Editing Back to the Future (section)

==Legacy==
===Cultural influence===
[[File:Tom Wilson photo by Josh Alder.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|alt=refer to caption|[[Thomas F. Wilson]] in 2011. He began carrying cards containing answers to the repetitive questions he was asked by fans about the ''Back to the Future'' series.]]

Since its release, ''Back to the Future'' has remained an enduring popular culture [[touchstone (metaphor)|touchstone]],<ref name="NPRPopCulture" /> and in 2007, the United States [[Library of Congress]] selected the film for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]] for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.<ref name="LOC" /> The film elevated Fox from a financially struggling actor to one of the most in-demand and globally recognized stars in Hollywood,<ref name="NYTimes1986August8" /><ref name="NYTimesFoxInterview" /> and Gale received fan mail for decades after its release. He said he understood the continuing appreciation for the original film as it was the "purest" and "most complete" in the series.<ref name="BOMGaleInterview" /> Fox compared it to ''The Wizard of{{spaces}}Oz'' (1939), saying it still appeals to children because they do not think of it as an old film.<ref name="EWFoxLasting" /> In 2012, Thompson called it the greatest role of her career.<ref name="AVClubThompson" /> Dean Cundey believed it resonated with fans because it offers the fantasy of going back in time to change things and make the present better.<ref name="TheGuardianHowWeMade" /><ref name="EWWilsonCards" /> Lloyd described being approached by fans from around the world, who have said the film inspired them to become a scientist.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=241}}

Many of the principal cast have reunited since the film's release. Often these reunions are for charity, including [[The Michael J. Fox Foundation]] for [[Parkinson's disease]] (Fox was diagnosed with the disease at age{{spaces}}29), and [[Project HOPE]].{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="THRGaleCameo" /><ref name="EWMJFoxFoundation" /><ref name="EWProjectHope" /><ref name="EW2018Reunion" />}} A 2019 reunion for the [[TCM Classic Film Festival#TCM Classic Film Festival|TCM Classic Film Festival]] featured the 4K{{spaces}}restoration premiere of ''Back to the Future''.<ref name="EWTCM" /> During the 2020 [[COVID-19 pandemic]], [[Josh Gad]] hosted a ''Back to the Future'' retrospective featuring many cast and crew.<ref name="RollingStoneReunitedApart" /> The cast has also appeared in advertisements only loosely related to ''Back to the Future'', trading on their associated popularity.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=242}}

The film has global popular appeal, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Argentina, the [[Netherlands]], and Japan.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|pp=240–241}} On October{{spaces}}21, 2015 (the day Doc and Marty travel to at the end of ''Back to the Future'', as depicted in ''Back to the Future{{spaces}}II'') an estimated 27{{spaces}}million social media users discussed the films; the most active users were in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Brazil.<ref name="NPRPopCulture" /><ref name="EW2015SocialMedia" /> Ronald Reagan was also a fan, referring to the film during his [[1986 State of the Union Address]] to appeal to America's young voters, saying, "Never has there been a more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic achievement. As they said in the film ''Back to the Future'', 'Where we're going, we don't need roads.{{' "}}<ref name="NPRPopCulture" /><ref name="CSpanReagan" /><ref name="NYTimesReaganSpeech" /> Although Gale has said that Reagan, after enjoying the joke about Doc Brown's incredulous response to him becoming president, ordered the theater's projectionist to stop the film, roll it back, and run it again, this is disputed by Reagan's advisor, Mark Weinberg.<ref name="UproxxAnalysis" />{{sfn|Weinberg|2018a|pp=147-150}}<ref name="PoliticoReagan" /> ''Back to the Future'' is also seen as responsible for a resurgence of skateboarding in the 1980s.<ref name="NYTimesSkateboard" /><ref name="CNNGaleInterview" /> It made skateboarding a mainstream pastime acceptable for all, not just rebellious teenagers.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=236}}

''Back to the Future'' has been referred to in a variety of media, including television,{{sfn|Ní Fhlainn|2014|p=2}}<ref name="VultureStranger" /> films,<ref name="EWMillion" /><ref name="THREndgame" /> and video games.<ref name="GTAV" /><ref name="EWRocketLeague" /> Doc and Marty, respectively, inspired the eponymous characters of the 2013 animated television show ''[[Rick and Morty]]''.<ref name="AVClubRandM" /> The British pop rock band [[McFly]] are named for Marty McFly.<ref name="McFlySite" /> The 2011 novel ''[[Ready Player One]]'' by [[Ernest Cline]] and the [[Ready Player One (film)|2018 film adaptation]] (directed by Spielberg) both heavily refer to the film, including the central character using a DeLorean for transport.<ref name="RPO1" /><ref name="RPO2" /> Filmmaker [[J.&nbsp;J. Abrams]] has also cited it as an inspiration.<ref name="WiredHardin" />

The 2015 [[Crowdfunding|crowdfunded]] documentary ''[[Back in Time (2015 film)|Back in Time]]'' follows various fans of the series and details the impact it has had on their lives, interspersed with interviews from the crew including Fox and Lloyd.<ref name="SyFyBackinTime" /> The DeLorean is considered one of the most iconic vehicles in film history.<ref name="EWDeLorean" /> DeLorean's creator [[John DeLorean]] was a fan of the film and sent personal letters to Gale and Zemeckis, thanking them for using his vehicle.<ref name="EsquireDidntGetMade" /> The DeLorean was not a popular vehicle before the film's release. However, in the years since it has become a popular collector's item, the [[DeLorean Motor Company]] issued kits enabling fans to make their vehicle look like the DeLorean time machine.<ref name="VultureLostRoles" /><ref name="PasteMagLegacy" /> Gale led a restoration of one of the original screen-used DeLoreans in 2011, documented in ''Out of Time: Saving the DeLorean Time Machine''.<ref name="PasteMagLegacy" /><ref name="BTTFcomDelorean" /><ref name="VergeDelorean" />

===Modern reception===
[[File:Back to the Future Reunion NYCC 8.jpg|thumb|Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox discussing the film at the 2022 [[New York Comic Con]]]]
''Back to the Future'' is considered a landmark of American cinema, and one of the greatest films ever made.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="HFPAOralHistory" /><ref name="NPRPopCulture" /><ref name="LATimesHoldUp" /><ref name="Empire500" /><ref name="THRJun14" />}} In 2004, ''The New York Times'' listed it as one of the 1,000 Best Movies Ever,<ref name="NYTimesBest" /> and the following year its screenplay was listed as the 56th greatest screenplay of the preceding 75 years by the [[Writers Guild of America]].<ref name="WGAGreatest1" /><ref name="WGAGreatest2" /> Throughout the rest of the 2000s, it appeared on [[Film4]]'s ''[[50 Films to See Before You Die]]'' (number{{spaces}}10),<ref name="Film4Die" /> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]''{{'}}s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time (number{{spaces}}23), behind the 1977 space opera ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'',<ref name="Empire500" /> and the [[American Film Institute]] listed it as the number{{spaces}}10 best science fiction film, based on a poll of fifteen hundred people from the creative community.<ref name="AFITop10" /> In 2010, ''[[Total Film]]'' named it one of the 100 greatest movies ever made, and the following year it was voted by [[BBC Radio 1]] and [[BBC Radio 1Xtra]] listeners as their fourth favorite film of all time.<ref name="TotalFilmGreatest" /><ref name="BBCRADIO1" /> It is also listed in the film reference book ''[[1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die]]''.{{sfn|Schneider|2013}} A 2014 poll of 2,120 entertainment-industry members by ''The Hollywood Reporter'' ranked it as the 12th best film of all time, again behind ''Star Wars''.<ref name="THRJun14" /> In 2015, the screenplay was listed as the 67th funniest on the WGA's 101 Funniest Screenplays list,<ref name="WGAFunniest1" /><ref name="WGAFunniest2" /> and ''Rotten Tomatoes'' also listed the film at number{{spaces}}84 on its list of 200 essential movies to watch.<ref name="RT200" />

Several publications have named it as one of the best science fiction films ever made,{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="BestSciFiRT" /><ref name="BestSciFiSyFy" /><ref name="BestSciFiEmpire" /><ref name="BestSciFiGRadar" /><ref name="BestSciFiPaste" /><ref name="BestSciFiIGN" /><ref name="BestSciFiBI" /><ref name="BestSciFiThrillist" /><ref name="BestSciFiEsquire" /><ref name="BestSciFiGuardian" /><ref name="BestSciFiTimeOut" /><ref name="BestSciFiWired" />}} and one of the best films of the 1980s.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="80sCoS" /><ref name="80sRT" /><ref name="80sShortList" /><ref name="80sElle" /><ref name="80sEmpire" /><ref name="80sParade" /><ref name="80sTimeOut" /><ref name="80sGRadar" /><ref name="80sCosmo" /><ref name="80sEsquire" /><ref name="80sHarpersBazaar" /><ref name="80sHighSnobiety" /><ref name="80sMarieClaire" /><ref name="80sTownandCountry" /><ref name="80sUSATODAYCOMEDY" />}} ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' and ''Rolling Stone'' listed it as the number{{spaces}}one and number{{spaces}}four best time-travel film ever made respectively.<ref name="BestTimeTravelPopMec" /><ref name="BestTimeTravelRS" /> ''Entertainment Weekly'' named it the 40th most essential film to be watched by pre-teens and the 28th best high-school movie.<ref name="EWHighSchool" /><ref name="BestforKidsEW" /> Marty McFly appeared at number{{spaces}}39 on ''Empire''{{'}}s 2006 list of its "100 Greatest Movie Characters"; Doc Brown followed at number{{spaces}}76.<ref name="Empire100Marty" /><ref name="Empire100Doc" />

''Rotten Tomatoes'' assesses {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} approval rating from the aggregated reviews of {{RT data|count}} critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's consensus reads: "Inventive, funny, and breathlessly constructed, ''Back to the Future'' is a rousing time-travel adventure with an unforgettable spirit."<ref name="RottenTomatoes" /> Based on this score, Rotten Tomatoes also listed it as the 87th best Action and Adventure film.<ref name="BestActAdvRT" /> The film has a score of 87 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]] based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref name="Metacritic" /> In the United Kingdom, readers of ''Empire'' voted the film as 11th on their 2017 list of "The 100 Greatest Movies".<ref name="Empire2" />