45. The Poster
Everybody recognises the
Back to the Future poster, with the iconic image of Marty with one foot in the DeLorean checking his watch.
The poster was duplicated for 'Parts II' & 'III' with Doc (II)
and then both Doc and Clara (III) joining Marty on the poster but there really is no beating the original movie poster.
It is simple yet effective, much like 'Back to the Future' itself; the poster tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the film and still manages to retain an air of cool, even today. The
'Back to the Future
' original movie poster remains one of the greatest of all time and thats not just my partisan bias talking (well, maybe it is a little).
46. Doc Brown
Doctor Emmett L. Brown must be one of the most beloved characters in film Ive said it before: but who hasnt attempted a lame Doc impression at some point? Be honest
Christopher Lloyd saved most of his best performances for playing eccentrics but no one was quite as magnificently eccentric as Doc The Einstein-esque hair, the larger than life mannerisms and of course his endless line of failed inventions. Yet underneath his dedication to science, Doc had a touching friendship with Marty and even if his head wasnt always in the right place (stealing from terrorists), his heart always was. And lets not forget, this is the man that invented a DeLorean that could travel through time!
47. Spielbergs Memo
Head of Universal at the time
Sid Sheinberg made many changes to the 'Back to the Future' script, some good, that actually made it into the shooting script, but he also had some pretty shocking ideas to go with them. One of which was to change the title as he didnt believe anyone would see a movie with the word
future in the title. In a memo to director
Robert Zemeckis, Sheinberg reportedly stated that the title should be changed to
Spaceman from Pluto, tying in with the Marty-as-alien gags in the film (Old Man Peabodys son concludes Marty is an alien after reading a comic book featuring a story entitled Space Zombies from Pluto)
Thankfully Steven Spielberg intervened and replied to Sheinberg in a memo of his own that thanked the exec for his "joke memo", telling him everyone got a kick out of it; Sheinberg, supposedly too proud to admit he had been serious, is alleged to have then let the title stand.
48. Darth Vader/Star Trek joke
My name is Darth Vader, Im an extraterrestrial from the planet Vulcan - Marty
49. Biff
What are you looking at butt-head?
Ive already sung the praises of Tom Wilson the actor but Id be remiss if I didnt credit Biff the characters contribution to
Back to the Futures greatness.
Biff has to be one of those seminal cinematic villains you love to hate, because as horrible as he is and in spite of all the trouble he causes for our heroes you cant help but like the big dumb lug. Hes as lovably obnoxious as an adult in 1985 (original timeline) as he is as a teen in 1955 and even when he is a sniveling suck-up in the alternate 1985 he is equally as annoyingly great. Without great villains, you cant have great heroes and that is definitely true of
Back to the Future.
50. Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis has been involved with some of the most memorable and revolutionary films of the past two and a half decades, and although he had made 'Romancing the Stone' prior to Back to the Future, it was this film that really launched him as a film-maker and allowed him to go on to make the likes of 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?', 'Forest Gump' and err 'Contact'.
Love him or hate him, Zemeckis is a great director and has been instrumental in pioneering a number of new film-making techniques, but it is easy to forget that he also holds a writing credit on
'Back to the Future
', which, given the fantastic script, is something else impressive for his resume. He may have won the OSCAR for
Gump, but I maintain that 'Back to the Future
' still remains the best film hell ever make.
51. Marty blowing the amp
Rock N Roll
Following on from the note perfect opening scene, we have another fantastic moment that tells us so much about our characters with barely a spoken line. This first glimpse of Marty is him blowing up Docs giant speaker with a mini guitar, setting up his love of rock n roll, his somewhat rebellious streak and of course Docs penchant for hair-brained inventions.
Seeing Marty sent flying across the room by his over-zealous strum is an unforgettable moment that establishes numerous plot threads in a concise and most importantly entertaining manner.
52. Docs bullet proof vest
What about all that talk about screwing up future events? The space-time continuum? - Marty Well, I figured: what the hell! - Doc
What would the greatest family film of all time be without a happy ending?
After all his gesticulating about irreparably damaging the space-time continuum it seemed as though Doc would never get Martys warning of his impending death. As Marty arrives back in 1985, his plan to go back early foiled by the DeLorean breaking down in Hill Valley Square, he watches on helplessly as Doc is once again gunned down by the Libyans. Sobbing over his friends lifeless body, Marty is suddenly shocked as the Doc springs back to life and reveals a bullet-proof vest. Everyone goes home happy and for once changing events in a time travel film has a positive outcome.
So there you have it, my evidence in favour of Back to the Future as the greatest film of all time. I could have gone on but that wouldnt have been fair to the othersWhat do other (less biased) film fans think of Back to the Future? But more importantly what do the Back to the Future fans out there have to say in support of our beloved movie?More Back to the Future goodness:Back to the Future - Where Are They Now...?Top Ten Time Travel Films of all... Time!Back to the Future is back in U.K. cinema's now!