Great Scott! Can it really be four decades since Back To The Future sped into the multiplex at 88mph and changed an entire generation of cinemagoers? Robert Zemeckis’ sci-fi blockbuster remains one of the most beautifully crafted summer hits of all time – but all the timey-wimey smarts would be nothing if it weren’t for that central pairing: Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, Marty McFly and Doc Brown, the skateboarding ‘80s teen and the eccentric inventor. Together, they changed the game – and so, to mark 40 years of BTTF, Empire brought them back together for a major new interview, reflecting on the films and the friendship they forged.
As Lloyd says, the trilogy remains as popular as ever. “It continues to amaze me how deeply the Back To The Future films affected young people,” he says. “It still comes up all the time.” For Fox, there’s a clear reason why, beyond the sheer adventure of it. “We live in a bully culture right now. We have bullies everywhere — you don’t need me to point the finger at who, but there are all these bullies,” he explains. “In this movie, Biff is a bully. Time is a bully. For me personally, Parkinson’s is a bully. And it’s all about how you stand up to them and the resolve that you take into the fight with them. It’s about your resilience and your courage.” Those David-vs-Goliath odds keep Back To The Future’s heart ticking. “I think there’s a lot to that right now,” says Fox. “I think a lot of people are responding to the movie because it strikes chords they wouldn’t otherwise recognise.”
Across the three films, audiences saw Marty travel across time with Doc’s help, from the ‘80s, back to the ‘50s, forward into 2015, and then – in the final chapter – all the way back to the 1880s. For Lloyd, that Wild West-themed closer remains a personal favourite. “Coming into III was like the home stretch,” he says. “It was, ‘Okay, let’s have fun now.’ There was a little bit of abandon, which felt great.” Time to rev up the DeLorean for a complete trilogy rewatch.
Read Empire’s full Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd – on 40 years of Back To The Future, and their enduring friendship – in the Stranger Things 5 issue, on sale Thursday 23 October. Pre-order a copy online here.
