RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Back to the Future
Back to the Future

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Back to the Future (1985)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
96 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:45

Fresh:43

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.3/10

Consensus: Romantic, funny, and action-packed, Back to the Future is rousing entertainment for all ages.

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: A massive success upon its 1985 release, BACK TO THE FUTURE has since become a bona fide classic--Robert Zemeckis’s time-travel adventure has spawned sequels, theme park rides, and even a mention... A massive success upon its 1985 release, BACK TO THE FUTURE has since become a bona fide classic--Robert Zemeckis’s time-travel adventure has spawned sequels, theme park rides, and even a mention in Ronald Reagan’s 1986 State of the Union address. Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, a restless '80s teen who takes a ride in Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) "flux capacitor"-rigged DeLorean and ends up in 1955. Once on the ground, Marty meets his teenaged mother (Lea Thompson) and accidentally wins her affections, thereby threatening the relationship she’s supposed to form with his father (the delightfully geeky Crispin Glover). Now it’s a do-or-never-be-born situation: Marty must get his parents to fall in love before Doc Brown can send him back to the proper decade. BACK TO THE FUTURE remains one of the rare family films that enjoyed both critical and box office success, and garnered a permanent spot in the pop-culture lexicon thanks to highly-quotable dialogue. The picture garnered both Golden Globe and Oscar nods (though it lost Best Original Screenplay to WITNESS), and continues to rank as one of the top-100 highest grossing films of all time. [More]

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Director: Robert Zemeckis

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Back to the Future

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

It's undeniably formulaic but so outstandingly executed that it vindicates the formula.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
William Gallagher
William Gallagher
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amongst the finest family films of the 1980s.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/05/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/05/08
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/01/05
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

A masterpiece!

comment Comment
08/05/02
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

No review available.

comment Comment
08/08/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

One of the most beloved movies of the Eighties.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
02/26/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Shows not only a fine comic touch but also some of the lighthearted humanism of a Frank Capra.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Talvez a fórmula para o imenso sucesso do filme seja o fato de que ele mexe com uma curiosidade que, talvez, seja universal: como eram nossos pais quando jovens?

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/31/02
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No review available.

comment Comment
11/28/03
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

An unqualified success, boasting an incredibly sharp screenplay and tons of appeal.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/23/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Equal parts hilarity, nostalgia, science fiction, screwball comedy, and white-knuckle suspense in a complex storyline wound tighter than a yo-yo in a centrifuge.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/10/05
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

Great performances, clever concept, deft direction, lotsa laughs, and some real heart & soul. A true Popcorn Classic.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

infectiously silly and fun time-travel comedy. Lloyd and Fox are a great team.

comment Comment
03/19/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/17/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

This is one of those movies that folds in on itself, and reveals perfect symmetry.

Full Review Source: Film Written Magazine | comment Comment
10/07/01
Shay Casey
Shay Casey
Film Written Magazine

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

comment 7 Comments
01/01/00
John Hartl
John Hartl
Film.com

A classic adventure that holds up perfectly today.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/16/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Back to the Future

March 31, 2009: The Legacy of The Matrix
1999 was one of the most important years for modern cinema. Ten years on, we're celebrating a remarkable twelve months of movies with new features around some of the year's best... More...

September 04, 2007: Back to the Future Ride Now a Thing of the Past
If you've been waiting for just the right time to hop in Doc Brown's eight-passenger De Lorean and help him bring Biff Tannen to justice, it's no longer as simple as heading to... More...

December 19, 2006: McG Spills a Little Oil on "Hot Wheels"
While out drumming up some publicity for his new drama "We Are Marshall," director McG (I think his real name is Joe McGinty McNichol or something) was (of course)... More...

May 02, 2006: Gondry and Jack Black Promise to "Rewind"
Director Michel Gondry and professional goofball Jack Black will soon be collaborating on a rather bizarre-sounding high-concept comedy called "Be Kind Rewind," the... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
18
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
20
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
40
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
101
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
56
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
37
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
26
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
20
  • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
7
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Back to the Future at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Back to the Future at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.