The curtailing of Michael J Fox's acting career by the early onset of Parkinson's disease is one of the tragedies of recent cinema, and there is no film that serves as a sharper reminder of his effortless charisma and likability than Back to the Future, which some readers may shudder to learn has its 25th anniversary this year. But it is still the time-travel movie that all others strive to match. For Boys' Own sci-fi adventure purists, it ticks every box, delivering on imaginative gadgets, cool iconic technology (its crucial role secured the defunct DeLorean an eternal place in car history) and a gripping, high-stakes, hero-making finale.
It has a contagious joie de vivre, thanks to a light touch and the joyful, noisy performance of the wonderfully demented Christopher Lloyd as the archetypal mad scientist – but it's also very touching in its portrayal of insecure teenagers as the pangs of first love hit. And it suggests that we take time to remember our stiff parents were stupid kids once, too.
