Can you believe that Back to the Future was released 40 years ago? Yep, the iconic time-traveling action-adventure film is that old. There is no wonder why it endures as a touchstone of popular culture. It’s just an excellent film.
Marty McFly’s (Michael J. Fox) journey to get home after accidentally traveling 30 years into the past in his friend Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) time machine is a special viewing experience. It feels…well, timeless. Back to the Future is the kind of movie with moments you remember forever. We’d like to celebrate our favorites now that Universal is releasing the film back into theaters for its 40th anniversary. When this list hits five, you’re going to see some serious…well, you know. Here are our favorite moments from Back to the Future!
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Marty Sings “Johnny B. Goode”
This is one of the most memorable sequences in this film. Marty is playing guitar with the band at a school dance when his parents kiss for the first time. (More about them in a moment!) But then the lead singer says, “Let’s do something that really cooks.”
So Marty takes command and launches into the classic rock and roll riff we all know. This scene is so entertaining on so many levels. First, the song is just fun. Even the most rhythmically challenged among us might want to dance to it! Second, Robert Zemeckis’ direction here is outstanding. After the students get into the song, a crane shot moves the camera over the crowd of dancers toward the stage.
It’s a great way to show their joy and exuberance. Close-ups reveal the intensity of Michael J. Fox’s performance of the song. He didn’t sing or play the guitar for the sequence, but he certainly makes you believe he did.
Also, the comedy of this moment is unforgettable, and it comes from more than one source. The lead singer of the band turns out to be a cousin of Chuck Berry, who will go on to record that very song! Plus, Marty becomes too absorbed in his playing, showboating with the guitar and kicking the speakers. He sheepishly ends the song. Then he tells the stunned crowd, “I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But you’re kids are gonna love it.” Well, we love this scene.
Marty Meets His Parents
Marty’s trip to the past is an accident, so he needs Doc’s help to get back to 1985. On his way to find the 1955 counterpart of his friend, Marty runs into both of his parents. His first order of business after realizing he has time-traveled is to hide the time machine. Then Marty tries to call Doc from a public phone in a diner, getting no answer. Now comes the important moment.
Marty sits down at the counter, and the teenager next to him runs his hand through his hair the same way Marty does. Then bully Biff (Thomas F. Wilson) blunders in yelling “McFly!” which causes them both to turn around, and we know who it is. The expression on Michael J. Fox’s face when Marty realizes he is sitting next to his father, George (Crispin Glover), is priceless.
And the surprises keep coming. Marty is knocked unconscious when he saves George from being hit by a car, and when he wakes up, he’s in his mother, Lorraine’s (Lea Thompson), house. Marty’s reaction here is hilarious. Fox is really hitting all the right notes in his performance. And it’s relatable.
I mean, who wouldn’t freak out a bit at meeting their parents as teenagers? Also, there are a ton of parallels in this sequence with scenes in the other two films in the Back to the Future trilogy. It’s deeply meaningful that such ordinary people can have such importance to the concept of time.
George Punches Biff
This moment may be the most satisfying one in the entire film. In 1985, George was established as a nerdy and meek guy. Biff just walks all over him. So much so that Marty is frustrated with his father. Once in 1955, Marty and the audience see that this dynamic has always been the same. Biff bullies George, and George takes it. When Marty realizes he has to make sure his parents get together to ensure his own existence, he takes the opportunity to improve things.
He encourages his father to stand up for himself. The two plan a scheme where George can save Lorraine from Marty and play the hero, except it turns out to be Biff that George has to face. Biff has twisted George’s arm around and is laughing at him. He’s even knocked Lorraine to the ground when she tries to help.
The audience knows the years of intimidation that are in store for George if he doesn’t break the pattern now. Director Robert Zemeckis and his team make this moment count, editing back and forth between close-ups of all the actors and then on George’s hand as he closes his fist. They build up the anticipation. Then they pay it off. George gathers his self-confidence and hits back at the bully who has belittled him the entire film, and it is glorious. When a film puts this amount of care into evolving a supporting character, that’s special.
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Doc is Alive!
Throughout Marty’s adventure in the past, there is a shadow hanging over him. Marty’s trip through time was accidental. He was escaping from the Libyan terrorists who shot Doc because he took their plutonium for his time machine and didn’t give them a working bomb. Making a time machine out of a Delorean car is useful for a getaway!
In 1955, Marty writes Doc a letter to warn him about the shooting. Doc is adamant that no one should know about their own future and rips it up. Marty is so desperate to save him that he even tries to arrive back in 1985 a few minutes early, which still doesn’t work. Marty grieving his friend may be the most emotional moment of this entire film. Of course, the audience expects some kind of reveal that Doc is not dead. This just isn’t that kind of movie!
Sure enough, while Marty has his back turned, Doc pops up. He turns out to be wearing a bulletproof vest. Doc had taped up the letter and read it! “What about all that talk about screwing up future events? The space-time continuum?” Marty asks. But we can tell he’s happy to have his friend back.
Best of all, this moment shows us that Doc knew about Marty for decades. He knew they would be friends. He knew Marty would travel through time. And he knew he would get shot, but he went through it all anyway. Marty and Doc are one of the best bromances in the history of cinema. Their relationship is the heart of this trilogy.
Marty Travels Back to 1985
This is the action climax of the entire film. The whole movie has been building toward this. It’s the title of the film, for crying out loud! Zemeckis and his team knew that they had to make this sequence spectacular. And they do. The editing increases the tension perfectly, going back and forth between Marty, Doc, and the clock as time ticks down. Marty has to hit the exact right spot with the time machine as the lightning strikes the clock tower to get home. And he has to do it at 88 miles per hour.
The visuals of this scene are memorable, too. Who can forget the image of Doc hanging off the clock tower as he struggles to plug in the wire that will direct the electricity into the time machine? Or how he plugs in the final wire at the last possible second? Or the trails of fire left behind by the Delorean’s wheels? Of course, this is a movie, so we know it will work and Marty will go back to his time.
But we’re captivated by this moment just the same. That’s because we’re fully invested in these characters, we care what happens to them, and we understand what is at stake. This is an iconic film moment.
MORE: We have a list of more guitar scenes from movies and TV for you to enjoy!
So, what are your favorite moments from Back to the Future? Let us know in the comments!
Back to the Future is back in theaters on October 31.
