Thanks to positive word-of-mouth and an extended theatrical run to meet the demand, Back to the Future became one of the biggest hit movies of the 1980s. And unlike a lot of films of its era, it still holds up today. Audiences can enjoy Back to the Future just as much today as they did in 1985, despite its heavy focus on period-specific settings, because it’s a near-perfect movie.
The sequels did a great job of continuing the time-traveling adventures of Doc Brown and Marty McFly, but neither of them came close to scraping the genius of the original movie.
It Executes Its Premise Perfectly
Executing a great idea for a movie premise is easier said than done. So many movies have squandered a great premise with bad execution: Batman v Superman, Hancock, The Happening, Brightburn, Jumper, Cowboys & Aliens etc.
Despite having the kind of premise that countless high-concept comedies have wasted, Back to the Future manages to execute it perfectly. The audience is behind Marty all the way.
The Script Is Airtight
Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s screenplay for Back to the Future is one of the most masterfully crafted scripts ever written. It’s taught in plenty of screenwriting classes, because it gets everything right.
There isn’t a scene or even a single line that’s wasted in Back to the Future. Everything in the tightly structured script is there because it either serves story or character.
Every Role Is Perfectly Cast
Eric Stoltz was initially cast as Marty McFly, but when it became apparent that he was more of a dramatic actor than a comedic one, he was fired and replaced with Michael J. Fox, who couldn’t have been more perfectly suited to the role of Marty. In that spirit, all his co-stars are perfectly cast in their roles, too.
From Christopher Lloyd’s madcap take on Doc Brown homaging every classic mad scientist to Thomas F. Wilson’s hilariously hateable turn as Biff Tannen, every role in Back to the Future is played by the ideal actor.
Most Of The Jokes Are Timeless
Comedies are the quickest movies to age, because comedy is always evolving and jokes that reflect the time they were written don’t always translate to a different time. This is particularly true of ‘80s comedies, but the jokes in Back to the Future are timeless.
Most of the gags are driven by character or situation, so they’ll work just as well on generations to come, and even some of the contemporary references to Reagan etc. still hold up today.
It’s Full Of Foreshadowing
Like all well-written screenplays, Back to the Future’s first act is packed with details that the audience has to pay attention to, because it all comes back later in the movie when Marty is whisked into the past and has to defy the odds to return to the present.
From Doc’s Harold Lloyd novelty clock setting up the finale to lines like, “Well, history is gonna change,” Back to the Future is full of foreshadowing.
Alan Silvestri’s Catchy Score Is Unforgettable
Alan Silvestri’s musical score for Back to the Future is one of the most memorable ever composed. The main theme, in particular, stands out as iconic, but the whole score breathes life into the on-screen action.
The movie also has a couple of great original songs, like Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time,” while Marty’s cover of “Johnny B. Goode” is an unforgettable movie music moment.
The Exposition Works
Bad exposition can kill a movie, or at the very least hinder it. The whole first act of Back to the Future is exposition, which should theoretically stop the movie dead from the offset. But it works beautifully – it might even be the greatest exposition ever written – because the exposition is packaged within jokes and sets up massively satisfying payoffs later in the movie.
The campaign to save the clock tower in 1985 sets up how Doc will power the time machine in 1955. There’s a gag in the McFly kids rolling their eyes through their mother’s explanation of how she got together with their father, but all the information is crucial to Marty’s plan when he goes to the past.
The Finale Is Spectacular
The first and second acts of Back to the Future are all about the build-up to the finale. Doc and Marty devise a meticulous plan to make sure Marty’s parents get together and he’s born, then use the lightning bolt that destroys the clock tower to send the DeLorean back to 1985. The stakes are sky-high and the action is character-driven.
As would become a tradition in the high-grossing franchise, the plan hardly goes off without a hitch, but they just about manage to pull it off. Every great movie needs a riveting climax, and Back to the Future has one.
Doc And Marty Are A Dynamic Pairing For The Ages
It’s never explained how Doc Brown and Marty McFly are friends, but it doesn’t matter. Despite the improbability of a teenage boy and an elderly scientist being buddies (not to mention the ominous implications of such a pairing), Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd’s impeccable on-screen chemistry makes it work.
Marty’s dynamic with Doc – both the 1985 version that knows him well and the 1955 version that he has to convince he’s from the future – makes for one of the most memorable duos in movie history.
It Never Gets Old
The true test of a movie’s quality is its rewatchability. Hollywood studios see a movie’s opening weekend as the most important part of its life, but the real decider of its quality is if people are still watching it 10 or 20 years later. Thirty-five years after its initial theatrical run, audiences around the world are still regularly watching Back to the Future.
It’s a movie with lovable characters, a compelling story, and no fat. Back to the Future has an unlimited shelf life. Audiences will still be watching and enjoying this movie in another 35 years.
