Why ‘Back to the Future’ is Eternal
Assorted Flavors features listicles and other movie-related goodies.
Back to the Future is, in many ways, a product of its time as a mid-‘80s artifact (looking at you, Pepsi Free and Devo references). But it’s also more popular than ever, thanks to its exceptional craft and timeless wisdom.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, here are 5 reasons Back to the Future remains an iconic cultural phenomenon.
1. It includes an outfit for every occasion
Whether you’re wearing Marty’s signature outfit for a casual day on the town or you’re weirding out your roommate by putting it on in the middle of the night, it can function as your entire wardrobe 24/7. If it’s hot, all you need is the red t-shirt. If it’s 20 degrees out? Go with the whole shebang. Dress it up, dress it down… you get the point. The only problem is that on Halloween, everyone asks you which Stranger Things character you’re supposed to be.
2. It changes your concept of time
“1:15 am, Twin Pines Mall.” “The temporal displacement occurred at exactly 1:20 am and 0 seconds!” “A bolt of lightning is gonna strike the clock tower precisely at 10:04 pm next Saturday night!” Honestly, it doesn’t matter if it’s morning or night—those times are cemented in your mind, and you subconsciously wait for them every day. Somewhere, someone is time traveling right now.
3. It allows you to be good at math
Sure, you may have struggled with proofs and angles, but at least you know how many gigawatts of electricity one needs to generate in order to power a time machine. That’s the only math that matters, right?
4. It reminds you that you’re actually cool, even if you don’t think you are
They don’t necessarily say it in the film, but I’ve always felt Marty was painted as a bit of an outcast. Aside from his band (which he doesn’t seem particularly close with), he’s got maybe two friends. And yet, everyone I know wants to either be him or date him. So you may not know it, but you are skateboard-riding, bully-punching, guitar-playing cool.
5. It urges you to take control of your density
Marty’s journey turns out to be much more than just getting his parents to fall in love. He changes the trajectory of their lives, encouraging them to make better choices and fight for the people and values that are important to them. And in doing so, he encourages us to do the same. Who knew a little ‘80s movie about time travel could teach us such important lessons?