Back To The Future

The first of the trilogy, and easily the best. It's an amazing snapshot of two things – the mid-1980s, and what people in the mid-1980s thought the 1950s were like. That alone makes Back to the Future worth watching, but more importantly, it provides the rare time-travel picture that doesn't either overly rely on the time-travel concept as a crutch or make the characters too much in love with their surrounding. In fact, Michael J. Fox's turn as Marty McFly, the fish-out-of-water, is just about dead-on perfect as the guy who knows at least some of the future and plays with it. Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown is the real joy of this picture. A whacky sciencer, and an absolute blast to watch as he tries to combat Marty's desire to give him glimpses into his own future. Crispin Glover as Marty's dad is quirky and played with full commitment, while Lea Thompson's performance as Marty's Mom is equal parts sweet, sexy, and smart. Overall, it's a film that certainly deserves the place it received on the National Film Registry. Why it's on the list An impressively smart 1980s sci-fi comedy that set box office records.