In 1985, Robert Zemeckis captivated audiences with a classic sci-fi movie that has delighted fans ever since. Back to the Future earned $388 million that year at the global box office on a budget of just $19 million.
Zemeckis and co-writer, Bob Gale, conceived the idea for the film while examining Gale’s father’s high school yearbook. Gale pondered whether he would have befriended his father if they had attended high school together. Zemeckis introduced the Oedipal twist of the mother unknowingly falling for her son.
The film featured Michael J. Fox as teenager Marty McFly, who finds himself embroiled in a time-traveling adventure with Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The movie’s success led to two sequels and made Fox a Hollywood icon overnight. Now, 40 years after it first premiered, you can stream this sci-fi classic for free.
‘Back to the Future’ Still Works 40 Years Later
Fun fact: We are now ten years further into the future than the events of Back to the Future Part II. Indeed, when Marty traveled thirty years back in time to 1955, that’s not as far in the past as we are now in the future. What boggles my mind about these numbers is that 1955 genuinely feels like another era entirely, whereas 1985 and 2025 — while still radically different in many ways — feel like part of the same “modern” era.
This is one reason Back to the Future remains such a timeless classic. The film chose the perfect time to travel back to. 1955 is just before Vietnam and the modern era that emerged from that war, but not so far back in time that it feels completely foreign. Add to that a brilliantly written and often hilarious script, tight pacing, and some of the most memorable heroes of the ’80s, and Back to the Future was pretty much destined to become a classic.
Every ‘Back to the Future’ Movie, Ranked
“Marty, the future isn’t written. It can be changed. You know that.” -Doc
The supporting cast doesn’t hurt, either. Marty’s parents — Lea Thompson as Lorraine McFly and a young Crispin Glover as George McFly — were pitch-perfect. Glover steals pretty much every scene he’s in, and Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen has become almost as iconic as Marty himself. Interestingly, Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly but was recast due to a tonal mismatch, with Zemeckis wanting a less intense, more comedic Marty for the film. Fox fit the bill perfectly.
Along with Indiana Jones, Star Wars, E.T., and Ghostbusters, Back to the Future is now regarded as one of the best films of the ’80s and one of the greatest sci-fi and time-travel movies ever made.
Where to Stream ‘Back to the Future’
After a brief stint on Netflix to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary, Back to the Future disappeared from streaming services, though VOD options and the excellent 40th Anniversary 4k Blu-ray were still available. Fortunately, now all three Back to the Future films are available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
Pluto TV is an ad-based streaming service owned by Paramount that features both channels similar to traditional TV and on-demand content. Alongside Back to the Future, you’ll find classics like Blade, Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Black Hawk Down, and The Shawshank Redemption , currently airing on Pluto TV, and all of it’s free with no monthly subscription required.
All three Back to the Future films are excellent and still worth watching decades later. Back to the Future Part II features some wild predictions about the future — specifically, the year 2015 — that are downright uncanny in retrospect. Meanwhile, Back to the Future Part III is an homage to Westerns and genuinely stands out as a great Western film in its own right. The trilogy also remains unblemished by remakes, reboots or disappointing sequels — which is more than we can say for Indiana Jones or Star Wars.. In this respect, Back to the Future is something of an anomaly — a diamond in the rough.
