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It is a dark time for our country. We are in a recession. People are struggling to survive. Rising crime rates, bank foreclosures and evictions are happening all around. Martial law has been enforced. Who will save us from these tough times? None other than Lex Luthor, newly elected President of the United States.

This is the beginning of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the sixth movie in the DC Universe Original Animated Movies. Fans will be happy to hear Kevin Conroy as Batman as well as Tim Daly as Superman and Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. The voice acting by them is superb and one of the reasons is much of the voice over work was done with the actors in the same room so they can play off one another.

As President, Lex Luthor begins to fix the economy and all the growing problems. He creates a government employed group of superheroes to police the nation made up of Captain Atom, Black Lightning, Katana, Starfire, Major Force and Power Girl. Batman and Superman are not part of this because they know Lex Luthor and maintain their distrust with him even after he’s elected President.

Batman and The Man of Steel facing off against Luthor's hired group.

A new problem Luthor faces is a kryptonite meteor the size of a small country heading directly towards Earth. Wanting all the credit for himself, Luthor plans to destroy the meteorite by shooting missiles directly at it and destroying it before impact.

Before executing this plan, Luthor requests a meeting with Superman so they can settle their differences and work together. Or so Luthor says. At the meeting however, Luthor frames Superman and brands him an outlaw. He claims the radiation from the meteor is affecting Superman’s judgment and places a one billion dollar bounty on his head.

This enticing amount brings all of the villains out to claim Superman’s bounty. These include Silver Banshee, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Nightshade, Gorilla Grodd and a whole lot more. Seeing Batman and Superman take on all these villains at once is a lot of fun to watch. However, it does not last very long and at a running time of 67 minutes, I think they missed out on an opportunity for some great battles. Not to say that there isn’t action, there’s plenty of it. But to me it all felt a little rushed to get to the climax of stopping the meteor.

Last week I reviewed Planet Hulk and enjoyed it a lot. A lot of it had to do with the way the story was told. In contrast to Public enemies, Planet Hulk took its time, introduced us to new characters and back stories and had long fight sequences. Public Enemies assumes you know the back stories and characters but for people not familiar with the DC Universe, it will probably leave them guessing who’s who. The longest fight scene in Public Enemies is the inevitable battle between Superman and Lex Luthor towards the end. To me this is the best one because it is long and thought out and you don’t know what’s going to happen.

Public Enemies is based on the comic of the same name written by Jeph Loeb. It is filled with great one liners and references. This, along with the friendship and great mutual respect Batman and Superman make it a good watch. Good, but not great. Check it out if you get the chance. No rush.

Going into the movie, I knew little about the story other than what I saw in the trailers. If you’re one of those people who like to do research by reading reviews or plots summaries be careful! I’ve checked some out and they may ruin the movie for you. I have purposely tried to limit what I say and you’ll be happy to know that this review contains no spoiler alerts, so you may proceed.

The story begins with Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) sailing towards Shutter Island and throwing up along the way because of sea sickness. Daniels is a World War II veteran who has experienced many of the ugliest parts of the war first hand. Accompanying him is his newly appointed partner Chuck, played by Mark Ruffalo. They are both U.S. Marshalls who are sent in to investigate the disappearance of a patient named Rachel Solando.

How does one just disappear from a room that’s locked from the outside and with the only window barred shut? “It’s as if she evaporated, straight through the walls” states Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), Chief Administrator at Ashecliffe. Daniels suspects some inside help and insists on questioning the staff of Ashecliffe, but Dr. Cawley refuses. It seems he does not want anyone to talk. Daniels knows there’s something going on here. Something that no one wants to talk about and like I said before, neither will I.

Arriving at Shutter Island.

Shutter Island is Martin Scorsese’s newest film and marks the third time he’s worked with Leonardo DiCaprio (the first two being The Aviator and The Departed). Hopefully this trend continues because the outcome is gold every time they collaborate and Shutter Island is no exception. It can be described as a psychological thriller that will play games with your mind and have you trying to figure out just what the hell is going on at that hospital. And when you think you have it figured out, the next scene will lead you back into confusion. It’s this type of story and Scorsese’s direction that makes it lots of fun to watch. With all the mind games this movie will play on you, a second viewing would probably be a good idea, but with a movie as good as this I don’t think anyone will mind.

What do you do with a monster that’s impossible to control, so dangerous that not even Iron Man and the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. can stop him? Exile him to another planet. And what do you do if you’re the one being exiled? Well if you’re the Hulk, you bust open the ship in transit and crash land on a different planet altogether. These are the opening scenes of the recently released animated DVD Planet Hulk.

The original plan was to send Hulk away to a deserted planet full of vegetation and game and with no intelligent life forms. He can’t hurt anyone there and no one can hurt him. Needless to say, Hulk is not happy with this, and like I said, destroys the ship in transit and crash lands on a planet named Sakaar.

Upon landing he is captured and thrown into gladiator games where he must kill or be killed. If he can be triumphant in three games, then he wins his freedom.  All of this is done for the enjoyment of the Red King, who rules all, and the inhabitants of Sakaar. While fighting in the games, he befriends his fellow captives and works together with them to get through the first couple games.

Hulk Smash!

Sound kind of familiar? Basically it’s the same story as Gladiator. What makes it good is that here, the story is on another planet so the weapons, creatures and fighting styles are all unique. There’s bug like creatures, characters that resemble The Thing from Fantastic Four, and even human like creatures.

The introduction of new characters also allows for some very interesting background stories. For example, the character of Korg, and how he became captive. Korg and his people roamed from planet to planet taking whatever they want. Upon reaching a green planet they try to capture a native for study. This native strongly resembles Thor and does not go down without a fight. A somewhat epic battle ensues where Korg and his people are so overwhelmed by the native, they are forced to use a weapon that was built to fight armies.

The battle scenes in Planet Hulk definitely do not disappoint. Since it is on unknown planet, the rules are thrown out the window and there are plenty here that can stand toe to toe with the Hulk. Also don’t expect Hulk to just say things like, “Hulk Smash!” Here he has full on conversations as the Hulk and we do not see Bruce Banner once. It takes a little getting use to but at least now we don’t have to rely on facial expressions and roars to know what the Hulk is thinking.

Planet Hulk is based on the Marvel Comic with the same name by Greg Pak who was also involved in this adaptation. If you can’t wait for Iron Man 2, or the next comic book movie, this is a great substitute. And with no live action Hulk movie announced until probably The Avengers in 2012, what have you got to lose? This is too great of a DVD to be overlooked and I recommend you watch it. Now! Or whenever.

Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) comes from a family with an unfortunate past. When he was younger his mother committed suicide and he was sent off to an insane asylum by his father. Coming from a small town, of course the rumors started that he killed his mother but through flashback we learn this not to be true. So it’s no surprise that now he lives in New York, as far as England and as far from that town as possible. But now he’s returned upon hearing of his brother’s disappearance from a letter sent by his brother’s girlfriend. Upon his arrival he returns to the huge, aging house he grew up in. He learns from his father (Anthony Hopkins) that his brother’s body has been discovered.

Having not seen his brother in ages, Talbot insists on seeing the body. It’s a nasty sight and it looks like his brother was eaten alive by some creature (hmm I wonder what?). Anyways the hunt is on for whatever killed his brother and you guessed it, Talbot gets bitten. What is it about zombies, vampires, and werewolves that like biting people?

The full moon is out and Talbot begins his transformation. His teeth sharpen, his fingers crack and bend in painful ways while growing nails, his eyes become evil and he has a howl that will send chills down your spine. This has to be one of the coolest parts in the movie because it makes the transformation from man to Wolfman scary, painful and awesome all at the same time. One cool fact is that they actually had rock stars like Gene Simmons and David Lee Roth called in to do the Wolfman’s howls.

Once Del Toro is bitten then that’s where the fun begins. I say this because this is when Hugo Weaving’s character comes in and Weaving is always a badass. In Wolfman he plays Aberline, a Scotland Yard inspector who is called in to investigate the recent murders and attacks by a reported monster. He’s especially good in one great scene where he’s explaining to the tavern owner why he’s there instead of out looking for the monster.

Talbot then goes on a relentless killing spree which is a lot of fun to watch. He is tormented by his past and the death of his brother and seems to unleash hell on everyone in sight when he transforms in to the Wolfman.  Plenty of blood, guts, gore and decapitations in this one. Not too much, however, that it wouldn’t make a good date movie especially if you’re dreading and looking for something else besides Valentine’s Day.  It has a couple suspense scenes and a couple of surprise scenes that will make you jump in your seat and have your valentine grabbing on to your arm while you’re smiling all the way through.

The feel of the movie is dark and ominous especially with the score provided by Danny Elfman. The town is old and dimly lit by candles that give it a surreal look. The special effects on this are pretty amazing especially in the transformation scenes.

Overall this movie did not disappoint. Especially with the crap that’s been coming out the last couple of weeks, this one definitely stands above the rest. I mean how can you go wrong with Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving? Check this one out if you get a chance and you’ll surely have a good time.



Avatar tries to set up a basic struggle between the primeval forces of an unspoilt alien world and the mechanistic, industrial forces of its Terran exploiters. (Given the attention the movie has garnered, Avatar’s story should not be a surprise to anyone, so I won’t bother to hide it.) It’s an age-old theme, usually setting noble surrogate aboriginal types against decadent industrialists, and one particularly evocative in our own times of environmental crisis.

Avatar has been called Dances With Wolves IN SPACE, and the comparison is apt. Frankly, anyone who’s seen the latter can predict the entire arc of the movie. Never once is there any doubt that its hero Jake will choose to side with its eminently more moral, more spiritual, and more admirable natives in comparison to the callous thugs dispatched by Earth to Pandora. Likewise, as always occurs with such movies, there is never any doubt the defenders of Pandora will ultimately prove superior to the invaders (Aided to no small amount by the sheer stupidity of the invaders, who utilize none of their advantages provided by a high-tech civilization, a theme I shall return to in a moment.)

But if Avatar’s goal was to do anything like set up a balanced comparison of the virtues of nature and industry, it fails spectacularly. Its director’s enthusiasm for portraying his world is, tragically, its greatest obstacle.

From the moment the film opens, human civilization is an uninviting, sterile world of dull colors and lonely isolation. Jake never has any other family or friends referred to outside of his dead brother; he seems to have no ties to the outside world at all. The humans on Pandora, with the noteworthy exception of the scientists studying the Na’vi, live in a strict militaristic compound. Those characters who are not ruthless mercenaries hired to protect the compound from dangerous wildlife are corporate tools presented as spineless and small-minded. The fruits of technology most on display are weapons and instruments of exploitation, and humans are explicitly referred to as having “killed” Earth’s ecosystem. Backstory further damns human civilization, painting it as little less than a planet-wide slum.

By contrast, after a few initial scenes designed to establish how much more ferocious and magnificent and dangerous the wildlife of Pandora is than the puny fauna of Earth, Pandora is a fluorescent wonderland of mighty trees and naturalistic harmony. Its intelligent inhabitants, the Na’vi, are sturdy hunter-gatherers in the Rousseau noble savage mold, living in perfect harmony with their Edenic surroundings unequaled by any historic parallel on Earth. This bond extends to the point that Na’vi can mentally link with various wild species for use as mounts, handily substituting for cars or planes without any of the trappings of domestication.

This is all perfectly formula stuff for a nature-versus-industry story, and it’s not surprising in the least that Avatar presents its hunter-gatherers as idealistic noble savages battling evil oppressors, free of such negative trappings as war or pollution. (Disappointing and frankly racist, yes, as it implies that the Na’vi are simply a mass of idealized victims rather than an independent culture in control of their own fate, but surprising, no.) What ruins the idea of it being a serious choice between environmental and industry is just how much the script bends over backwards to avoid ever challenging the viewers with the drawbacks of Na’vi life.

Never is Jake- or the viewers- presented with the practical difficulties of life as a hunter-gatherer tribe. No Na’vi ever gets so injured their medicine cannot treat their injuries; no Na’vi ever starves because of their precarious food supply. No population limits or ironbound social customs prevent individual freedom. No technological drawbacks inhibit their ability to hunt or travel; no dangerous animals ever kill a Na’vi onscreen even when the characters are taking part in dangerous trials of adulthood. Na’vi superstition never comes into play- their religion turns out to be factually true, setting the entire planet against the evil humans.

And if the Na’vi are idealized, humanity’s accomplishments and virtues (and implicitly those of industry, which Cameron has conferred the humans are a stand-in for) are marginalized completely. The only human technology portrayed positively in the film is the arcane Avatar program itself, and only because it allows humans to experience the vibrant world of the Na’vi. Admittedly, a distant mining colony run by a corrupt corporation is not exactly the best microcosm of human civilization, but the sheer moustache-twirling evil of humanity is merely another example of the tired old Bastardly Humans motif already regularly recycled by movies.

Jake’s joy in his new Na’vi lifestyle is, of course, completely understandable, because the movie’s dichotomy is so transparently black and white. He is moving from a lonely existence in an endless urban slum to a vibrant, ludicrously hospitable world of endless extreme sports, color, and life, with an entire ecosystem of conveniently symbiotic creatures. This isn’t nature and industry- this is Eden vs 1984, and that’s not a choice at all. Both the Na’vi and humans are reduced to caricatured stand-ins, denying both of the dignity of fully-realized characters.

Cameron’s love for the world he created is clearly apparent, and the Na’vi’s cause is just. Earlier drafts of the script, which had rebel humans taking sides alongside the Na’vi to fight for their freedom and a more gradual buildup of tensions on both sides, were far more nuanced in many respects. It seems a shame that after many years of planning and multiple script drafts he felt so insecure in his storyline that he felt the need to reduce it to simple black-and-white morality.

• Our favorite cereals
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• World of Warcraft turns 5 years old and still pwning

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Calling this list the 10 best anime titles of all time may be a misnomer. The original comparison was the top 10 visually stunning pieces, outshining Disney/Pixar’s body of work. The list presented by Screenhead is as follows:

10: 5CM Per Second (2007)
9: Cowboy Bebop (2001)
8: Tokyo GodFathers (2003)
7: Princess Mononoke (1997)
6: Paprika (2006)
5: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
4: Ghost in The Shell (1995)
3: Grave of The Fireflies (1988)
2: Akira (1988)
1. Spirited Away (2001)

Now, admittedly I am a Miyazaki fan, but this list was a bit heavy on his works. Leaving out works like Perfect Blue, and Robot Carnival (once of the first I ever saw) isn’t understandable for me. I have yet to see 5CM Per Second, but will be adding this to my near range to-see list for comparison.

For the anime movie fans out there, what would is lacking from this list that you have seen?

[via Screenhead]

This special Tuesday/Wednesday Edition of Geek Movie Reviews is brought to you by my crappy ISP. Want to lose you internet connection for an entire day? Then go ahead and choose *********. They’ll let you down, guaranteed. (NOTE: Number of asterisks not indicative of the actual name of my ISP.) While you wait, how about some spoilers?

So, where were we? Oh, right…Back to the Future, Part II. Where we’re going we don’t need roads, and all that jazz, BttF II picks up at the end of the first movie, with Doc, Marty, and his girlfriend Jennifer climbing aboard the now flying DeLorean, heading towards 2015 with the intent of saving Marty and Jennifer’s children. However, Jennifer quickly gets knocked out, with Doc explaining that she was merely brought along because he didn’t want to leave her with such sensitive information such as the existence of a time-traveling DeLorean. Unfortunately, they were unaware that Biff, who, in the new timeline created by the events of the first film, works in auto-detailing and seems to be hanging around the McFlys, witnessed the DeLorean fly off into 2015 (that’s right, the car flies now).

The second film, and subsequently the third, weren’t as well received as the first, but then again, the first film was never intended to be followed by a sequel, evident by the absence of Crispin Glover, who played George McFly in the first film. With him not returning, any scenes in which George McFly was needed were filled by a virtual unknown and the shots were intentionally obstructed or unfocused, along with situations such as in the 2015 segment of the film, where George is hanging upside on some anti-gravity device due to a back accident. Part of the story, in fact, is that history has been altered in some form, Biff has become rich and powerful, and George McFly is dead. This was something that was brought about due to Glover’s refusal to return not wanting to do sequels and not getting the offer he wanted (supposedly, he wanted the same salary is Michael J. Fox).

Sorry Marty...your Dad wanted more money so we had to kill him. No hard feelings?

Personally, BttF II is my favorite of the trilogy. Something about how the story of the film intertwines with the events of the first film, as well as the darker tone of the film just automatically wins it a place in my heart. Still, the first act of the film isn’t my absolute favorite, taking place in a highly exaggerated 2015 with flying cars, digital currency linked to your own thumbprint. It’s meant to be one big joke more than anything. And, while funny, the true story doesn’t kick in until the second act, when Doc, Marty, and Jeniffer return to 1985. That said, the first act does set up the plot for the following two acts of the film, as well as plant the seeds for Marty’s character development. In fact, while the first film was more about his parents, BttF II is more about Marty himself. Throughout the course of the film, we wind up learning more about his character traits, including a critical character flaw in which he can pretty much be forced to prove himself if someone so much as call him a chicken, something that gets him into big trouble in the following two films. Marty was already shown to have a temper in the first film, but BttF II shows that the issue is something far bigger than just a bad temper. Also, possibly as a result of the first film, Marty is far more confident in himself, even to the point of being a bit cocky.

When the film begins, Doc and the others arrive in 2015, with Doc explaining that Marty’s son, Marty Jr. got involved in a robbery with Biff’s grandson Griff and got sent to prison for 15 years, with his sister Marlene attempting to break him out and getting hit with a 20 year sentence. Doc’s plan is to stop Marty Jr. from going with Griff to the robbery and therefore changing future history. Marty is essential to his plan, taking the place of Marty Jr., who is the spitting image of his father, although he’s a big wimp and sounds very whiny. At the end of it all, the event is nothing more than a time experiment for Doc. Marty, however, sees a moneymaking opportunity, finding a vintage sports almanac that he plans to use to place bets when he returns to the present. When Doc scolds him and throws the book away, an old Biff appears, having followed the two after seeing what he believed to be two Marty Juniors and attempts to steal the time machine, picking up the almanac that Doc through away. After an altercation in which Jennifer is sent to Marty’s future home, Doc and Marty return home, only to find themselves in a horribly altered 1985, dubbed by Doc as 1985A.

Marty (dressed as Marty Jr.) talking with Biff and Griff, both played by Thomas F. Wilson.

Now, George McFly is dead, Biff Tannen is a rich, corrupt owner of his own corporation who has the entire city in his pocket and the husband to widow Lorraine McFly, making him Marty’s step father. Biff is abusive and ruthless, much different than he was at the beginning of the film, at one point, going so far as to try to kill Marty when he inquires about the almanac which Old Biff traveled back in time to give himself, setting into motion the events that triggered this new timeline. Realizing Biff killed his father and finding out exactly when Young Biff received the book, Marty and Doc reunite, punch in their coordinates to the time circuits and speed off towards November 12, 1955. That’s right, the date of the Hill Valley lightning storm in which lightning struck the courthouse clock tower and sent Marty back to 1985 at the climax of the first film.

The third act of the film revolves around Marty stalking Biff, attempting to retrieve the almanac after witnessing the meeting between Old Biff and Young Biff. The situation leads him back into the events of the first film, with Marty risking running into himself at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in order to retrieve the book from Biff. After many foiled attempts, including one foiled by his past self, Marty manages to burn the almanac, thus correcting the timeline. Unfortunately, lightning strikes the DeLorean with Doc still in it, leaving Marty stranded in 1955. Luckily for him, a letter from 1885 that was left with very specific delivery instructions is delivered to Marty, revealing that Doc survived the lightning strike, having been transported to 1885. Rushing off towards the courthouse, Marty confronts the 1955 version of Doc who just finished sending the other Marty back to 1985, thus ending the film.

"You did send me back to the future. But I'm back. I'm back FROM the future!"

As I said before, one of my favorite things about the film, aside from the darker tone of the film as compared to the first, is the fact that the film intermixes with the events in the first film. It adds a new dimension to the first film, seeing many of the events, including reliving the moment where George knocks out Biff, from a different point of view. Sure, we’re still seeing the events from Marty’s eyes, but this is a different Marty, a bit older, slightly wiser, though I use the term “wiser” loosely. Maybe it wasn’t as well received as the first, but seriously, the attention to detail that was used in recreating certain events (not everything was done by using archived footage from the first film), is certainly worth watching in and of itself…if you’re a film student that is. Doc and Marty’s friendship is as tight-knit as ever, especially given the events of the first film. And both Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox definitely do not disappoint, with Lloyd’s delivery of Doc’s dialogue as hilarious as ever.

Next week, we hit the old west for the resolution of the trilogy with Back to the Future, Part III.

Fun Facts: Crispin Glover wasn’t the only cast member replaced. Claudia Wells, who played Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer, was replaced by Elizabeth Shue after she had to pull out of the film for personal reasons. Wells would not return to Hollywood for 10 years.

A young Elijah Wood can be seen in the Café 80s in 2015, expressing disappointment at the Wild Gunman arcade cabinet for having to use his hands to play it.

Flea, from Red Hot Chili Peppers, appears as Douglas J. Needles, 47 year-old Marty’s coworker. He would later reprise this role at the end of BttF III.

The hoverboard Marty gets in the future was thought to have been real after a joke director Robert Zemeckis made about them actually existing and that they weren’t available in stores due to mothers worrying about safety issues.

Crispin Glover wound up suing Universal after they used archived footage of him from the first film without his consent.

Doc having gone through a rejuvenation clinic in the future was done in order to have Christopher Lloyd avoid having to go through a lengthy make up process to make him look older than his 1955 counterpart, especially since the 1985 version of Doc played such a huge role in the film.

In a Deleted Scene from the film, Old Biff is shown fading just as Marty almost did in the first film after returning to 2015. It’s implied that he changed the past so drastically that he was no longer alive in 2015. In fact, Zemeckis explained on the DVD that sometime in 1996, Lorraine shot Biff, possibly finding out that he murdered her husband George.

An earlier version of the script, before it was expanded and split into two films, had the DeLorean taking damage over the course of the film to the extent that Marty and Doc had to fly into an array of power lines over the Grand Canyon to generate enough power to get to 1985. The idea could be seen as a precursor to the DeLorean being struck by lightning, which sent Doc to 1885, setting the stage for BttF III.

BttF II and III were filmed back to back, with only a few weeks downtime in between. In fact, BttF II ended with a teaser trailer for the final film, which was released 7 months later.

(From Left to Right) Marty Jr., 47 Year-Old Marty, and Marlene sit around to eat pizza, all three played by Michael J. Fox.

In the above scene, which takes place in 2015 where Marty’s future family is having dinner, Old Marty, Marty Jr., and Marlene are all in the same shot, and all played by Michael J. Fox.

Meet Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox), your regular 17 year-old high school student. He has ambitions of becoming a musician, has a girlfriend who absolutely loves him, and a family he’s not particularly proud of. Life is pretty normal for Marty, except for the fact that he spends his time with an aging inventor, Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd, a scientist who Marty affectionately calls “Doc” and whose life’s work revolves around time travel. So, after a late-night meeting with Doc, in which he unveils his latest invention, a time machine built into a DeLorean DMC-12. And, after an altercation with Libyan terrorists (that’s right, terrorists), who Doc swindled in order to get a hold of the plutonium necessary to power the time machine, Doc is murdered and Marty drives away in the DeLorean, unintentionally activating the time circuits and blasting him back to November 5, 1955. Upon arriving in 1955, Marty meets his parents in their younger days and interrupts a pivotal event in their courtship, causing a chain reaction, which will cause Marty to disappear from existence. Unable to return to the present, due to his current predicament and the fact that he left behind the case of plutonium necessary to power the time circuits, Marty enlists the help of a younger Doc Brown, who plans to use the energy of a bolt of lightning set to strike the Hill Valley clock tower on November 12th to send Marty back to 1985.

More of this time-bending review after the break.

Presenting...the DeLorean!

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Back to the Future, released July 3, 1985, became an instant classic, continuously topping charts to this day. Coming in as the #10 Science-Fiction film of all time in the American Film Institute’s 10 Top 10, ranking the 10 top films in 10 separate genre’s and having been selected for preservation in the Nation Film Registry (there seems to be a pattern developing with these reviews), the film tells an excellent story about a teenager finding himself in a world he knows very little about meeting a younger version of his parents, who he also really knows very little about as well. Throughout the course of the film, Marty, whose mother has developed a crush on him after her father hit him with his car (in the original timeline, Marty’s father, George McFly was the one hit by the car after he fell from a tree while peeking into his future wife’s window with a pair of binoculars), attempts to coach his father, a major dork who is constantly bullied by Biff Tannen, in how to talk to his mother, Lorraine Baines in order to repair the damage done to the timeline. However, every attempt seems to end with Marty accidently upstaging his father, making his mother even more interested in him. As he begins to spend more time with his father, he begins to figure things out about him, and his mother as well, who appears to betray the “good girl” image that Marty always expected from her. At one point in the present, she criticizes present day girls for chasing after boys, only for Marty to find her doing the exact same things she claimed to never do when she was young.

"1.21 Jigowatts?!?!" The 1955 version of Doc Brown realizes just how impossible sending Marty back to 1985 seems.

The film also showcases an excellent relationship between Marty and both 1955 and 1985 incarnations of Doc Brown. The rapport between the two characters is exquisite and Marty is seen to genuinely care about Doc, especially after attempting to tell him about his ultimate fate on October 26, 1985, something that Doc continuously refuses to listen to, afraid of altering his own future just as Marty had done. Some of the finer points of the relationship happen with the 1955 version of Doc Brown, who tends to misconstrue some the expressions Marty uses with hilarious results. A personal favorite happens with Marty’s initial use of the term “This is heavy,” meant to mean that this situation is pretty serious, to which Doc replies “Weight has nothing to do with it.”

The actors play their parts well. We see a lot of chemistry between Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, whose interactions throughout the film range from hilarious to heart warming. Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson, who play George McFly and Lorraine Baines McFly respectively, are also great, with Glover’s rendition of George being that of a very nervous, socially challenged dork who secretly writes Sci-Fi stories. Thompson’s portrayal of Lorraine is quite comical, spending most of the film acting like a love-sick puppy, eager to get into her future son’s pants (as disturbing as that sounds). She also does a very good job of contrasting her younger self with her older self, who appears as a miserable alcoholic who, judging by the look on her face as she recounts how she and George fell in love, appears to regret her decision to marry her husband. Finally, rounding out the cast as the extremely unlikeable bully, Biff Tannen, is Thomas F. Wilson, who plays Biff so well, you’ll want to reach into your TV and punch him in the face for being such a complete and utter ass.

While Marty is the main character, the film itself largely revolves around the characters of George and Lorraine, and we as viewers are basically placed in Marty’s shoes, being shown just how big of losers the two of them are in the present. Seeing Marty’s parents, both in the present and in the past, helps to explain Marty’s character, especially when we see his father as an almost mirror of himself (Marty’s an aspiring musician who’s afraid of being rejected and his father writes sci-fi stories but is to afraid to show them to anyone). In that respect, the movie is also an underdog story, as we, the audience cheer when George wins over Lorraine and when Marty rocks out on stage at his parents’ school dance, apparently inventing Rock n’ Roll in the process. In contrast to something like Blade Runner, a happy ending works for Back to the Future, as it is heart warming to see Marty finally return to his time to find that his family is all the better thanks to his actions, and for accidently putting his father in a situation where he was forced to stand up to Biff to save, and subsequently win over, Lorraine.

Doc Brown returns from visiting 2015 in the film's finale.

Regardless of how many years it has been since the film was first released, Back to the Future remains a classic, and is personally one of my favorite films of all time. The entire Back to the Future series itself is incredible in my book, so stay tuned next week when Geek Movie Reviews brings you Back to the Future, Part II.

Fun Facts:
Back to the Future was not originally intended to have a sequel. The ending in which Doc Brown comes back from the future to take Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer back with him was intended to be nothing more than one final gag for the film. Had Director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis known that the film would have warranted a sequel, he would have never had the movie end with Marty and Doc going into the future as he felt most movies always have the future highly misrepresented.

The original version of the time machine was that of a converted refrigerator, which was changed out of fear that kids would see the film and climb into their own refrigerators in an attempt to travel through time.

When originally pitching the idea, Zemeckis went to Disney, who told him the idea of a mother falling in love with her son too risqué for them. Other studios didn’t want to option the film either, but because it wasn’t risqué enough.

Before the lightning strike at the clock tower was decided for the film’s climax, one version of the script had Marty drive the DeLorean onto an atomic bomb testing range, using the power of a nuclear explosion to power the DeLorean. In the revised version, lightning was chosen because Doc explained that plutonium was used to generate 1.21 jigowatts (actually gigawatts) of electricity necessary to power the Flux Capacitor.

Musician Huey Lewis, who’s band provided music for the film, can be seen at the beginning as judge who tells Marty’s band that they’re “too darn loud” to play at the high school dance. The song Marty’s band plays is Huey Lewis’ The Power of Love.