Back to the Future (1985)

All Critics (61) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (2) | DVD (31)

The picture packs a wonderful wallop.

March 29, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)

Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

Performances by the earnest Fox, the lunatic Lloyd, the deceptively passionate Lea Thompson, and, particularly, the bumbling-to-confident Glover, who runs away with the picture, merrily keep the ship sailing.

May 5, 2008 Full Review | Comment (1)

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

Director Robert Zemeckis confronts the oedipal heart of the time-travel genre with this zestfully tasteless 1985 tale about a teenager (Michael J. Fox) who is projected back to 1955 and then must arrange the romance of his parents.

February 26, 2007 Full Review | Comments (4)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

The movie has all the benign good nature of a Frank Capra.

January 26, 2006 Full Review

Time Out

Top Critic

Mr. Zemeckis is able both to keep the story moving and to keep it from going too far. He handles Back to the Future with the kind of inventiveness that indicates he will be spinning funny, whimsical tall tales for a long time to come.

May 20, 2003 Full Review | Comment (1)

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

So busy being clever that it trips over its own ingenuity.

January 1, 2000 | Comments (44)

John Hartl

Film.com

Top Critic

It was, is and always will be a true Hollywood classic.

July 14, 2011 Full Review

Simon Reynolds

Digital Spy

The most commercially popular of 1985.

April 21, 2011 Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Undeniably one of the greatest films of the 1980s and indeed, of all time, Back to the Future has endured so well because it walks that fine tightrope of managing to appeal to just about everyone...

February 16, 2011 Full Review

Shaun Munro

What Culture

'80s time-travel favorite has laughs, romance, action.

January 1, 2011 Full Review

Elliot Panek

Common Sense Media

an undeniably fun film, one whose clever plotting, memorable characters, and deft balance of both wistful nostalgia and celebration of the here and now deserves comparisons to The Wizard of Oz

October 28, 2010 Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Back to the Future is one of the best popcorn movies ever made. It's ingenuity, time-traveling twist ups and wonderfully vibrant characters resonate in ways few films ever achieve.

October 25, 2010 Full Review

R. L. Shaffer

IGN DVD

It's a timeless joke that never gets old: One day you will grow up to be your parents and they'll have the last laugh. The innovation here was in telling the joke backwards.

October 25, 2010 Full Review

Rubin Safaya

Cinemalogue.com

"Future" fandom resonates in the public imagination because it marries innocence with high-concept fun.

October 15, 2010 Full Review

Eric Kohn

indieWIRE

A little more sophistication would have been no bad thing -- but a good script keeps it zipping along.

October 6, 2010 Full Review

Derek Malcolm

This is London

Delightful and sophisticated to a degree beyond the dreams of today's movies in similar vein.

October 2, 2010 Full Review

David Gritten

Daily Telegraph

Zemeckis' popcorn classic combines watertight scripting with broad but brilliant performances, all held together by Fox's stumbling charm.

September 30, 2010 Full Review

Matt Glasby

Total Film

The counter-Freudian drama is handled with easy wit and flair, like a Shakespearian disguise comedy, and it made a whopping star of Fox.

September 30, 2010 Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian [UK]

This irresistible combination of dazzling effects and sly comedy propelled Michael J Fox to stardom and Robert Zemeckis to the front rank of Hollywood directors.

September 30, 2010 Full Review

John Ferguson

Radio Times

This film is WASTED on kids.

September 29, 2010 Full Review | Comments (3)

Robbie Collin

News of the World

Boasts probably the tightest screenplay of any film in Zemeckis's body of work.

July 27, 2010 Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Thompson's funny, carnal performance forces us all to face an ugly truth: once, our moms might have been prowling teens too.

March 1, 2009 Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Probably the most carefully-scripted blockbuster in Hollywood history.

February 25, 2009 Full Review

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

To put it bluntly: if you don't like Back To The Future, it's difficult to believe that you like films at all.

May 5, 2008 Full Review | Comments (4)

Adam Smith

Empire Magazine

• 1. Dr. Emmett Brown: I'm sure in 1985 plutonium is in every corner drug store, but in 1955, its a little hard to come by! I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you're stuck here
  – Submitted by Kevin D (2 months ago)
• 1. Biff Tannen: You caused 300 bucks' damage to my car, you son of a bitch. And I'm gonna take it out of your ass.
  – Submitted by Alex A (4 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Emmett Brown: Oh my god. They found me; I don't know how but they found me. RUN FOR IT, MARTY!
  2. Marty McFly: Who? Who?
  3. Marty McFly: What do you think? The Libyans!
  4. Marty McFly: HOLY SHIT!
  – Submitted by Matt N (4 months ago)
• 1. Biff Tannen: Mr. McFly! Mr. McFly, this just arrived. Oh, hi, Marty. I think it's your new book.
  2. Lorraine Baines: Oh, honey! Your first novel.
  3. George McFly: Like I've always told you, you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
  4. Biff Tannen: Oh, Marty. Marty, here's your keys. You're all waxed up, ready for tonight.
  5. Marty McFly: Keys?
  – Submitted by Majd K (4 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Emmett Brown: Is there a problem with Earth's gravitational pull in the future? Why is everything so heavy?
  – Submitted by Alexander H (5 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Emmett Brown: When this thing gets up to 88 mph, you're gonna see some serious s***.
  – Submitted by Aaron S (6 months ago)