‘Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History’ Review

Written by Randal Atamaniuk, Michael Kalstorin | Published by Titan Books | Format: Hardback, 224pp

Few films have had as much cultural impact as the Back to the Future trilogy, you only have to see the effect that the passing of the iconic 2015 date from the second movie had on not only the internet but the worldwide media to see that. Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History – from Titan Books – goes behind the scenes to tell the complete story of the making of the Back to the Future trilogy and how the adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown became an international phenomenon.

And much like the “Vault” books, (Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who et al) the book features hundreds of rare and never-before-seen images from the movies sets, along with concept art, storyboards and other visual treasures from the Universal Pictures archive – all recreated withing the pages of the book. This includes a fantastic lenticular postcard recreating Marty’s famous “disappearing family” photograph, Marty’s future-spoiling letter to Doc Brown and the original sketch of the flux capacitor as seen in the first movie! There’s also a heap of artwork from poster designer Drew Struzan…

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History also features brand-new interviews with the cast and crew involved in the making of the trilogy; including Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Steven Speilberg, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy – who reveal the screts behind the development of the film and the now-iconic scenes such as the hoverboard chase and the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. The majority of the book is given to the production of the first film in the series, even covering production errors/problems; but don’t let that put you off, both sequels are still extensively and definitely covered within the pages of this huge 224 page book.

Incredbily comprehensive, this tome comes from Back to the Future expert Randal Atamaniuk and writer Michael Kalstorin, who also just happened to be the production publicist on the second and third movies. So comprehensive is Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History that it doesn’t just stop at the trilogy, it also covers Back to the Future: The Ride, the merchandise surrounding the film, and even the much-maligned (by some) and the little discussed (and even less seen) Back to the Future: The Animated Series.

If you’re a fan of the Back to the Future trilogy in the slightest then you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this book pronto. Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History is out now from Titan Books.