1985 Hit Film Was Just Ranked the 'Most Entertaining Movie of the 1980s'

Movie enthusiasts will agree that there were quite a few captivating box office hits released throughout the 1980s. For instance, Collider recently compiled a list of the "10 most entertaining films" from the decade.

The ranking, released on April 29, featured popular '80s films like Aliens from 1986, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, released in 1989, 1987's The Princess Bride, 1989's Do the Right Thing, andStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back from 1980.

The Robert Zemeckis-directed time travel movie, Back to the Future, released in 1985, was named the "most entertaining" '80s movie. Collider reported that the movie has an interesting, off-the-wall plot and iconic characters, specifically Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, and Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox.

Back to the Future, which spawned two sequels, has a score of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Back to the Future Part II (1989) has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 63 percent, while Back to the Future Part III (1990) has a score of 79 percent.

Michael J. Fox Opened up About the Unusual Way He Got the Role of Marty McFly

While some Back to the Future fans might have a hard time picturing anyone else playing the guitar-playing high school student, it's no secret that the original Marty McFly was actor Eric Stoltz.

In a 2001 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Fox noted that he was starring in Family Ties as Alex P. Keaton when the film was starting production. According to Fox, Zemeckis and his co-writer for Back to the Future, Bob Gale, had approached the creator of Family Ties, Gary David Goldberg, to let them cast Fox as Marty, unbeknownst to the actor. Goldberg told Gale and Zemeckis that Fox was unavailable for the role as he needed to be on the Family Ties set.

Due to Fox's unavailability, Stoltz was hired for the role, but ended up getting fired after a few weeks of filming. According to Fox, Stoltz, whom he described as "a terrific actor," wasn't "really ready to embrace" the film's "goofiness."

Eventually, Goldberg let Fox know that Zemeckis wanted him to replace Stoltz and let him see the script. Fox said he was immediately interested in the role and began filming Back to the Future "within a week" of accepting the job. However, he also had to film Family Ties.

"I was doing both jobs. I'd do Family Ties in the daytime and I do Back to the Future at night. And I was working 18, 19, 20 hours," recalled Fox in the 2001 interview.

He also noted that starring in Back to the Future "changed [his] life" and career trajectory.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 8:46 PM.