Back to the Future is great, but the movies do have some problems, and it can seem like a Back to the Future reboot could fix the original movies. Despite them being classics, some parts of the Back to the Future trilogy haven’t aged well, with the films being full of all kinds of insensitive jokes. However, taking the same premise and redoing it in the modern day with modern sensibilities could help update the franchise, meaning that a Back to the Future reboot could be a good idea.
Starting in 1985, the Back to the Future trilogy follows the events of Marty McFly and Doc Brown as they travel through the timeline, specifically to 1955, 2015, and 1885. While Back to the Future was a huge success and is still loved today, the film is a 1980s comedy, meaning that it does have some problems. The debate about a Back to the Future reboot has been occurring for a while, with audiences arguing over the pros and cons of revisiting the 1985 classic. While opinion is divided, there are undoubtedly a few aspects of the originals that a Back to the Future reboot could fix.
Back To The Future Has Aged Poorly
Looking back on the trilogy, some parts of Back to the Future have definitely aged poorly. Like many films of the era, Back to the Future is pretty homophobic, with the trilogy containing some offensive jokes. One deleted Back to the Future scene even has Marty tell Doc that he’s worried he’ll turn gay in the future if he has sex with his mother. Luckily, this scene was cut, but some other jokes still made it in. On top of that, Back to the Future does have some vaguely racist moments, such as the trilogy’s depiction of Native Americans and the weird implications of the “Johnny B. Goode” scene.
Besides just the comedic parts, even the main story of Back to the Future is creepy, if not problematic. The entire film revolves around an incestuous relationship between Marty McFly and a past version of his mother, Lorraine. A story like this would be less likely to make it into a modern family film, but for some reason, it was perfectly fine in 1985. The climax of the original film revolves around Back to the Future villain Biff Tannen sexually assaulting Marty’s mother, and it is seemingly played for laughs. Pretty much everything involving Lorraine is incredibly creepy and uncomfortable, with this whole storyline aging poorly.
Although not quite as offensive, the George McFly storyline in the first Back to the Future also skews problematic looking back. Much of Back to the Future‘s runtime is dedicated to making fun of George McFly for not being masculine enough, and the film doesn’t paint these stereotypes of masculinity as a negative thing. While things like confidence are good to learn about, saying that someone isn’t a man for not being confident or for being socially awkward is a particularly bad message, but Back to the Future fully supports it. After all, George is only seen as a hero when he learns to be a cool rich dad.
How A Back To The Future Remake Would Be Different
Considering how problematic the original Back to the Future trilogy is, a modern reboot would undoubtedly be very different. The reboot would hopefully get rid of all the racist and homophobic moments, and the Back to the Future reboot could actually be a way to address the original’s negative moments. If Marty still travels back 30 years, then he would be in the 1990s. The average person was still pretty insensitive in the 90s, so the Back to the Future reboot could have Marty call out the racism or homophobia of the 1990s if he encounters it. This would be an interesting way to rectify the issues with the original.
Having Back to the Future take place in the 2020s and the 1990s would also require the reboot to change a lot of the jokes and story beats. Obviously Back to the Future‘s “Johnny B. Goode” scene would have to be changed, replacing it with a song from the late 90s. Many of the original trilogy’s jokes about 80s culture wouldn’t work, as TVs and weird fashion were all over the place in the 90s. Furthermore, with the more advanced technology of the 1990s, whatever resource Marty needs to get back to the future would be more readily available.
A Back to the Future reboot would also handle the Lorraine story differently, probably pointing out how weird the incest storyline is. If the reboot chose to keep Biff’s assault of Lorraine, it would probably be played much more seriously than treated as a joke. The Back to the Future reboot would also most likely pull back on its treatment of George McFly’s masculinity. Interestingly, the reboot could also address some of the original Back to the Future‘s big plot holes, such as how Marty was able to pay with 1980s money in 1955.
Why A Back To The Future Remake Still Shouldn’t Happen
Although a Back to the Future remake would fix a lot of the problems with the original, it still shouldn’t happen. Back to the Future is incredibly reliant on the chemistry and humor of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, and it would be difficult to find two modern actors that have the same unique dynamic. Back to the Future‘s use of makeup also makes it special, with actors seamlessly playing old and young versions of themselves. A modern reboot would probably use digital deaging, which isn’t as charming. Even if it did use practical makeup, though, it’s been done so many times now that it wouldn’t be as unique.
Back to the Future‘s timelines are all parodies of the eras, with the 1885 and 1955 eras specifically highlighting the weirdest part of the decades. Even though 1985 is technically the modern day in Back to the Future, the year is almost a caricature of the 1980s, with the film using heightened fashion, music, and more. 1990s throwbacks are a dime a dozen today, and a Back to the Future reboot set in the 1990s would just feel derivative of so many different things. Although Back to the Future isn’t flawless, a new property would be much better than a Back to the Future reboot.
