Back to the Future: Poster Review

Ray:

The Back to the Future movie poster is one of the coolest posters that I have ever seen. The focal point of the poster is Marty McFly looking down at his watch with a shocked look on his face. The shocked look makes the viewer wonder what he is worried about. It also portrays to the audience that the time worried him. It tells the viewers that time is going to be important before they even see it.

The car that he is stepping out of has a light shining out of it. This gives the feeling that there is a magical aspect about the car. It may cause the audience to wonder if there is a correlation between the car and the time. The poster itself focuses on the Marty McFly which is telling the audience that the movie is about him. He will be the protagonist that they will worry about and will be rooting for. Designer says that all of the events will be centered around this boy.

The color is masterfully used. The distinct contrast between the dark blue sky and the orange sunset really make the poster pop. The contrast between the two primary colors make the poster eye catching draw the attention to Marty.

The poster also includes the iconic “Back to the Future” logo in the top left corner. This was a smart decision because the artist wanted focus on the story of the poster. It includes all of the iconic trademarks of the movie such as the DeLorean, Marty McFly, the street skids, and the logo. All of the trademarks work really well with each other except for the skids.

The skids are cool but do not really match with the rest of the poster. They seem really out of place because they do not lead to anything. It would make sense if they were coming from the car yet the skids are in front of the car so that part looks bad in my opinion. It definitely does not ruin the poster, but it just comes across as strange. Besides the skids, it is just the perfect movie poster.

Tom:

Back to the Future is an iconic movie from the 80's, and the poster was the first thing the public saw about it.  Instantly, you think sci-fi meets action, but you still have many questions.  Why is there fire on the road?  What kind of vehicle is Marty standing next to?

The poster is quite busy, and there is a lot going on.  The font used is futuristic which is appropriate, and it uses both warm and cool colors.   These same colors are found in the sky and fire, and could symbolize a contrast in the movie.  Maybe there is a contrast in the two main characters? Or maybe they are trying to appear both sci-fi and action-packed.

The overall composition of the poster is successful, with the focal point being the main character.  Immediately you get a feeling that the vehicle is important because it is glowing, almost majestic like.  The fire in the road is also confusing, but viewers could instantly know that the fire will appear in the movie as well, playing a large role.