Movie List: Back to the Future - 1.21 gigawatts?!?! Great Scott!

Title: Back to the Future (1985)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Writer: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Grade: A

Tagline: A teenager is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown, and must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to save his own existence.

Good Movie For: Time Travelers, Mother Lovers, Skateboard Enthusiasts, People Named Scott

I'm a hoarder. OK. That might have been a little too intense. Let's just say that I may or may not possess some hoarding tendencies. I don't hoard newspapers or memorabilia, or anything that would remotely bring me any profit in the future. I hoard movies, DVDs to be specific. I haven't actually counted exactly how many DVDs I have, but it's somewhere in the hundreds. It's not that bad actually, but in a time where instant streaming has blossomed into this juggernaut, DVDs and actual concrete evidence of movies have seemed to disappear into the cuts. But I'm not budging. I love the feeling of opening the cling wrap from around a brand new DVD package. I also love the feel of actual books. Yes. I do have a Netflix account, and I read books on my iPad, but the tangible feel of these things will always surpass the digital for me. 

That being said, I actually own the Back to the Future trilogy on Blu-Ray, thank you Black Friday and Amazon.com. But even though I own a movie, it doesn't necessarily mean that I've watched it. I watched Back to the Future in my dorm kitchen, while studying abroad, thousands of miles away from my actual copy of it, because my flat mate thought that it was ridiculous that I haven't watched it. I knew the basic storyline of Back to the Future. It plays endlessly on channels in America, but I don't think I've ever sat down and fully watched the entire movie. I've seen bits and pieces here and there, but nothing fully at the same time. 

I get it. I get why this movie is one that seems to appear on many people's favorite films list. I get why this is a top contender in many of my friends' favorites. Yes, it has some campy bits to it, but its an amazing movie. The novel idea of time traveling in the 1980's. The imminent danger that Marty faces trying to get his parents to finally fall in love. The disillusionment of Doc. The pieces fit perfectly together. I can see why Back to the Future is a top contender. If you haven't seen it, then what the fuck are you doing with your life? Just kidding. But really, this is a movie that everyone should watch. If not because you love the cast or the idea, but because you need to hear 1.21 gigawatts screamed by a white haired maniac just once in your life.