20 awesome ’80s movies you should totally see before you die

8. Back to the Future (1985)

When Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) learns his pal Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) has successfully conquered time travel, his first response is “You built a time machine out of a DeLorean?” Forget all of the other implications of this huge discovery. Marty questions Doc’s choice of transportation.

Things only grow stranger for Marty when he accidentally travels back in time to 1955 where he encounters his parents, Lorraine (Lea Thompson) and George (Crispin Glover). But mom develops a crush on Marty instead of George, jeopardizing Marty’s entire existence. Plus, it’s really icky.

Michael J. Fox proved he could put butts in the seat as a leading man, departing drastically from his very popular small screen persona; the ultra-conservative, Type-A personality Alex P. Keaton on the long-running series Family Ties.

Back to the Future grossed over $381 million worldwide (even by today’s standards, that’s not chump change), making it the highest-grossing film of 1985. It was nominated for three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

The Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, joining other ’80s films like The Shining, The Goonies, Die Hard, The Princess Bride, Ghostbusters and Top Gun.

Back to the Future  ranks 28th on Entertainment Weekly’s  “Head of the Class: The 50 Best High School Movies.”

The film also had two sequels, Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990).