33 years ago, on 4th December 1985, Back to the Future was released in UK cinemas. Produced by Steven Spielberg, it’s considered a classic by sci-fi fans, to this day has a huge fan base, and has even inspired the popular Adult Swim TV show Rick and Morty.
The film begins in the 1980s when seventeen-year-old Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) is sent back to the 1950s when his mad scientist friend Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) time travelling deLorean breaks down. He comes across the teenage versions of his parents (Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson), and becomes entangled in their first encounter. Facing the possibility of his own birth not happening, Marty is forced to ensure they fall in love before it’s too late.
It’s currently sitting at a 96% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, but nobody at the time thought it would do well. Universal thought it wouldn’t be popular, as Fox was tied up with a special for Family Ties so could not promote the film, and the tagline chosen by Universal Pictures of “Are you telling me my mother’s got the hots for me?” was not popular with writer Bob Gale.
Nevertheless, it was number one for 11 weeks, and was the highest grossing film of 1985, making over $380 million. Huey Lewis and The News’ song ‘The Power of Love’, featured in the film, and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 85th Academy Awards, while the film won an award at the 58th Academy Awards for Best Sound Effects Editing.
Remind yourself of this 80s classic by watching the trailer below:
