Name: Back to the Future (1985)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: adventure, comedy, scifi
Released: 1985-03-07
Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson, Michael J. Fox, Thomas F. Wilson

CMDB Review

9/10

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Overview

Back to the Future (1985) Storyline

Back to the Future is the 1985 time-travel classic that sends teenager Marty McFly from suburban 1985 Hill Valley back to 1955 after an experiment with Doc Brown’s DeLorean goes brilliantly, catastrophically wrong. Marty has to make sure his young parents still fall in love, dodge the nightmare that is Biff Tannen, and find a way to generate enough power to return home before he accidentally deletes himself from existence. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film mixes sci-fi mechanics, teen comedy, family drama and pure blockbuster charm into one of the most rewatchable movies ever made. It also earns a place on Comic Movie DB thanks to the franchise’s later comic book expansions, especially the IDW stories that continued exploring Marty, Doc and the messy rules of time travel beyond the screen.

adventure comedy scifi

Back to the Future (1985) Details Director, release, studio & more

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Release: 03/07/1985
Runtime: 116 minutes
Universe: IDW Publishing
Last Updated: 16 Aug 2026

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Who's In It

Cast of Back to the Future (1985)

Christopher Lloyd Dr. Emmett Brown

Crispin Glover George McFly

Lea Thompson Lorraine Baines McFly

Michael J. Fox Marty McFly

Thomas F. Wilson Biff Tannen

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CMDB Review

Back to the Future (1985) Review 9/10

We have rated Back to the Future 9 out of 10, and honestly, that still feels a little harsh for a film that basically has permanent sofa privileges. This is one of those all-time greats where it does not matter if it has just started, is halfway through, or Marty is already shredding Johnny B. Goode at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance — if it is on, you are watching it. Michael J. Fox gives Marty McFly the perfect mix of cocky, panicked and genuinely decent, while Christopher Lloyd turns Doc Brown into a lightning-powered cartoon genius without ever losing the character’s heart. The script is ridiculously tight, setting up tiny details early and paying them off with the precision of a flux capacitor running at full charge. The comedy still works, the time-travel stakes are easy to follow, Alan Silvestri’s score is pure adventure fuel, and the DeLorean remains one of cinema’s coolest machines. Some elements are obviously of their era, but as a piece of popcorn storytelling, Back to the Future is almost unbeatable. Great Scott, they really did catch lightning in a bottle.

Did You Know?

Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly before Michael J. Fox replaced him during production.
The DeLorean became one of the most iconic movie vehicles in cinema history.
Back to the Future was directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-written with Bob Gale.
The film’s Hill Valley clock tower became central to the finale and the wider franchise mythology.
Huey Lewis appears briefly as a school audition judge.
The film later expanded into animated, video game and comic book stories.
IDW Publishing released Back to the Future comics exploring extra timeline adventures.
The 88 mph time-travel speed became one of the franchise’s most quoted details.
Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown was partly inspired by eccentric scientist archetypes and silent-era physical comedy.
The film remains one of the most beloved sci-fi comedies of the 1980s.