Back to the Future: Part 1 is one of my all-time favorite movies of all time. Sure, it's ripe with paradox and fallacies of logic, but somehow these elements seem to make the movie even better, and that's exactly why it's such a good film. Like a butterface girl who gives incredible HJ's, the film is full of flaws, but it keeps you coming back for more time and time again. This also makes it a great movie to over-analyze, which happens to be one of my hobbies, so here are 5 subtle implications made by BttF: Part 1 that merit some further discussion:
Doc Brown's 30-Year Fear of Atomic Apocalypse
Set Up
Shortly after arriving in 1955, Marty tracks down his old friend, Doc Brown, and after some convincing, Doc decides to help Marty get back to 1985, and the plot is successfully driven. During their scheming, there's a short scene where Marty shows Doc the tape from his impossible-to-hook-up-to-a-1950's-TV video camera, which shows 1985 Doc explaining the time travel equipment. While watching the video, Doc asks Marty what he's wearing, and Marty explains that it is a Radiation Suit. 1955 Doc quickly jumps to the conclusion that everyone wears Radiation Suits in the future because of all the atomic fallout from all of the A-bombs that have been dropped by the time 1985 rolls around.
Implications
Marty never corrects Doc's assumption, so we can then assume that Doc will spend the next 30 years expecting an Atomic Apocalypse that he knows he'll survive, but he has no idea how it will come about. Shouldn't this assumption have some affect on his actions and behaviors over the next 30 years, and therefore change the future in some way? We already know that even the smallest change in the past can completely alter the course of history, so how would the "knowledge" of world-altering atomic wars change the future? I know what you're thinking, and you're right: this is heavy.
Marty Nearly Commits Suicide Through Sheer Forgetfulness
Set Up
In the climactic "traveling back to the future" scene toward the end of the film, Marty is preparing to travel back to 1985 by intercepting a lightning bolt with the Delorean. He has just tried to give Doc Brown a letter warning him about the events on the night of the time travel experiment, but Doc has torn up the letter. Marty then decides that, in order to save Doc, he'll set the time machine to 10 mintes before he left, allowing him substantial time to save his friend from the Libyans.
Implications
If Marty hadn't changed his arrival time, he would have traveled back to the exact second that he disappeared from the Twin Pines parking lot at the beginning of the movie. Doc specifically states that Marty will be sent back to the exact time he left, which would put him directly in the crosshairs of a Libyan missile launcher. Apparently, Marty failed to realize that, if he traveled back according to their original plan, he wold arrive in 1985 and then immediately be blown to bits by a rocket. Even when he decides to change his arrival time, he does so for Doc's sake, which implies that he never realized that returning to the same exact time he left was a complete suicide mission.
The Red Thomas/Red the Bum Scenario
Set Up
When Marty arrives in 1955, he's greeted by a car that's advertising for the re-election of Hill Valley's 1955 mayor, Red Thomas. Toward the end of the film, when Marty returns to 1985, he's greeted by a bum who Marty refers to as "Red", and who is credited as "Red the Bum".
Implications
According to futurepedia, the most comprehensive BttF wiki on the internet, writer Bob Gale has states specifically that there is no connection between Red Thomas and Red the Bum. However, the site also lists, among other stats, the probable age of Red the Bum, stating that he would be in his 30's in 1955, and therefore in his 60's in 1985, when we see him in the film. A 30-year old could believably be the mayor of Hill Valley in 1955, so what's the reason for adamently denying that the two Red's in the movie are the same person, or at least related to one another? Apparently, Michael J. Fox ad-libbed the naming of Red the Bum, but as it stands, BttF: Part 1 contains to extremely supplementary characters with the same very unique name who have nothing to do with each other, and that seems a little bit weird.
Marty Pays for a Coffee With Future Change
Set Up
Shortly after he arrives in 1955, Marty visits a diner to use the pay phone. This is the famous scene where he orders a list of popular 1985 beverages that, in 1955, come off as nonsensical and wacky (a gag that manifests itself about 300 times in various incarnations throughout the BttF series). Eventually, Marty is served a cup of coffee, and shortly thereafter he has his first run-in with his father, George McFly.
Implications
Marty pays for the coffee with some change from his pocket, which can be seen sitting on the counter during the scene. While it's possible that he may have paid entirely with coins that were over 30 years old, it's more likely that Marty paid for his coffee in 1955 with change that was from the future, which seems like a huge oversight that even an amateur time traveler would be cautious to avoid.
Chuck Berry is a Complete Hack
Set Up
This one has been discussed frequently, but it's worth mentioning here simply because it's so glaring, and can be construed as incredibly insulting. When Marty is entertaining the crowd at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance with a conspicuously spot-on rendition of "Johnny B. Good", the house band's singer calls his cousin, Chuck Berry, to introduce him to "a new sound" that he suggests Chuck should use for inspiration.
Implications
This situation is insulting for a few reasons: it suggests that Chuck Berry, a pioneer of both modern rock n' roll and the role of black entertainers in the American music scene, stole his ideas from a white, 17-year old kid who traveled from the future and played his own music for him before he wrote it. Paradoxes aside, this is pretty insulting to Chuck Berry. Furthermore, we are led to believe that, rather than using the sound as inspiration, Chuck Berry flat-out stole the idea for Johnny B. Good, and that he did so by listening to half of the song over the telephone in 1955. I wasn't alive in 1955, but I know for a fact that my phone in 2009 doesn't get good enough reception to accurately transcribe music just from hearing someone play it over the phone no less than 20 feet away, so I find it hard to believe that Chuck Berry could've heard any more than a loud screeching noise mixed with static, let alone heard Marty's music with enough clarity to write and record the exact same song.
Excellent points all around. But your first one. I mean, it was the Cold War. Wasn't everyone technically living in fear of a nuclear holocaust? So couldn't he spend the next thirty years with a bomb shelter and a few canned goods in the backyard like thousands of Americans did? Had to over analyze your over analyzation.
I do not agree with the doc being paranoid point. It was basically the cold war at the time anyway. In fact, I think I recall him saying "I knew it!" or something to that effect. Marty's presence may have just bolstered his thinking, but I do not think it would have changed the path of thought he was already on. I mean shit! He was making a fricken nuke deal anyway when the movie started!!! Seems like Marty wouldn't have knocked him off track that much.
Exactly. Marty had to run quite a distance just to get there in time to see Doc get shot and his past-self travel to the past- so it took him about 8-9 minutes to run from the Clocktower to the mall parking lot.
Also, at the beginning when Marty travels back to 1955, it shows the Libyans crashing into some kind of parking payment booth. So it's completely false that if Marty didn't change the time that he would have been killed. Not to mention that he was in a different location as stated before me.
If all Chuck heard was a brief snippet of the song Marty played. Then in all likely hood he just picked up the faster Rock n Roll tempo, then went on to be inspired to write the original. Still incredibly insulting. BTW Random makes an excellent point.
You neglected to mention perhaps the largest fallacy in the movie: how in the HELL do Marty's parents fail to notice that Marty looks EXACTLY FUCKING LIKE the person who fixed them up? They never say "holy shit, Marty is a gd Calvin Klein clone!" Really? How do they not notice this? How?
Massive amounts of acid. In the new future, dropping acid has become legal causing no one to remember past last Tuesday. Hell, Biff even forgot he only put one coat of wax on Georges car instead of two!
Doesn't George McFly feel the earphones? Can't he just pull them off and avoid his brain being scrambled by Darth Vader of planet Vulcan?
Why is Marty's mom suddenly okay with him taking Jennifer to the lake? Just because Marty turned her down when she tried to kiss him?
In the coffee shop, the guy behind the counter pulls out the coffee cup as if it was prepared in advance- how did he know Marty was gonna need one? Was HE from the future too???
The change thing isn't a problem, because anybody who has ever served bar / worked in a cafe / handled money with any sort of regularity will tell you they very rarely spend any time looking at the money. If somebody hands you something that looks vaguely like a $5 bill, you aren't spending a lot of time staring at the watermarks, you know?
And the Chuck Berry and Apocalypse thing are the kind of plot elements we have to make a lot of assumptions about. Who's to say that Marty didn't correct Doc about the apocalypse before he left? And the Chuck Berry thing - who's to say that he hadn't already started writing stuff like "Johnny B Goode" and hearing it played like that just confirmed he was doing something right. Also, it's not an insult to Chuck Berry as, paradoxically, he's really just inspired by somebody covering one of his own songs, you know?
The whole Marty-looking-like-Calvin-Klein thing is a bit of a problem, but seeing as they don't have any pictures of him (I'm guessing) and have to rely on their memories - also, they've watched Marty slowly grow into Older Marty and probably wouldn't notice the similarity. There's a similar thing in The Time Traveller's Wife where Henry is regularly visiting his parents in the past but they don't notice because it's just Some Guy.
For anyone who has ever waited on people or tended bar, this part gets me...and its absolutely dumb. How the hell does young George McFly walk into the cafe and order a "milk. chocolate." and it magically slides down the bar into his hand a half second later? That cafe guy (Lou?) is gold as a barkeep
No, it's just that they're always pissed at someone so noone asks questions when they start firing RPG's in mall parking lots. And you don't need to pay someone who knows the language, just shout nonsensical phrases and wave their arms about.
Because Muslims have been blood thirsty sand-pirate scum since Mohammed started raping little girls and killing jooz and calling it a religion, retard.
Um how would time travel let him nail "millions of chicks?" Even if he went back in time, he would still be weird looking eccentric dude that "millions of chicks" would not screw.
Good list, decent points, but for this: in regards to number 1, with Doc Browns assumption, aren't you also making the assumption that Marty never corrected him? It's true that he did not correct him immediately, but it's also obvious from the movie that there were large chunks of time that Marty and Doc were together that weren't shown. I mean he was there for a whole week, they had to have had several important discussions in the evenings; and I have to think that Doc would have brought up the subject at least one more time.
On a related note there is more product placement and number of advertisements in Back To The Future I & II than any other film I have ever seen (the third film in the series doesn't have as much as the first two, the second film has the most).
It actually inspired me to think up a drinking game to play whilst watching the films. Beware; it will get you very drunk.
Times when you should have yourself a shot of spirits:
Nike:
Each time there is a close up shot of Marty's Nike trainers you should chuck a shot of something (40% proof) down your gullet. There are more close ups of the Nike logo than you may have realised; for example when Marty drives the Dolorian, if he accelerates or brakes there is a shot of his feet on the pedals. Also the Doc hands him Nike branded 'future' clothes in BTTF II.
Each time pepsi is mentioned or visible on the screen a shot should be taken.
Times when you should have a massive swig of beer:
Whenever any brand name is visible on the screen; including the 'JVC' logo on the video camera Marty uses to film the doc and the signs of the shops near the beginning of the first film. The Texaco garage is also seen in BTTF I & II. Don't forget the Dunlop tires on the Dolorian.
(27 Comments)
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Holy Taco Goes to the Bahamas
October 1st, 2009 at 04:15 pm
Excellent points all around. But your first one. I mean, it was the Cold War. Wasn't everyone technically living in fear of a nuclear holocaust? So couldn't he spend the next thirty years with a bomb shelter and a few canned goods in the backyard like thousands of Americans did? Had to over analyze your over analyzation.
October 2nd, 2009 at 07:32 am
I do not agree with the doc being paranoid point. It was basically the cold war at the time anyway. In fact, I think I recall him saying "I knew it!" or something to that effect. Marty's presence may have just bolstered his thinking, but I do not think it would have changed the path of thought he was already on. I mean shit! He was making a fricken nuke deal anyway when the movie started!!! Seems like Marty wouldn't have knocked him off track that much.
October 1st, 2009 at 04:16 pm
Yes Marty would come back to the same exact time...but not the same location. So he would have still been downtown as the lybians fired the rocket.
October 1st, 2009 at 05:20 pm
Exactly. Marty had to run quite a distance just to get there in time to see Doc get shot and his past-self travel to the past- so it took him about 8-9 minutes to run from the Clocktower to the mall parking lot.
October 1st, 2009 at 05:46 pm
Yep, they conducted the "Weather Experiment" in another location, not in the mall parking lot.
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 am
Yeah. You guys are right, and this just proves what I've been saying all along: I should never be allowed to time travel.
October 2nd, 2009 at 09:37 am
Also, at the beginning when Marty travels back to 1955, it shows the Libyans crashing into some kind of parking payment booth. So it's completely false that if Marty didn't change the time that he would have been killed. Not to mention that he was in a different location as stated before me.
October 2nd, 2009 at 01:22 pm
Dude, it's a photo hut. Remember those? Drive up, drop off film, come back, pick up pictures.
October 1st, 2009 at 04:34 pm
If all Chuck heard was a brief snippet of the song Marty played. Then in all likely hood he just picked up the faster Rock n Roll tempo, then went on to be inspired to write the original. Still incredibly insulting. BTW Random makes an excellent point.
October 1st, 2009 at 05:17 pm
You neglected to mention perhaps the largest fallacy in the movie: how in the HELL do Marty's parents fail to notice that Marty looks EXACTLY FUCKING LIKE the person who fixed them up? They never say "holy shit, Marty is a gd Calvin Klein clone!" Really? How do they not notice this? How?
October 1st, 2009 at 05:51 pm
Massive amounts of acid. In the new future, dropping acid has become legal causing no one to remember past last Tuesday. Hell, Biff even forgot he only put one coat of wax on Georges car instead of two!
October 1st, 2009 at 05:26 pm
Doesn't George McFly feel the earphones? Can't he just pull them off and avoid his brain being scrambled by Darth Vader of planet Vulcan?
Why is Marty's mom suddenly okay with him taking Jennifer to the lake? Just because Marty turned her down when she tried to kiss him?
In the coffee shop, the guy behind the counter pulls out the coffee cup as if it was prepared in advance- how did he know Marty was gonna need one? Was HE from the future too???
October 1st, 2009 at 07:29 pm
The change thing isn't a problem, because anybody who has ever served bar / worked in a cafe / handled money with any sort of regularity will tell you they very rarely spend any time looking at the money. If somebody hands you something that looks vaguely like a $5 bill, you aren't spending a lot of time staring at the watermarks, you know?
And the Chuck Berry and Apocalypse thing are the kind of plot elements we have to make a lot of assumptions about. Who's to say that Marty didn't correct Doc about the apocalypse before he left? And the Chuck Berry thing - who's to say that he hadn't already started writing stuff like "Johnny B Goode" and hearing it played like that just confirmed he was doing something right. Also, it's not an insult to Chuck Berry as, paradoxically, he's really just inspired by somebody covering one of his own songs, you know?
The whole Marty-looking-like-Calvin-Klein thing is a bit of a problem, but seeing as they don't have any pictures of him (I'm guessing) and have to rely on their memories - also, they've watched Marty slowly grow into Older Marty and probably wouldn't notice the similarity. There's a similar thing in The Time Traveller's Wife where Henry is regularly visiting his parents in the past but they don't notice because it's just Some Guy.
God, I can't believe I just typed all that...
October 9th, 2009 at 05:31 pm
For anyone who has ever waited on people or tended bar, this part gets me...and its absolutely dumb. How the hell does young George McFly walk into the cafe and order a "milk. chocolate." and it magically slides down the bar into his hand a half second later? That cafe guy (Lou?) is gold as a barkeep
October 1st, 2009 at 10:10 pm
why the hell does back to the future have libyan villains?
does hollywood have something against middle eastern people
October 2nd, 2009 at 08:07 am
No, it's just that they're always pissed at someone so noone asks questions when they start firing RPG's in mall parking lots. And you don't need to pay someone who knows the language, just shout nonsensical phrases and wave their arms about.
October 21st, 2009 at 07:54 pm
Because Muslims have been blood thirsty sand-pirate scum since Mohammed started raping little girls and killing jooz and calling it a religion, retard.
October 2nd, 2009 at 02:38 am
I really hope in Part 2 there is a mention of 'what the fuck was Doc doing for work in the future to fix his car?'
October 2nd, 2009 at 05:39 am
marty mcfly had a very close relationship with the professor
i hate to say this but the professor was a gay nazi
he could have gone back in time and killed hitler etc
he could have nailed millions of chicks
but what does he do?........he spends his time with a pre pubescent appearing juvenile with a penchant for trouble
back to the future 4:Marty changes the US constitution to allow gay marriage
October 2nd, 2009 at 08:22 am
and marijuana laws.......:)
October 4th, 2009 at 04:23 pm
Um how would time travel let him nail "millions of chicks?" Even if he went back in time, he would still be weird looking eccentric dude that "millions of chicks" would not screw.
October 4th, 2009 at 09:32 pm
rape, lots of rape.
Honestly, how would they stop you?
I think i just wrote a movie.
October 2nd, 2009 at 09:40 am
Anyone else notice the change in font size halfway through this?
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:55 am
if i went back in time, i would have stolen credit for creating the cheesesteak and buffalo chicken cheese steak.
best,
lunchboy
October 2nd, 2009 at 02:29 pm
Good list, decent points, but for this: in regards to number 1, with Doc Browns assumption, aren't you also making the assumption that Marty never corrected him? It's true that he did not correct him immediately, but it's also obvious from the movie that there were large chunks of time that Marty and Doc were together that weren't shown. I mean he was there for a whole week, they had to have had several important discussions in the evenings; and I have to think that Doc would have brought up the subject at least one more time.
October 2nd, 2009 at 06:28 pm
BTTF>HT
October 3rd, 2009 at 01:30 pm
On a related note there is more product placement and number of advertisements in Back To The Future I & II than any other film I have ever seen (the third film in the series doesn't have as much as the first two, the second film has the most).
It actually inspired me to think up a drinking game to play whilst watching the films. Beware; it will get you very drunk.
Times when you should have yourself a shot of spirits:
Nike:
Each time there is a close up shot of Marty's Nike trainers you should chuck a shot of something (40% proof) down your gullet. There are more close ups of the Nike logo than you may have realised; for example when Marty drives the Dolorian, if he accelerates or brakes there is a shot of his feet on the pedals. Also the Doc hands him Nike branded 'future' clothes in BTTF II.
Pepsi:
It would seem that Pepsi were by far the biggest bank roller for the series. When in 1985 Marti is often seen with a can of pepsi in his hand, or an empty can in the background. Most significantly is that throughout the series when Marty arrives in an alternate time period one of the first things he does is walk into a café and orders a pepsi; in the second film there is a lengthy close up of a futuristic pepsi bottle.
Each time pepsi is mentioned or visible on the screen a shot should be taken.
Times when you should have a massive swig of beer:
Whenever any brand name is visible on the screen; including the 'JVC' logo on the video camera Marty uses to film the doc and the signs of the shops near the beginning of the first film. The Texaco garage is also seen in BTTF I & II. Don't forget the Dunlop tires on the Dolorian.
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