Back to the Future
1985 · Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Original language: English
- adventure
- comedy
- science fiction
The story
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-saturated Californian suburbia in the 1980s gives way to warm 1950s Hill Valley: golden afternoon light on tree-lined streets, pastel diners, chrome bumpers and sodium-lit nights that glow with a nostalgic amber. Director Robert Zemeckis frames in clean, classical medium shots and wide establishing views of the town, letting the comedy land through timing and reaction rather than hectic camera work. The score by Alan Silvestri is brisk and buoyant, with a brass-and-orchestra pulse that spikes into driving momentum for the clock-tower and car-chase sequences, and a playful guitar riff that becomes a running joke. The mood is sunny, nimble and warm-hearted, a breezy adventure with a faint undercurrent of anxiety that is always defused by humour. It suits a Saturday afternoon, a family movie night, or a comfort rewatch on a lazy evening. Pacing is quick and tightly plotted, and the emotional arc follows a bumbling, sweet-natured teenager learning to be braver and a slightly awkward family finding its footing. Violence is absent beyond cartoonish slapstick and a few tense moments; there is no gore, and sexual content is limited to light teen flirtation. It is for anyone who wants an optimistic, funny escape with a clever sense of invention.
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