Back To The Future Part I is, in my opinion, one of the best sci-fi films ever made; certainly the best time travel film of all time. In fact there’s not much BTTF actually gets wrong - from characters to premise to humour, it has everything you need for an easy-to-watch, memorable film. There’s not incredible depth to it or profound philosophical moments, but not every film needs to be ‘high brow’. The value of a film is in the enjoyment of the audience, nothing more.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/3isQI0nXQRE?start=15

From the offset, we are told this is going to be a fun and crazy film. The opening, long shot with the dissonant clocks, the pointless dog food machine and the speakers actually tell us a great deal about what’s in store. Obviously, the element of time is key, and the clocks are set to a past time, setting up the premise. We are shown that the Doc is a dangerous man who is a few screws short of a wardrobe and has crazy inventions. Also being associated with terrorist groups, and away from home for days at the very least. We are also shown Marty’s most interesting character trait and biggest flaw: his pride. Despite the warnings, he turns a speaker up to the maximum setting and, with all the swagger in the world, accidentally throws himself against the wall, destroying the speaker and injuring himself. All of this within four minutes and only a few words of speech. It’s a brilliant, engaging opening that sets the tone nicely for the whole film ahead.

One of my favourite things about the whole film is how every aspect of the plot is paid off later on. There are no pointless actions, no dead air, or scenes you can skip and still have a perfectly functioning story. Every single second of the film is perfectly planned out, and gives a seamless flow of exposition disguised as entertainment. Of course, it’s really both. Throwaway lines and scenes later become huge plot points, and tiny easter eggs of what’s to come crop up everywhere - not least in the opening scene. This is one of the reasons this film is so enjoyable to watch and rewatch: rewarding the viewer for focusing on what’s going on, creating an endless loop of paying close attention.

The main characters themselves (bar the Doc) are all classic archetypes, but far from detracting making the film better overall. George McFly is a nerd, Marty is a popular kid, Biff is a jock, the Doc is a mad scientist, and Lorraine is a damsel in distress. They each have their own unique personalities and motivations, but because they have simple base characteristics, it allows for the plot and all its many events to take place. This is not to say that the characters aren’t interesting at all; in fact they drive the films, and while the plot is interesting, it would be nothing without the double act of Marty and the Doc quipping off each other, conflicting and questioning each other all the time - it was their synergy, not the plot (while amazing in itself), that made two more Back To The Future films.

The incredible music is one of the things I enjoy the most when looking back at the film. Silvestri’s score and the soundtracked music is perfect - creating a great sense of action and thrill always being thematically appropriate. The Power of Love sets out Marty’s attitude, Mr. Sandman introduces the more straight-laced period of the 1950s, Earth Angel sets a tragic background before the climax of the film, one of the best rock ‘n’ roll songs ever made, which I won’t spoil if you haven’t had the fortune of seeing the film before.

Back To The Future is a classic, and will continue to be a classic for as long as people want interesting, hilarious and easy to understand yet complex stories. I want to make clear that its simplicity and easy viewing doesn’t detract from the final product in any meaningful way, but makes the film as popular as it should be, and is one of its best characteristics. I could watch it a million times and not get bored.

That’s why I give this film four DCGS Shields out of five.

Four DCGS Shields

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