Back to the Future is a 1985 film that was written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and directed by Zemeckis solo. It tells the tale of Marty McFly as he finds himself trapped in the 1950s and has to play matchmaker to his parents (or phase the consequences of never getting born). It was followed by two sequels in 1989 and 1990 respectively and... is super iconic. Like, super, SUPER iconic.

For many, the trilogy is a fun tale of time travel, pop culture humor, and some truly peak 80s mainstream film action. But, as I discovered upon a deeper look at the movies, there's actually quite a bit of subtle commentary on the nature of nostalgia to be found here. Or, at least, enough for me to string together 30 minutes worth of material about it! Idk man, you be the judge!

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Credits:
Research:
Nostalgia: a conceptual history | PubMed
How ’80s Hollywood and Ronald Reagan fueled each other — and paved the way for Trump | Vox

Video/TV/Media:
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Family Guy (1999Present)
Ronald Reagan's Acceptance Speech at Republican National Convention, July 17, 1980 | YT: Reagan Library
Happy Days (19741984)
Late Night with David Letterman (19821993)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
Warner Bros Classics Promo (1996)
The Last Outpost (1951)
Tropic Zone (1953)
The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy (2010)
Paris, Texas (1984)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Reagan at 1980 convention: "make America great again" (CSpan)
Cattle Queen of Montana (1954)
Johnny Rockets Original Crew | YT: Johnny Rockets
Michael Jackson Slave to the Rhythm Performance
A Flying Car (1949)
Midnight In Paris (2011)
Ready Player One (Trailer)
Stranger Things Season 1 (Trailer)
Ghostbusters Afterlife (Trailer)
It’s A Wonderful Life (1948)

Music: Super Back to the Future II OST (Super Famicom)

#backtothefuture #videoessay #80smovies