It’s been a long time. This is the first time I’ve watched through the movie on Blu-ray, and I’m really very happy with the transfer. There are a few details that I hadn’t noticed before.
This time through, I’ve realized that it’s a very charming movie… but it has some serious weaknesses.
It’s a remarkably tight script. Everything in it is either a setup or a payoff. There are callbacks to nearly every single detail. This does make it a very satisfying movie to watch. But there’s a conspicuous lack of character development. Especially with Marty, who gets a very small, and very understated arc for himself. (Mostly, he sees his own weaknesses in his father, and realizes it. This aspect is not played up.)
Because everything is setup and payoff, the movie feels like one giant in-joke. The cast is mostly winking at the audience through the whole thing. This is where Michael J. Fox pays off - he knows how to deliver those lines in a way that doesn’t feel wrong. It’s a little more grating when Lorraine delivers these lines. It might be because she seems to be kind of vacuous.
I found myself wonder how I would feel about the movie if I hadn’t seen it as a kid. I know that my dad didn’t like this movie, and couldn’t stand it.
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