Original artwork, not a still
Let’s see if you bastards can do 90.
— Back to the Future ‧ 1985
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is Marty's panic turning into swagger: his friend has just been shot, gunmen are on his tail, and he still gets to talk tough as the speedometer climbs. The audience knows what 88 mph does, so the line is also a dare to physics. It sends Marty into the trilogy by accident, and fans quote it whenever a car, a PC or a deadline is about to go faster than it should.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Back to the FutureShow the scene
At the start of Back to the Future (1985), in the Twin Pines Mall car park in the small hours, Doc Brown has just shown Marty that his DeLorean really travels in time. Libyan gunmen, whose plutonium Doc took to power it, arrive in a van and shoot Doc. Marty jumps into the DeLorean and takes off with the van in pursuit, then mutters the line while flooring the accelerator. At 88 mph the car vanishes, and Marty lands in 1955 and crashes through Old Man Peabody's barn.
Sources (1)
- Back to the Future transcript, Back to the Future WikiLibyans shoot Doc, Marty flees in the DeLoreanReference checked
Context reviewed
