The Future Is Perfect

If you asked me over the last 15 to 20 years what my definition of a perfect movie might be I'd have always given you the same answer. If you know what my favorite, top 5 films of all time are (a few are in this blog) you might be surprised that none of them are my 'perfect film' (although they might have a more personal connection elevating them further in my opinion). That perfect film is Robert Zemekis's 1985 classic, Back To The Future. Universal Studios, whose film it is, have been commendably restoring and theatrically re-releasing their back catalogue over the last couple of years, and I was fortunate enough to catch BTTF again in a digitally projected, surround sound cinema auditorium recently. And it's even more perfect now than it ever was.

The most astonishing thing is how streamlined and economical the story is, especially considering the large variety of separate plot elements it has to juggle.
Back To The Future is:-
1/ a science fiction, time travel movie (complete with potential paradoxes)
2/ a love story (between Marty's parents, Lorraine and George)
3/ a morality tale about self believe and confidence (Marty wanting to play the
school concert and George wanting to ask Lorraine out)
4/ a fish out of water/ culture clash comedy as 50's and 80's lifestyles clash.
5/ a high school drama, including the school bully, the prom dance, the strict
hallway monitor and the tale of the geeky kid getting the popular girl.
6/ a family sitcom with the close-knit but dysfunctional family unit.
7/ a terrorist thriller about stolen plutonium and their violent methods in
retrieving it.

I've seen the film a million times, but this was the first that I had realised that it contains two of my favorite movie genres;-
8/ it's an uplifting Capraesque fable, like A Christmas Carol or It's A Wonderful Life, that puts life into perspective when seen from a different viewpoint.
9/ it's a caper movie, with an impossible mission to be planned and executed by the
film's climax, during which the plan will almost fail.

All these plots are woven together in such a flawless way that each element blends seamlessly with the others, each one complimenting the other into a perfectly formed whole. The script is stunningly economic too with each scene adding something to the story, but more importantly, there are no unnecessary scenes that waste time. At the beginning, the opening sequence in Doc's workshop (done in one continuous take), you can see plot points furiously being set up; the fact Doc's an inventor, that Doc's stolen plutonium, that the film is about time, that he has a dog, that Marty plays guitar and has a skateboard, that he's late for school. Even the Harold Lloyd ornament which foreshadows Doc hanging from the clock tower...the entire movie is a water tight example of set up and pay off.

Zemekis's expert direction just strengthens this economy further with multiple story elements occupying each shot such as Marty's conversation with Jennifer at the movie's beginning. In one scene their relationship is fully established, the history and location of the clock tower (behind them) is set up and the clock tower flyer is introduced, Marty's insecurity about his guitaring talents are revealed, and finally, the 1985 Mayor election campaign is shown. All this in the space of a few minutes as two loved-up teens discuss their plans for the weekend (which fore-shadows the end of the movie). All of these story elements are cleverly woven around human drama, rather than scientific problem solving, which makes the movie easier to connect with emotionally. Even the boffin brainstorming to get Marty 'back to the future' is built around Marty's desire to get back to his girlfriend and family as well as the drama of Doc's future death, which may be preventable.

The story structure is impressive in other ways. The film has three tense action sequences equally spaced throughout at the beginning (the terrorist attack), middle (Marty evades Biff on a skateboard) and end (the climactic Clock tower set-piece). The final action scene, all relentlessly counting down to the moment that the lightning will hit the clock tower is undoubtedly one of the greatest action sequences committed to film. I'm fond of scenes within movies that have a beginning, middle and an end in their own right (see Sneakers or Inglorious Basterds) which is how this sequence plays out; the objective is stated and the characters put in motion, then everything goes wrong, and finally events are dramatically resolved.

Then there's the four major climaxes which resolves the major plot points; George knocking out Biff (defeating the adversary), George kissing Lorraine (finally gaining his confidence and saving Marty and his future siblings), Johnny B Goode (which has Marty achieve his ambition of playing the high school dance..he's still too loud of course). The Johnny B Goode sequence also serves as a light-hearted celebration of life; an emotional release after the tension of the previous two scenes. And then there's aforementioned Clocktower sequence.

Let's not forget the casting either. A thought occurred when watching it this time that Back To The Future might just well be the best Pixar movie Pixar never made. The leading animation studio are well known for making buddy movies, whether it's Cars, Toy Story, Monsters Inc. or Finding Nemo. Here we have the flawless teaming of Michael J Fox as Marty and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Both performers walk the delicate line of delivering characters that are both broadly comic and dramatically grounded. They're both extremely talented comedy actors with an unnerving sense of comic timing. A confused stare from Fox or a bewildered glance from Lloyd is all it takes to raise a laugh. Together they're remarkable.

The entire supporting cast are suburb too. Lea Thompson bounces back and forth between naive and seductress effortlessly, and Crispin Glover (barely containable on set, apparently) is a brilliant dweeb as George. I could go on, but I must mention Claudia Wells as Marty's girl friend Jennifer who is much more effective in the role, and is much more beautiful, than her sequels replacement Elizabeth Shue. Sorry Liz.

All the technical aspects are perfect too. Dean Cundy's photography, is sharp and colourful while Lawrence G Paull's production design is simple, unfussy and iconic.
ILM deliver some vintage effects that deliver a punch, the choice of songs (The Power Of Love, Earth Angel, etc) compliment the scenes perfectly and composer Alan (Predator) Silvestri delivers a classic, career best score.

Director Robert Zemekis has total control over the entire piece. Like fellow director Rob Reiner, he's a master of lots of different genres and is able to use an almost invisible, unshowy directing style which focuses in putting storytelling first. Zemekis interprets great script moments into classic visual moments that otherwise might not exist without his presence (like Strickland's and Marty's noses touching following a school confrontation, or the shocked look of Marty peering over Biff's shoulder). This being a comedy-centric adventure, Zemekis demonstrates his understanding of verbal and physical comedy. Like comedy maestro director John Landis, he's confident enough to pull back the camera and let the actors deliver their hilarious line deliveries or excellently timed pratfalls, without intrusive editing or camera movement ruining the moment.

So to summarise, a perfect movie going experience, one made all the better by a superb restoration and a great digital cinema presentation. If you haven't seen Back To The Future, please do so. If you haven't seen it in a while, check it out again. If you have kids, get them to see it. They'll love it. They don't make 'em like this anymore, but then again, they never did.