Oct. 21 is a special day for Back to the Future fans everywhere; it is the day that Marty McFly travels to in Back to the Future Part II. For anyone who somehow missed the boat—or the DeLorean—the classic ‘80s trilogy is the story of Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, and Dr. Emmett L. Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, as they hop around the space time continuum causing problems and trying to fix them. Marty and Doc make up one of the greatest onscreen duos in movie history. Marty, who is a relatable mix of overconfident and over-his-head, plays off of the wacky and energetic Doc Brown, regardless of the era that they’re in.
The original film that started it all, Back to the Future, remains one of the quintessential ‘80s movies, up there with the likes of The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Back to the Future holds up just as well today as when it first premiered in 1985—ironically fitting for a time travel movie. The movie acts as both a time capsule of ‘80s culture as well as a fun look back on the ‘50s from an ‘80s perspective. From the Huey Lewis and the News backed soundtrack—Huey also played the role of the teacher holding the talent show auditions in the film—to the fashion and slang, this movie is steeped in ‘80s culture. It doesn’t matter that the plot doesn’t throw many curve balls at you—it is enjoyable enough to ride along with Marty as he tries to make his way back to his own time. I challenge anyone to try and listen to the Alan Silvestri composed theme and not throw up your fist, John Bender style, when Marty hits 88 mph and blasts back to the future.
The sequel, following directly after the events of the first movie, had a difficult job to do—trying to recapture not only the magic of the original, but also revisit Hill Valley without feeling like it’s just redoing the plot of the first movie. At times, the second installment does feel like it’s leaning a little too heavily on the plot of Part I, but never to the point of being distracting. Back to the Future Part II is a little more serious than the original—which should be difficult for a movie that advertises Jaws 19. Marty deals with some strangely existential issues, like his own ego and sense of importance, while racing through the time stream. This is the movie that made Oct. 21 2015 so important to fans of Back to the Future, and it’s cool to watch now that 2015 isn’t a date so far off into the future. Even though we still don’t have flying cars or auto-fitting clothes, Back to the Future Part II is a worthy follow up to the original.
Back to the Future III, the black sheep of the time travelling trilogy, switches up the formula, making it the most divisive of the series. I’ve always been a big fan of Part III—I’ll blame my childhood love of Westerns for that—but I can see how some people may be turned off from the radically different time period. Back to the Future Part III is the most over-the-top of the trilogy, but it’s still a blast to watch. The plot is in line with the first two; Marty has to fix the time stream and deal with a Tannen.
Now that all of the important dates in the series are, already, in the past, it’s the perfect time to rev up the DeLorean, revisit the movies and go back to the future.