10 Essential Time Travel Movies
3. Back To The Future (dir. Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
No list of time travel films would be complete without Marty McFly unless the compiler of said list had a penchant for being lynched. Outlining the plot is almost totally pointless; the film has become such a mainstay of pop culture that many people will know all the references without having actually seen it. But for the uninitiated, it involves high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) being sent back to 1955, where his future mothers accidentally falls in love with him. He must ensure his parents meet and fall in love, before getting home with the help of Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Back to the Future is one of the quintessential films of the 1980s: its soundtrack, its humour, its sharp writing, its nostalgic evocation of the past and its warm, likeable characters. Like Time Bandits it uses time travel as a device rather than a springboard to darker ideas, but every plot point holds together brilliantly and all the jokes pay off. Whether as a warm nostalgia trip or a surprisingly smart summer blockbuster, Back to the Future has truly stood the test of time.
No list of time travel films would be complete without Marty McFly unless the compiler of said list had a penchant for being lynched. Outlining the plot is almost totally pointless; the film has become such a mainstay of pop culture that many people will know all the references without having actually seen it. But for the uninitiated, it involves high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) being sent back to 1955, where his future mothers accidentally falls in love with him. He must ensure his parents meet and fall in love, before getting home with the help of Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Back to the Future is one of the quintessential films of the 1980s: its soundtrack, its humour, its sharp writing, its nostalgic evocation of the past and its warm, likeable characters. Like Time Bandits it uses time travel as a device rather than a springboard to darker ideas, but every plot point holds together brilliantly and all the jokes pay off. Whether as a warm nostalgia trip or a surprisingly smart summer blockbuster, Back to the Future has truly stood the test of time. 