including a remastered version screened in 2010. These releases have raised the film's worldwide total to $388.8 million.

Budget $19 million

Box office $388.8 million

My Review

What can I say about this movie that was already said? It is my favourite time travel sci-fi, adventure epic comedy in the 80's and I love this movie to death! When I saw this movie I was thrown out by its theme. An excellent sci-fi, adventure epic, I LOVE the 80s. It's simple the greatest time travel movie ever happened in the history of world cinema. I love this movie to death, I love, LOVE, love it!

I firstly saw this movie in the early 90's as a kid on VHS tape and I was blow away by the action and the score and the title back to the future. This movie is one of the best masterpiece time travel epic adventure film. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are fantastic at acting. Music theme score by Alan Silvestri is excellent I could listen to it whole day.

From the Academy Award "- winning team of Steven Spielberg" and Robert Zemeckis** comes the hilariously ground-breaking adventure that thrilled critics and audiences alike - and sparked one of the most successful movie trilogy ever! Directed by Robert Zemeckis the movie begins with Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) a teenager who has a really messed up family. His ultimate goal was to become a rock star which was heartened by his girl friend Jennifer Parker (Claudia Wells). But things went wrong when scientist Dr. Emmett Brown/Doc (Christopher Lloyd) wanted Marty's assistance for his new invention.

What will he do next, will he can come back to the future, or will he stuck back in the past for his rest of the life. More than that will his time travel make serious effects on the future? Dealing with time travel and time paradox Steven Spielberg presents this amazing journey of Marty set up in the time of 80's and 50's. Scripted by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale for the story of Bob Gale himself, tells a science fiction adventure in a family oriented tone.

They really work hard to sculpt that sci-fi thread into a thrilling, culture clashed family movie. A good story with a great script. Also the soul of the movie was given by the legend Alan Silvestri. His composition was all memorable especially in the chasing and emotional scenes. Over the top the theme music, it was the most dazzling and recognizable themes in the movie history.

More than that the casting was simply brilliant, each and every actor is born to play their respected roles in this movie. Michael J. Fox was the only actor who can play the role of energetic Marty McFly, which was considered for numerous actors. Also Thomas F. Wilson was brilliant in his performance as the Bad boy Biff Tannen. Lea Thompson did a great work in portraying Lorraine Baines's two different life times, as a teenage girl and a matured mother. Well the extra talented Christopher Lloyd had almost "chewed every scenes" in the movie. Mr. Lloyd's versatile performance as the madman and genius scientist Dr. Emmett Brown is one of the great memorable roles in his carrier.

Last but not the least, it was Crispin Glover who steal the show as the nerdy teenager/father as George McFly. It was an interesting portrayal as a boy who was transformed to a man. Crispin Glover lived in that part. I don't know whether the movie would be a masterpiece without his unique performance. Above all I want to remember this as a romantic movie and it couldn't be made without the songs "The Power of Love," and "Earth Angel".

The rating I am giving is 10/10 the original and the best one of all time. I love this film, it is my favourite time travel movie of all time and I love it to death! All in all it is the greatest sci-fi, romantic movie of all time. It is the part of the great Movie History, which consider itself as " A Modern/Classic Masterpiece! " 10/10!!!!

{The main theme - Power Of Love - is a fistpump of a banger!}

{My favourite scene in this film is when he's singing in the school dance - ICONIC}