Back to the Future (1985)
- To accurately portray their role in Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox spent weeks conducting hands-on research and rehearsing directly with director Robert Zemeckis.
- Back to the Future utilized mostly practical sets and locations to ground the story, a specific choice insisted upon by Robert Zemeckis.
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. The film stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a high school student who is accidentally sent thirty years into the past โ from 1985 to 1955 โ in a time machine built by his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, from a modified DeLorean sports car.
Stranded in the past, Marty inadvertently prevents his parents from meeting and must orchestrate their romance while finding a way to return to the present before he is erased from existence. The production of Back to the Future was famously troubled, with original lead Eric Stoltz replaced by Michael J. Fox after five weeks of filming when the filmmakers realized the role required a comedic energy Stoltz was not bringing.
Fox had to film the movie while simultaneously shooting the television series Family Ties, working on the show during the day and on the film throughout the night. Despite these challenges, Back to the Future became the highest-grossing film of 1985, earning $388 million worldwide. The DeLorean time machine, the flux capacitor, and the phrase "1.21 gigawatts" became embedded in popular culture.
Alan Silvestri's triumphant orchestral score is considered one of the most recognizable film themes of the 1980s. The film spawned two sequels, a theme park ride, and remains one of the most beloved science fiction comedies ever made, consistently appearing on lists of the greatest films of all time.
