Top Five Favorite Films: #5 Back to the Future (1985)

All this week, I am going to try to post my top five favorite movies. I am a fan of films. As far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed movies for the escape they can offer, and over the years, I have developed a mental criterion, as many of us do, when we want to pick our favorites. The films I choose this week, are not necessarily amazing films in general, nor are grand epics as determined by the Academy, or so called industry insiders. Rather they are the films that I enjoy immensely and ones that I go back to enjoy time and time again. I’ll review each film; pointing out how each made my top five list, as well as acknowledging their flaws. At the end, I hope you’ll get a bit of insight as to how I approach a feature film and, who knows? Maybe you’ll pop one of these in someday and find you enjoy them as much as I do.

#5, Back to the Future (1985)

Let’s start this list off with, what has to be my first favorite film. I remember first seeing this movie when I was very young. It was made a year after I was born and I believe I first saw it in the late 1980’s or early 90’s so it had been out for several years. I can remember being completely immersed in the story to the point where my brother and I built our own flux compasators in an effort to mimic time travel ourselves. (TRUTH: Several years ago we were cleaning our parents’ home and ran across these which provided a health laugh and trip down memory lane)

Back to the Future is the story of a teenager (Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox) in the mid 1980’s who befriends an eccentric scientist (Dr. Emmitt L. Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd in what has to be his signature role). McFly is a bit down on his luck, but like most of us at that age, has an ideal view of what he wants to achieve in life and how to get it. He is burdened, however, by the circumstances that life has dealt him. Dr. Brown, or Doc, as he is referred to, is also a bit of an outsider, and in order to escape the nature of the world he sees develops a time machine to travel throughout history. The two connect, I believe, because they are drawn to each other’s ideals and can identify with one another.

Doc, at this point in life, is an older man and wishes to see the future beyond his years. However, is gunned down before he can depart. McFly, in an effort to elude the gunmen, commandeers the time machine to simply outrun them, but instead travels back in time to the year 1955. Obviously, putting a teenager from the present (1985) to the past will present many challenges, one of which is his interfering with his parents first meeting, an event which can potentially destroy his entire existence.

In an effort to correct history, and get home, he locates the younger Doc Brown of 1955 and implores upon him to help. Doc is skeptical at first, but realizes that he is the only man alive that could potentially help, and being a student of science, and having a thirst for knowledge, realizes he can’t pass up an opportunity like this.

Naturally, the protagonists of the film are successful, but it is how the payout works that makes the film so interesting. It also demonstrates how our everyday experiences can shape our futures in ways that we cannot possibly understand. Every action we take, determines every action thereafter, and can change our lives in many ways.

Back to the Future is a dated film, ironic of course, and by watching it, you can clearly see the influences of the 1980’s. Brand names and attitudes of the 1980’s are clearly in force, with an emphasis on material wealth and objects, and it’s for this reason that it is dated. However, the film overcomes this with its heart. At the end of the day, it’s about a teenager, not clear about his place in this world, and is trying to make sense of it. (And how many of us haven’t been there?)

The best performance of the film is, by far, Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Lloyd was able to craft a character that was a combination of many of the great minds of history into one solid character. Many talk of the like between genius and insanity, and it’s a line that Doc Brown walks each and every day. Ultimately, Doc Brown begins as a selfish individual, but realizes that he needs to help McFly get home, because without that, he can never hope to achieve time travel, and frankly, he seems to like McFly and wants to help him.

I would also argue that a great performance in the film belongs to Tom Wilson as Biff Tannen. Tannen is the ultimate bully. He bullied McFlys father throughout his entire life, had a desire for McFly’s mother, and felt that simply yelling or threatening anyone who stood in his way was the way to get things done. But, as all movie antagonists, Tannen finally gets his, and when it happens, it’s done in a way that makes sense and is completely satisfying. Bullies, as portrayed by Hollywood films, don’t get much better, nor cliché as Biff Tannen, and Tom Wilson was able to make that role as solid as it needed to be.

Tom Wilson also has a stand up comedy act which is simply AMAZING.

When released, Back to the Future was a major success, shortly followed by two sequels. The film was originally intended to be a standalone film, a fact which is made clear by watching the other two. Parts II and III are interesting films and ones which I enjoyed when I was younger (especially Part III) but, today, they pale in comparison to the original film.

Back to the Future is not a perfect film, but it is highly entertaining and fun to watch. The problem with films released today, is that many of them might be great movies, but they’re simply not fun, and sometimes that’s what we, as a public need. Back to the Future is a film that I’ve watched countless times over the years, watching it more than some of the other films of this list, and I have enjoyed each and every viewing.