Back to the Future (1985) - User Reviews

For a kids blockbuster film in the years when they were few and far between, Back to the Future - though a fantastic and hilarious film - contains some surprisingly adult themes: murderous terrorists intent on creating a nuclear bomb, the attempted rape of Lorraine at the hands of Biff, her own attempts to seduce her son (although, to be fair, she isn't aware he is her son), and even an attempted hit-and-run - all of which caused the writer Robert Zemeckis some trouble when he tried (and failed) to pitch the concept to Walt Disney. The 1950's may seem a sleepy and quaint place to live in at the start of the movie, but obviously all this is set to change, mainly due to the more-dangerous-than-he-appears school bully Biff Tannen, played with a note-perfect performance from Thomas F. Wilson.

This is all quite a surprise as these things do nothing to affect the real sense of fun this film is utterly drenched in. Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) is a very cool kid any boy would have wanted to be, right from the very first moment you see him hanging on to the backs of cars to skateboard his way across town more swiftly. Christopher Llyod being put to good use once again in surely his most memorable role ever: Doc Brown, a highly distracted hilarious scientist of boundless energy and enthusiasm who's never-still facial expressions alone act the pants of anyone else on screen.

Back to the Future is a film that rewards multiple viewings to the absolute wealth of detail within it - it's easy to miss an 1980s electoral poster casually in frame promoting the re-election of Mayor Goldie Wilson at the start of the film, but it certainly adds to the scene in the 1950s where McFly puts the idea in the young mans head as he begins to clean up the town, starting with the cafeteria floor.

If you're looking for a movie with a great premise, great performances, great detail, great humour, great music, a great finale and some great sequels, you can do no better than check out this wonderful tale of rape, murder, incest and time-travel.

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