Looking Back to July 1985: What were the summer blockbuster films?

2,000 editions ago, in July 1985, the first installment of what would go on to become one of the biggest movie-franchises of all time hit cinema screens.

Back To The Future was released on July 3, starring Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson.

The plot is actually set in the year 1985 and revolves around the adventures of a teenage boy named Marty McFly (Fox) who is accidentally transported back to 1955 by his friend, the eccentric inventor, Emmett ‘Doc’ Brown (Lloyd).

After bumping into ‘Doc’ in the car park of the Twin Pines mall, the zany scientist introduces him to a time machine that he built from a modified DeLorean. It can only be fuelled by plutonium that he stole from some Libyan terrorists.

These bad people arrive unexpectedly and shoot Doc but not before he keyed the date of November 5, 1955 into his time machine.

How did Marty end up going back to 1955?

Marty is sat inside the car and as he tries to escape the scene he inadvertently activates time travel when the speedometer reached 88 miles per hour and finds himself back in 1955.

Now stuck in the past, a course of hilarious events include Marty inadvertently disrupting his parents’ first meeting. He also discovers that his meek father George was bullied by his supervisor, Biff Tannen, 30 years previously. His biggest problem though is that he needs to find a supply of plutonium to return to the future.

What was the other classic film released in July 1985?

Released only a few days later, on July 10, was the epic post-apocalyptic dystopian action film ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’.

Starring the Australian actor Mel Gibson and the late music legend Tina Turner, the plot follows the encounters of Max Rockatansky (Gibson).

Initially, the roving warrior – a former cop who has been exiled into the desert – is crossing the Wasteland in his motor vehicle pulled by camels when Jedediah, an airborne bandit, accompanied by his young son, attack him and steal his vehicle.

What does Max do after his transport is stolen?

Max sets out on their trail and eventually arrives at ‘Bartertown’. Refused entry because he has nothing to trade, Max finally convinces the trading post’s Aunty Entity (Tina Turner) to provide him with supplies should he complete a task.

Aunty sends Max to ‘Underworld’ where he must kill the refinery’s owner, a dwarf named ‘Blaster’. As a result, the warrior finds himself involved in a string of adventures. The film was the third of four in the franchise, following the original ‘Mad Max’ from 1979.