BTTF1 And Plot Holes

[Rippon]

Back to the Future 1 is one of my favorite films (despite some bad language at times).

About eight years ago I toured Universal Studios and got to see the Court House Square up close --and
that special DeLorean.

Christoper Lloyd was excellent in the role of Doc Brown. I enjoyed his character a great deal. The scenes
when he is hanging from the clock is pure Harold Lloyd (1893-1971). Well, H.L. put his life on the line in
Safety Last --Christoper Lloyd's life was not in jeopardy.

I could picture John Lithgow in the role. But Chrisopher Walker would be an even better candidate.

I realize that while watching movies we need to suspend our disbelief. I will not address the very concept of
time travel itself. But there are a number of inconsistencies in the film. I wonder if any of you have noticed
(or even care). This is trivia, so major dogmas are not at stake.

This will not be in chronological order necessarily.

The letter that Marty wrote was torn up by Doc Brown. So why was it whole near the end of the film?

The pole and hook were not attached when Marty went back to 1985. What happened to it?

No policemen were patrolling Twin Pines Mall despite all that noise?!

When Doc was doing his clockwork (pun intended) and Marty was barrelling down to the line --
why were there absolutely no people or cars around at the time.


For that matter, when Doc had time on his hands --no one noticed? All that noise and commotion?

When Marty was trying to escape from the Libians no even one bullet struck his vehicle?

At the end of the movie when Doc came crashing into the trash cans --with all that clamor the McFly family
did not gather outside to see what the commotion was about?
_______________________________________________________________________

Does anyone have any other observations regarding my theme? Don't discuss the plot holes of other films
on this thread. Make up a thread yourself if that interests you.

 

[InTheLight]

Back to the Future 1 is one of my favorite films (despite some bad language at times).

About eight years ago I toured Universal Studios and got to see the Court House Square up close --and
that special DeLorean.

Christoper Lloyd was excellent in the role of Doc Brown. I enjoyed his character a great deal. The scenes
when he is hanging from the clock is pure Harold Lloyd (1893-1971). Well, H.L. put his life on the line in
Safety Last --Christoper Lloyd's life was not in jeopardy.

Saw Safety Last on TCM a few months ago. Very good.

Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies as well.

I realize that while watching movies we need to suspend our disbelief. I will not address the very concept of
time travel itself. But there are a number of inconsistencies in the film. I wonder if any of you have noticed
(or even care). This is trivia, so major dogmas are not at stake.

This will not be in chronological order necessarily.

The letter that Marty wrote was torn up by Doc Brown. So why was it whole near the end of the film?

In 1985 it was all taped up. He must have saved it, taped it together and read it in 1955.

The pole and hook were not attached when Marty went back to 1985. What happened to it?

Got torn/burned off when it snagged the cable in the lightning strike?

No policemen were patrolling Twin Pines Mall despite all that noise?!

It was 1:30 in the morning and the incident lasted for about a minute.

When Doc was doing his clockwork (pun intended) and Marty was barrelling down to the line --
why were there absolutely no people or cars around at the time.

Big rain storm with lightning. School dance occurring. It's 1955, everything is closed, and it's dark outside. Why would anyone be walking around? There was a policeman that asked Doc what he was doing with the cable attached to the clock tower.

For that matter, when Doc had time on his hands --no one noticed? All that noise and commotion?

Do you mean when he did his experiments? He lived out in the country.

When Marty was trying to escape from the Libians no even one bullet struck his vehicle?

The Libyan guy was sticking out of the sunroof of a VW van and his gun kept jamming. Marty kept zig-zagging back and forth plus there was a lot of turns. We are also talking about a VW van keeping up with a DeLorean. Do we know that no bullets hit it? (Was there a line of dialogue that stated this?)

At the end of the movie when Doc came crashing into the trash cans --with all that clamor the McFly family
did not gather outside to see what the commotion was about?

You got me. Maybe they figured it was garbage pickup day and figured it was the garbage truck? (Why was there undrunk Miller beer in the beer can? Because Miller beer is no good?!)
_______________________________________________________________________

Does anyone have any other observations regarding my theme? Don't discuss the plot holes of other films
on this thread. Make up a thread yourself if that interests you.

The plot device of showing the photograph of his family changing was a good way to communicate to the audience what might happen if the past were to be changed, However, it seems to indicate the writer was using the "many worlds" interpretation of time travel. That is not consistent with the premise of the whole rest of the movie. Still, it doesn't bother me.

 

[Rippon]

Another thing:

Lou, the owner of the diner seemed to be a tough, no nonsense kind of guy.
Why would he have put up with Biff treating George that way in the beginning
of the movie? And the same thing applies when George enters the diner to ask
Loraine out to the dance. Biff creates a scene and bullies his way through. A real
Lou would have put a stop to that at once.

 

[InTheLight]

Another thing:

Lou, the owner of the diner seemed to be a tough, no nonsense kind of guy.
Why would he have put up with Biff treating George that way in the beginning
of the movie? And the same thing applies when George enters the diner to ask
Loraine out to the dance. Biff creates a scene and bullies his way through. A real
Lou would have put a stop to that at once.

Can't remember--what was Biff's Dad's standing in the town? Was he a big-wig? If so, that's a possible explanation.

 

[Rippon]

Can't remember--what was Biff's Dad's standing in the town? Was he a big-wig? If so, that's a possible explanation.

Per Wikipedia, Biff lived with his grandma, Gertrude Tannen, at 1809 Mason Street for some time by November 1955.

It doesn't sound like he led a privileged existence. His father might have died by that point, or divorced or couldn't be bothered with Biff.

 

[Rippon]

How did Marty get registered in High School so quickly? Doc Brown was busy getting his project going.

Marty had to do some fast shopping for clothes.

When Marty first went into the diner how did he pay for his drink? The only coins he would have had
were vintage 70s and 80s editions. That would certainly have raised suspicions.

 

[Don]

I have a suspicion...or perhaps a plot synopsis for a final BTTF movie....

Remember how Doc Brown was put in a psychiatric hospital?

What if..."Doc Brown" visits Marty one last time and gives him a time gizmo? When Marty uses it, he's sent to 1950-whatever, where he gets picked up by police and thrown in a mental ward? Just before receiving electro-shock therapy, he desperately wishes Doc would save him; but no rescue comes. After the electro-shock, he's so addled and scrambled that he assumes the only name he remembers from just before the shock: Emmet Brown.

He then spends his next years driven to learning physics, knowing that this is the only way to set things right; until the fateful day he falls and bangs his head, which shakes loose a memory of a Y-shaped device called a flux capacitor, followed by a visit by a boy from the future....

I know. Plot holes galore. The biggest being: If Doc is really a future version of Marty, how did he get taller?....

 

[Rippon]

Marty went to George's room in that yellow outfit and helmet. Wouldn't that have caused a ruckus?

When Doc Brown was doing his Harold Lloyd bit the ledge under him fell away. For a part of the time
he had nothing to stand upon --he wasn't holding on to anthing for support.

When Doc Brown ziplined his way to the ground from the clock tower his hands would have hurt --
possibly bleeding.

Also, the lightening bolt would certainly have injured him at the least.

 

[Rippon]

Wouldn't Marty's parents have remembered their interactions with him when they were teenagers? And Doc had to remember especially when he obeyed the instructions from the letter Marty wrote 30 years prior.

This lack of remembering is the least plausible aspect of the film.

 

[InTheLight]

Wouldn't Marty's parents have remembered their interactions with him when they were teenagers? And Doc had to remember especially when he obeyed the instructions from the letter Marty wrote 30 years prior.

Marty's parents would have been in their 40's by the time Marty was a senior in high school. They may well remember the guy that brought them together on the night of the school dance but I doubt they would think, "hey that guy you called Calvin Klein back during the senior prom week looks exactly like Marty. Do you suppose it really was Marty?"

This lack of remembering is the least plausible aspect of the film.

Not a time-traveling DeLorean?


Sent from my Motorola Droid Turbo using Tapatalk.

 

[Rippon]

Marty's parents would have been in their 40's by the time Marty was a senior in high school. They may well remember the guy that brought them together on the night of the school dance but I doubt they would think, "hey that guy you called Calvin Klein back during the senior prom week looks exactly like Marty. Do you suppose it really was Marty?"

Both of them had memorable interations with Marty. There is no way that could have forgotten him. And their interactions were not only on the night of the dance alone.

Not a time-traveling DeLorean?

In my OP I had indicated that the very idea of time travel itself was not up for discussion.

 

[InTheLight]

Both of them had memorable interations with Marty. There is no way that could have forgotten him. And their interactions were not only on the night of the dance alone.

I had a graduating class of 850 high school kids. I had interactions with some kids for several days and then never again. If I were to "meet" them today as they appeared when they were 18 I would never remember them. Furthermore, I would certainly never say my son looks exactly like a guy I met for a weekend 30 years ago.

 

[Rippon]

I had a graduating class of 850 high school kids. I had interactions with some kids for several days and then never again. If I were to "meet" them today as they appeared when they were 18 I would never remember them. Furthermore, I would certainly never say my son looks exactly like a guy I met for a weekend 30 years ago.

The character of Marty was born 13 years after that week he had in 1955. His very name is more than an indication that she (or they) remembered him. "Marty, such a nice name."

 

[Rippon]

When Doc Brown ziplined his way to the ground from the clock tower his hands would have hurt --
possibly bleeding.

I was wrong here. He was wearing gloves.

 

[Rippon]

Doc Brown had a closer relationship with Mary during that week in 1955 than he had with his parents-to-be.

For thirty years Doc kept that letter. He could not have forgotten Marty. He had to have put 2 plus 2 together.

That fateful AM when he was shot should have been no surprise for him. Yet he said that he didn't know how the Libyans found him. He could have made sure that his gun was loaded. He would have realized how dangerous it was to deal with the Libyans in the first place.