Back to the Future

Well, Back to the Future is back in cinemas this week for its 40th anniversary. I saw it yesterday and… yeah, it’s still great, which is hardly surprising. Back to the Future is one of the most unanimously beloved films of all time and for good reason. Not only is it one of the most quotable movies ever made with memorable characters, believable performances, iconic set pieces and a fantastic score courtesy of Alan Silvestri but it’s also a masterclass in storytelling and filmmaking. The script (courtesy of Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale) is so tight and clever while Zemeckis' direction throughout is intricate but also playful and loose. It’s one of those movies where virtually every other line is a set-up that will inevitably pay-off, where the opening scene practically foreshadows the entire movie and every scene has some kind of visual gag or subtle background detail that you won’t notice until you’ve seen it again for the fiftieth time.

Seeing this movie again on the big screen put a huge smile on my face. It’s one of the finest films of the 80s and easily one of my personal favourites. I can’t even really think of any issues I have with it. It probably does have its flaws (as just about anything does), but I think the movie is as close as you can go to perfection as you can get. I love the story, I love the characters, I love the music (“The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” are both all-timers as far as I’m concerned), I love the performances, I love the set pieces (especially the climax, which is probably one of the most suspenseful sequences ever put to a film). If you haven’t seen Back to the Future already, make like a tree and go watch it as soon as possible.