Back to the Future has become a classic. How could it not? It combines adventure, history, music and romance along with accidental time travel. And all of its characters are a lot of fun, too.

The year is 1985. High school senior Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) seems to have nothing to worry about. All he wants to do is to find chances to be with his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker (Claudia Wells), and to avoid the critical eye of the high school principal, Mr. Strickland (James Tolkan). The McFly family of five lives its non-perfect, middle-class life in a neighborhood in Hill Valley, California. Marty's older siblings, Dave (Marc McClure) and Linda (Wendie Jo Sperber), still live at home, too.

Marty has become friends with a local amateur inventor of sorts, Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd), who has built a time machine out of a Delorean and is proud to show it off to his younger friend. Accidentally -- through a complicated series of events -- Marty gets inside and is sent back in time to the year 1955. Before he can stop himself, he's run into the adolescent versions of his parents, George McFly (Crispin Glover) and Lorraine Baines (Lea Thompson), and he's interferes enough with their trajectories that he may have put his own existence in jeopardy. Fortunately, he finds a younger version of Doc, too, and together they work on a plan to remedy everything. Cross your fingers that it works.

Naturally, every good story has to have a bad guy. Enter bully Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), who is absolutely awful. He went to school with George and Lorraine, and he made their lives miserable. Now, unfortunately, Marty encounters Biff, too. Can he be somehow taken out of the equation?

As we approach the climax of the film, we have to keep two major questions in mind. They are MAJOR, mind you, because both of their outcomes will affect the future. First: Can Marty make sure his parents get together, in spite of his accidental interference? Second, and even more importantly: Can he successfully return to 1985? His windows of opportunity for both are closing quickly. The clock is ticking.

An additional nice feature is that we hear some good music of the 1980s from Huey Lewis & the News, with the songs "Back in Time" and "Power of Love." Watch for Huey himself as he portrays the talent show judge with the bullhorn. We also get to hear some signature tunes from a 1950s dance band, including "Earth Angel." This is fun stuff.

This entertaining story can also be a prompt for further personal reflection. What would it be like if you met YOUR parents when they were teenagers? How much do you know about the lives of people in the previous generation to yours? How many times do references from the past come up in your own daily life? What about accidents, coincidences and patterns of genetics? What roles do they play in how life works out?

Considering the effects and ramifications of time travel is not a new concept. If you're interested in reading one of the quintessential short stories in this genre, find Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" (1952). A butterfly is the key component in the story. This is why we sometimes hear about "the butterfly effect" when it comes to time travel.

Do you want some extra fun, while you're watching and reminiscing? Pay attention to the many references to time, numbers, clocks and watches, both in the script and in view. The theme is everywhere. But don't focus too much on the odometer readings shown on the dashboard of the Delorean. They are notoriously and ironically out of synch. Continuity, anyone?

In November 2025, Back to the Future returned to the theaters to celebrate its 40th anniversary. In the words of Doc Brown, "My God, has it been that long?" What a cinematic treat! Seeing it again on the big screen was a wonderful experience. And I have to admit that it doesn't matter how many times I watch this movie, or how huge the images are. I STILL worry that Marty won't be able to get back home. I STILL wonder if Doc's plans will work out. My heart starts pounding and my hands clench automatically in fear, while the lightning flashes and the thunder pounds all around them. Whew!

This movie is followed by two sequels, Back to the Future: Part II and Back to the Future: Part III. Two out of the three make for good viewing. We'll talk about each one in subsequent reviews. The first story's premise has also become a musical.

Watching the original Back to the Future now marks a fun return to both the 1980s and the 1950s. If you haven't seen it in a while -- or, at all -- then it's time. Literally.