A Tribute to Back to the Future
by Andy "Hey you, get your damn hands off her" Bartsch, GGR contributor Originally posted November 1st, 2015
Well, it’s finally happened. The Back to the Future trilogy officially takes place entirely in the PAST. Does that seem wrong to anyone else? Ever since I first saw Back to the Future Part II in the early 90s, I looked forward to the flying cars, the self-lacing shoes, the shiny multicolored hats, and (man, oh man) what I wouldn’t have given for a hoverboard. Sure, I’m probably way too heavy for one of those and I’d probably bust my butt trying to ride one, but damn, were they cool. The film made me actually look forward to “the future”. I call it, “the future” because that’s what my seven year old brain thought the era of flying cars and hoverboards was referring to. It didn’t help that IN THE ACTUAL MOVIE, the two police officers who help Jennifer back to her (future) house made it sound that way. “Be careful in the future,” the officer said. She might as well have said, “Be careful, here, in the future.”
"Wait a minute, Doc. The future is in the past now?"
"Trust me, Marty. The less you think about it, the better."
Of course, as I grew older, I was well aware that the film was good sci-fi fun and a lot of the ideas would never happen (at least not in my lifetime). Honestly, the actual idea of several hundred people flying around in cars terrifies me. There are already too many people who can’t drive on roads, and we’re gonna let them FLY CARS? SEVERAL FEET IN THE SKY? I’ll pass, thank you very much. In fact, that doesn’t even sound safe for the people walking on the sidewalks. You’re minding your own business, walking to the convenience store and A CAR FALLS FROM THE SKY AND CRASHES ON TOP OF YOU! What if you were the one driving the car? That’s TWO CRASHES; One in the sky and one when you hit the ground! That’s a double whammy!
"Man, I could really use those self-walking dog leashes from Part II right about now..."
It’s been thirty years since the original film’s 1985 release (“Thirty years. It’s a nice round number.”) and the cultural impact that film has made is undeniable, and I’m sure John DeLorean is not the only person thankful for it’s success. The films have turned Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd into pop culture icons. Martin “Marty” McFly and Doctor Emmett “Doc” L. Brown have been imitated, spoofed, referenced and parodied numerous times in film, television and video games. Lloyd himself has rarely ever been hesitant to put the white “Devo suit” on and step into the DeLorean for chance to play the character another time. Despite several reunions as different characters, only recently were both Fox and Lloyd in costume and character together side-by-side on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, surprised by how little has changed since 1985. They also reprise their roles in the new massive crossover adventure game, Lego Dimensions, where they team up with characters from the Lego Movie, Scooby Doo, Ghostbusters, and Doctor Who. Doc Brown and the Doctor discussing time travel. That’s something I’d like to see.
"Nineteen 'Jaws' movies... What, did they run out of original ideas for movies by 2015?"
A year after the last films release in 1990, Doc and Marty’s story continued in a Saturday morning cartoon series that lasted for twenty-six episodes. Thomas F. Wilson and Mary Steenburgen returned to provide the voices of Biff Tannen and Clara Clayton Brown, but while Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson) performed the voice of Doc Brown, Christopher Lloyd reprised his role alongside Bill Nye the Science Guy for some live-action segments to teach the young viewers at home a few things about science. In 2010, Lloyd returned to voice Doc Brown once again in a much better follow-up to the films in TellTale Game’s Back to the Future: The Game. While Michael J. Fox didn’t reprise his role as Marty, he did do a voice as Marty’s ancestor, Willie McFly, while A.J. LoCascio did a spectacular job imitating Fox’s voice. So what is it about these films that stand the test of time? Well, you may argue that the references to the 80s date the films, but in a story about time travel, that only makes it more authentic. Doc Brown’s enthusiasm is far too infectious, and Marty’s “too cool” straight man attitude reflects perfectly. The tiny details in the background that change when something in the past has been altered (the Twin Pines Mall became the Lone Pines Mall). The second film’s bright and positive projection of the future was a breath of fresh air when it came to science fiction films at the time. The ingenious idea of seeing events from the first film from a different point of view was brilliant. The role-reversal of Doc and Marty’s characters in the third one was interesting, and I don’t care if people say the third one sticks out like a sore thumb, Part III was a ton of fun. You were on the edge of your seat during that train scene at the end! Admit it! Yeah, guess what saved Doc and Clara in that one? The hoverboard, son!
"If my calculations are correct--THEY'RE NOT CORRECT! CALCULATIONS ARE NOT CORRECT! ABANDON SHIP, MARTY!!!"
I think the best thing about the Back to the Future films , to me anyway, is it didn’t make me afraid of the future. Before Part II, the future was made to look terrible and grim, like in Total Recall or Blade Runner, but Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale changed all that. It’s like Doc said, “The future isn’t written yet. The future is what you make of it. So make it a good one.”
Thanks for reading! What did you like best about Back to the Future? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to share on your favorite social media site!
