Michael J Fox went from TV star (in the sitcom Family Ties) to mega movie star following his performance in this time-travelling adventure, Back to the Future. He’s seventeen-year-old Marty McFly (Fox at the time was twenty-four), who despairs of his pushover dad George (Crispin Glover) and spends most of his time with barmy local inventor Doc Emmett Brown (Lloyd). Doc has invented a time machine – using a DeLorean car and some ‘borrowed’ plutonium – and Marty soon finds himself zipping back in time to 1955, around the time his parents first met.
Through a series of events, he accidentally meets his mum and she falls for him (thinking his name is Calvin Klein after seeing the name on his pants) instead of his dad, so Marty has to somehow get his parents together so he can exist, and locate a younger Doc Brown to help him travel back to 1985.
Refreshingly original, this uses a clever premise to great effect, mixing sci-fi with comedy (the script is hilarious) and adventure and romance. Fox is perfect as Marty (Eric Stoltz originally filmed a few scenes but was replaced early into the production), and his pairing with a manic Lloyd as Doc proved so successful that two terrific sequels followed.
Is Back To The Future suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
None.
If you like this, why not try: Back To The Future Part II, Back To The Future Part III, Big, Men In Black, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,