---

Back to the Future,

Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Re-Release Review

25 Years ago to the day (yesterday) Back to the Future had its UK Premiere at The Empire Cinema, Leicester Square with a guest list that included Princes Charles and the late Princess Diana. 25 Years ago I was allowed to go the cinema for the first time on my own and I had chosen Back to the Future for the occasion. So you can understand my excitement when I popped off to The Empire for a screening of Back to the Future to mark its 25 Anniversary re-release onto the big screen and Blu-Ray.


In the intervening 25 years I had forgotten the utter and complete joy of the opening scenes of Back to the Future, where we are introduced to Marty McFly when he plugs his electric guitar into Doc’s oversize amp and speaker and proceeds to bring the house down. Pure cinematic magic. Not only was Marty going off on his adventure an iconic milestone in cinema but it marked a new found independence for myself – I could now go to the cinema on my own any time I wanted (more or less).

The unfortunate down side to this episode was that the film I had chosen for the occasion, was so wonderful that after my young self merged my new found independence with the magic of Back to the Future and I naturally assumed going to the cinema on your own was better and all film hence forth would just be better because I was a grown up and could now appreciate films from a view point previously denied me. Unfortunately not Back to the Future is back and it’s as wonderful as it was back then.

Back to the Future Writer/Producer Bob Gale recently said that over 400 man hours was put into cleaning and restoring the print and another 200 hours was put in color correcting the film. It shows, the digitally restored print is marvelous. I can’t remember what the original looked but the new digital print is picture perfect. However the real magic of Back to the Future is the simple, engaging and fast paced paradoxical story of Marty, Doc and their time traveling Delorean. I say paradoxical but really, does anyone that has seen Back to the Future not get how their version of time travel works? See educational too.

At the screening pretty much everyone in the cinema was buzzing even the kids being introduced Back to the Future for the first time were distracted long enough from their sweets and cool drinks to laugh and gasp (in the right places). The audience even breaking out into cheers when the trodden on George McFly finally turns and gives Biff his comeuppance.

I have to say I’m glad that the visual effects have not being enhanced ala George Lucas’s Star Wars digital releases. I have always felt that there were 4 particularly bad effects in Back to the Future. They are still there, and seeing them again I felt connected to Back to the Future and my past.


This highly anticipated 25th Anniversary Back to the Future Blu-Ray collection featuring all-new restorations for enhanced picture quality and hours of bonus features including new interviews with the cast and crew will be available from October 25 and Back to the Future will be back in UK cinemas on October 1, 2010.