Great Scott! The future is now!
In case you've been living under a rock, you may not be aware that today, October 21st, 2015, is in fact the day the in future that Marty and Doc Brown travel to, in the film Back to the Future II.
Although today is solely focused on the sequel, I thought I would take a little time to look back on the first in series, that spawned the worldwide phenomenon, and why the franchise is still so successful all these years later.
Where we're going, we don't need roads, but we do need a script. In my opinion the screenplay for the first Back to the Future holds the answer to all our questions (or least mine...)
Released in 1985, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, Back to the Future focuses on the main character Marty McFly who is accidentally sent back in time, 30 years to the 1950's by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown. It is widely regarded as one of the best written screenplays of all time. Even though it is used as a teaching aid for aspiring screenwriters, it might be surprising to hear that it was rejected over 40 times by nearly every major studio.
Back to the Future is a jumble of genres. It has drama, comedy, romance, and science fiction. On the surface it shouldn't work, but these are blended together seamlessly. The first ten minutes of every film are the most important and this is where Back to the Future excels. All the major characters and their personalities are set up, but most importantly the tone of the movie is defined.
Zemeckis and Gale manage to link family ties, a coming of age story, science fiction and popular culture in a way that isn't cliched. There is a tendency in films to lean one way or another, either trying too hard for laughs or taking itself too seriously. Back to the Future blurs these lines. You never feel as if you are being forced into a joke, nor are you trapped in a family drama. The film's premise is set at the beginning and asks you to settle in for the ride.
Although the second and third films in the franchise were not as well received, they are still remembered as fondly, because of the brilliance of the original film. It is a testament to Zemeckis and Gale skills as writers, because people bonded with the characters and the story from the beginning. Or maybe it's just because they made a time machine out of a Delorean? And I mean, what is cooler than that?
Anyways, I'm going to make like a tree and get out of here.
Until next time.
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