Back to the Future only worked once Marty had a flaw
Bob Gale has said the trilogy really took flight when Marty McFly was given somewhere darker to start: an inability to back down when someone calls him chicken. Without a flaw, there is nothing for the plot to change in him, and sequels have nowhere to go.
Gale and Zemeckis also talk about rules the audience can follow: let people in on how your time-travel logic works, even if it would not survive a physics seminar. Suspense needs a visible clock. First appearances should tell you who someone is.
Forty years on, the lesson still lands for writers chasing spectacle: the DeLorean is the toy; Marty's pride is the story.
Go deeper on Kingdom of Dreams
- → EP 328: Bob Gale on Back to the Future Trilogy
- → EP 327: the guest on Back to the Future - Complete Screenplay
- → EP 300: Danny Bilson on The Rocketeer
Browse more writer conversations in the Kingdom of Dreams archive.
Headline inspired by craft conversation around Bob Gale (including ScreenCraft coverage of character flaws). Full articles remain on their sites; this page is our craft lens and episode guide. Read the source at ScreenCraft ↗