The time machine was originally written in the script as a household refrigerator. Filmmakers changed the fridge to a DeLorean so children would not trap themselves inside fridges at home .
Episode #12
Back to the Future
Back to the Future (1985) • Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Published 22 May 2026
In this episode of the Four Takes Movie Podcast, Martin, Adam, Luke and David celebrate the 40th anniversary of Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 classic Back to the Future. From the DeLorean and IMAX spectacle to practical sound effects, time-travel logic and behind-the-scenes controversies, the team look at why the film remains such a beloved sci-fi adventure. Expect plenty of tangents, laughs and strong opinions about the sequels along the way.
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About the Movie
Back to the Future
1985Directed by Robert Zemeckis116 mins
AdventureComedyScience Fiction
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
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Episode Notes
From the Episode
Welcome back to the Four Takes Movie Podcast! It only took us six months to find an actual floor to record on (thanks for building it, Adam; way to supervise, David). Join Martin, Adam, Luke, and David as they stave off their impending demise to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Robert Zemeckis's 1985 classic, Back to the Future.
Before we hit 88 miles per hour, enjoy a completely baffling detour into Jeff Goldblum's lack of an acting "switch", a defence of the Devil Wears Prada cinematic universe, and a surreal tangent about The Sheep Detectives, a movie where a flock of sheep try to solve a murder.
Once we finally fire up the flux capacitor, the guys gush over the sheer majesty of seeing the DeLorean in glorious IMAX and Dolby Atmos. Expect passionate, old-man-yells-at-cloud rants about how modern 4K movies look like they've been slapped with a cheap Instagram beautification filter, a deep dive into the magic of '70s Foley artists crushing lettuce to make alien sounds, and a logical breakdown of why time-traveling in a DeLorean is way more believable than Indiana Jones surviving a nuke in a refrigerator.
Stick around for the real behind-the-scenes drama, including Crispin Glover's righteous fury over face-stealing and '80s capitalism, David's absolute refusal to accept the dystopian nightmare timeline of Back to the Future II, and a collective roasting of Michael J. Fox’s catastrophic attempt at an Irish accent in the third film.
Next time, we'll be doing a Mel Brookes classic, because it’s going to take us until at least November to convince everyone to sit through Dune!
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Did You Know?
Movie Trivia
Marty runs over one of Old Man Peabody's pine trees when he arrives in 1955. Knocking down the tree changes the Twin Pines Mall sign into the Lone Pine Mall sign at the end of the film
An opening clock features a man hanging from a clock hand, foreshadowing Doc Brown on the clock tower in homage to Buster Keaton
Crispin Glover objected to the film's ending because he felt it tied happiness purely to wealth and material status
Michael J. Fox actually played the guitar himself during the Johnny B. Goode dance scene
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