Back To The Future (1985)- Thanks for making me appreciate films on Time Travel

So yesterday was just as boring as any other day, already burdened with work pressure and troubles of being a college student, life can really be a bitch at times. To save myself from all this mess is movies or sometimes football. Getting to the topic, I will never forgive myself as to why I didn’t ever think about watching Robert Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future” much earlier. Times will never be the same again, and this film beautifully encapsulates one’s childhood memories, at least that’s for sure. Another trouble was the genre which is detestable as per my taste, but it did go well. Perhaps, there wasn’t a single moment in the film where I might have yawned or would have shown any means of discontentment. The film just owned me. It really worked out and as I always mention films being an embodiment to escape from reality, it was a great example.

The 80s era must have really been stupendous. Everything was just so cool. The emergence of rock music genre. The birth of gothic trend. The importance given to “coming of age” genre in films. The people in the 80s must have been the real epitome of awesomeness. Just like that, Robert Zemeckis’ film here covers all trends of the golden era and also talks about an inevitable concept: Time Travel! Sounds intriguing, right? We might have a plethora of films in this generation talking about time travel and Science Fiction, so it isn’t a big deal now. However, it was back then as this film is undoubtedly an inspiration for half of the best Sci-Fis which we know today. Steven Spielberg has always shown curiosity in Sci-Fi apart from his glorious, geeky interest towards adapting historical dramas.

A film which was released much years after films like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “ET, the Extraterrestrial” had already made their mark in Hollywood industry, “Back to the Future” could have indeed be an inspiration and loosely inspired from many other features, but nobody cares! As long as a film is attracting scores of people towards it, it is a big thing. Apart from the fanboy love from many millennials and teenage youngsters, the film instantly became a darling for critics too. This film has an aura of brilliance which is too hard to ignore. It gets hooked to the body and doesn’t detach itself until it goes off the screen. Here are some of my thoughts about this film.

As much appealing as this film is from its very first shot, it does define the culture and society of the 1980s America alongside its exciting screenplay. Comes the adventures of a handsome, frivolous slacker named Marty McFly and he comes swirling in with a pair of Nike, a skateboard, and a vibrant glow of attitude. Perhaps, this just defines the 80s for all, it’s a fact that most of the handsome men and beautiful women were a reproduction of that era. Marty is acquainted with an eccentric scientist who is inventing ways to time travel. The flow of the film is well synchronized with the screenplay and not a single deviation or unnecessary take is there, at least for me. As the film explores time travel, Marty is sent back to 1950s and comes the era of the lovebirds, the beginning to America’s foundation, and where people were actually getting use-to with emerging trends.

The film may just have a bleak, little to express kind of storyline and where things happen in a hush, although it doesn’t disappoint ever. Endlessly hilarious and entertaining with the olden but golden wits, it looks at all high-school stereotypes with elegance and portrays them on screen too. In an average American coming-of-age feature, there’s always a helpless geek struggling by being bullied, social awkwardness, and life in a nutshell. He has a soft corner for a girl who may not feel the same about him, but things do happen one way or the other. The film is so blatantly practical to teenager life and explores certain things too.

The film was colorfully extravagant as it never leaves anything. From rendering clothing trends like “Calvin Klein” to automobile giants like “Toyota” on silver screen, it sparkles an ode of necessity of these things too. As it may mot be relevant with its plot, but it does balance with the sidetrack. Arriving back to the concept, Sci-Fi’s have never been so cool and exciting unlike this one is. The film discovers things and casually fools around with many other unimportant things, but it does captivate us with its frenetic undertone. It is enthusiastic, smart, witty, and diligent, something which every girl expects from a perfect boy.

ACTING- 3.5/5

CINEMATOGRAPHY- 3/5

PACING/EDITING- 4.5/5

SCREENPLAY- 4/5

DIRECTION- 4/5

SCORE/SOUNDTRACK- 4/5

VERDICT- 4/5

Please do let know about your thoughts on this film. It is one amongst my Top 20 Favorites of 1980s now.