Back in Time

2015

Action / Documentary / Family / History

10
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 47% · 4 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 47% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 4480 4.5K

delorean interview filmmaking retrospective fandom film production

Plot summary

Cast, crew and fans explore the 'Back to the Future' time-travel trilogy's resonance throughout our culture—30 years after Marty McFly went back in time.

Director

Jason Aron Photo
Jason Aron

Top cast

Steven Spielberg Photo
Steven Spielberg as Self
Danny DeVito Photo
Danny DeVito as Ralph
Michael J. Fox Photo
Michael J. Fox as Self
Christopher Lloyd Photo
Christopher Lloyd as Self
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
866.12 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 34 min
Seeds ...
1.74 GB
1920*1072
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 34 min
Seeds 5

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by zkonedog 7 / 10

As Long As You Realize It Isn't Supposed To Be "Comprehensive", You'll Enjoy It

When this documentary came out (right around 10/21/2015, the date corresponding to when Marty explores his future in BTTF2), it was kind of touted as THE documentary to watch for BTTF fans. If you go into the experience with those kind of expectations, you will probably be disappointed, as that never seems to be the goal here. Instead, to really get the most out of the experience, you have to just sit back and relax, enjoying the fun little moments along the way.What could have (and almost should have, to be honest) destroyed this documentary is the fact that it severely lacks any sense of focus. It meanders here and there, trying to cram in as many BTTF angles as possible. It wants to seriously evaluate the legacy of the film, and does a number of interviews with key cast/crew/writers...but then it also follows around a Delorean rider for awhile...and looks at some BTTF fan events...and takes time to ponder the overall significance of the film's legacies. There are a lot of irons in the fire, to put it mildly, and usually that is a recipe for documentary disaster.Where "Back In Time" is able to pull through, however, is that many of those "odd little moments" are truly special and touching. For example...-An interview with Donald Fullilove, who played Goldie Wilson in the first movie. Just seeing him again will bring a smile to your face! The same for James Tolkan (Mr. Strickland). -A scene in which a man proposes to his girlfriend at a BTTF showing...then is serenaded with "Earth Angel" by none other than Harry Waters Jr. himself. -A couple who restored an old Delorean and are now using it to raise money for the Parkinson's Foundation (the disease that currently afflicts Michael J. Fox).Moments like that are why "Back In Time" is worth watching. It was never supposed to be a "comprehensive review" of the films, even if it seemed to be advertised as such. Instead, it's more of a peek into a few of the ways that the film trilogy has touched and inspired the lives of others.Much like Star Wars (though not at quite that level, obviously), Back To The Future has becoming a cultural institution all its own. The films are watched, re-watched, and then passed on to the next generation to do the same. Even though we are now further into the future than Marty McFly himself actually traveled, it hasn't dulled their value whatsoever. "Back In Time" acknowledges of all that...and then takes "the back roads" in a search for unique and interesting ways in which the films have taken on a life of their own.As such, once you realize what this documentary is/isn't supposed to be, you'll probably be able to enjoy it.
Reviewed by mickyal86 5 / 10

Passable for the masses, let down for real fans.

As a die hard BTTF fan I was pretty excited for this. I contributed to the Kickstarter campaign based off the trailer, which looked amazing. With all the coverage the trilogy was getting this year and especially in October, I thought finally viewing this would be a great way to cap it all off. Unfortunately, it left me pretty disappointed.The marquee names involved are obviously great, but way too much time is spent on random fans and contributors. It's hard to believe that what we see in the final piece is the best they got out of the interviews with Fox, Lloyd, and Thompson; all of which appear on screen for a total of maybe 10 minutes total.There are a few nice anecdotes and facts sprinkled throughout but overall the surface barely gets scratched on the depth of not only the movies themselves, but also the incredibly devoted subculture that has been generated over the years. To be fair, I am an above average fan so I know or am at least aware of the more behind the scenes stories and facts. However, even for the regular person with just basic knowledge of the films the documentary leaves a lot of holes.Storywise the editing is not good at all and very fragmented. For example, the first part (it's split into 2 very unequal parts for some unclear reason. Part 1 is about the move getting made) ends on the topic of the iconic delorean. Then we see a title card for "Part 2: The Fans", and for a minute or 2 they talk to some people, but then somehow the topic gets back to the delorean and into a pretty long exposition about people replicating the cars etc. Now sure, technically this is fans who build the cars, but there is so much of it there really should have been an entire section just about the car. Then, another part about the subculture of fans. I really saw no point at the attempt to segment the film into actual parts, of which there are only 2. There are some really nice nuggets and stories in there—like the private owner who actually owns the delorean from part 3 and 4x4 from part 1. But overall this really fell flat for me which is a big shame. I contributed because of my love for the movies. And although I'm sure the director is a passionate fan, it may have been better left in the hands of experienced story tellers.
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