12. “Back to the Future” (dir. Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
![Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, "Back to the Future"](https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/5886092ab.jpg?w=300)
What’s cooler than a car? A time machine. What’s cooler than a time machine? A time machine that’s also a car. That’s the immortal lesson learned in Robert Zemeckis’ classic teen comedy “Back to the Future,” which introduced audiences to the iconic white time-traveling DeLorean. Invented by mad scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lee), the car rockets Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) back in time to 1955, where he engages in all kinds of wacky hijinks involving almost making out with his own mother before racing back to the future by driving the vehicle through a lightning storm. The car would figure in the film’s two sequels, plus a stage musical, but its first appearance in the original remains the most stylish and unforgettable of them all. —WC