Back to the Future (1985)

My Review

“Back to the Future” is a science fiction story about a teenager in 1985 who accidentally travels to 1955 in his friend Doc Brown’s plutonium-powered DeLorean. He inadvertently stops his parents from getting together, and risks erasing himself from existence. The drama and comedy proceeds from there, well managed by Robert Zemeckis (“Romancing the Stone” 1984), who co-wrote the screenplay with producer Bob Gale.

The cast includes Michael J. Fox as high school student Marty McFly, Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover as Marty’s parents, Thomas F. Wilson as bully Biff Tanner, Claudia Wells as Marty’s girlfriend, Huey Lewis as a judge, Billy Zane as Biff’s friend Match, Harry Waters Jr. as Mayor Berry, Jason Hervey as Claudia’s brother, and Marc McClure and Wendie Jo Sperber as Marty’s siblings.

The fun escapist entertainment “Back to the Future” was the highest grossing film of 1985 for producer Bob Gale, executive producer Steven Spielberg, Amblin Entertainment, and Universal Pictures. It was filmed throughout the Los Angeles area, including at the Universal Studios backlot. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one for Best Sound Effects Editing. Non-winners include Best Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Original Song (“The Power of Love,” written and performed by Huey Lewis and the News). Two sequels are in the future – “Back to the Future Part II” (1989) and “Back to the Future Part III” (1990).