My Favourite Movies: The Back to the Future Trilogy

OK, I’m kind of cheating here but Robert Zemeckis started it by basically making the same film three times – well, kind of…..

If you haven’t seen these movies (shame on you for that) it all starts (well, kind of…. this is a Time Travel movie/series so it’s difficult to say exactly where things start) with teenager Marty McFly, played or rather overacted by Michael J Fox, being accidently sent back in time to the 1950’s from the 1980’s. There he accidently bumps into his father and changes his own history. He needs the help of the 1950’s version of Doc Brown, played even more over the top by the superb Christopher Lloyd, to send him back to the future (or the present/past if you will…..). Of course things do not go smoothly and much running around, shouting (Great Scott!) and general mayhem ensue… In Part 2, which inevitably follows on directly from Part 1 (literally seconds later) The Doc and Marty are in the future (2015) to sort out Marty’s kids. Unfortunately Marty’s arch enemy and comedic foil, Biff (I’m not making this up… honest) sees the time machine (made out of an 80’s icon the Delorian – pictured above) and goes back into the past (the 1950’s again) to give a sports almanac to his teenage self in order that he can become rich. After much running around, much shouting and much reuse of original film footage, and no doubt quite a bit that would’ve made it onto the cutting room floor, everything is eventually put right again. As an aside Doc Brown gave a creditable explanation of the multiple universe model of Temporal Mechanics…. But I digress…. Part 3 followed on directly, seconds after Part 2 finished, and eventually ended up in the Old West – after yet another meeting with the 1950’s Doc Brown – where the story eventually went full circle showing the start of the clock in the clock tower and produced (for me) the best line in all 3 movies where the Doc explained that they were in fact conducting a science experiment that only looked like a train holdup!

Phew…..! I’m sure that somewhere someone has spliced all three movies together into a seamless whole. They certainly work that way. That’s one of the things I love about this movie/movies. It’s clever. Not only is it a very creditable Time Travel movie – which because of the knots you can tie yourself up in is not easy to do well – but it’s a funny and highly entertaining Time Travel movie with Lea Thompson in it (hubba, hubba). For me at least these movies manage to surf the edge of ridiculous silliness without falling flat on their collective faces. I watched all three movies over three days (even I’m not mad enough to watch them all one after the other – although Christmas is coming so it’s not such a crazy idea) and could quite easily have put the first one back on and watched them all again. I’m not a huge fan of MJF but cut him some considerable slack here. It probably helped that I was deeply in lust with Ms Thompson at the time of the first movie but that’s not the only thing it had going for it. My favourite character was definitely the Doc. Chris Lloyd managed to produce one of the all time great mad scientists whilst keeping him a good-guy. He might not make the best of neighbours but you’d never have a dull moment with him in the neighbourhood! If you haven’t seen this movie before or haven’t seen it for a long time I’d definitely recommend you relaxing for a few hours (or six if you want the full experience) in the company of some of the nicest, funniest and definitely wackiest people you’re never going to meet. Enjoy.