Great Scott! Celebrating 35 Years of ‘Back to the Future Part II’ Best Quotes

Choosing the best film in the Back to the Future franchise is a lot like picking a favorite child.

However, the right answer is always Back to the Future Part II because who wouldn’t want to live in 2015 again? Lest we forget, that’s the year that gave us cinema classics such as Spectre, The Martian, and of course, the greatest movie of all time: Minions.

Anyway, the year 2015 in Back to the Future Part II is much different than the one we all experienced, so let’s head back to the future – or is it technically the past now? – to join the likes of Marty McFly and Doc Brown and relive all the best quotes from this sci-fi spectacle.

“Don’t talk to anyone, don’t touch anything, don’t do anything, don’t interact with anyone, and try not to look at anything”

Look, Doc, this isn’t just great advice for Marty in terms of how to handle being in the future – this is the type of advice everyone needs on a daily basis. Sometimes, it’s best to just mind our own business and keep on trucking. Otherwise, by doing anything different, we open the door to the possibility of trouble!

“What’s wrong with making a few bucks on the side?”

Marty thinks like a shrewd entrepreneur, though this is sorta illegal. Since he’s in the future, he’ll know how a whole bunch of sports matches pan out. Naturally, he thinks this information might make him a wealthier man in his own timeline, so he banks the information – quite literally – for later (or earlier) betting.

“Shark still looks fake”

Everyone loves a little tongue-in-cheek humor, especially when it’s a tip of the hat and also a side swipe at Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. In Back to the Future Part II, Marty sees an ad for Jaws 19. He freaks out ever so slightly when a hologram shark opens its mouth wide and goes for him. When Marty realizes he’s safe and no longer in any danger, he quips how the shark still looks fake. You weren’t saying that five seconds earlier, Marty!

“Nobody calls me chicken”

Biff’s grandson Griff has the audacity to call Marty a chicken. Of course, it riles up the young McFly, who’s ready to throw hands over these kinds of insults – a trait he shares across all three movies. However, Marty takes a pause when he sees the size of Griff’s baseball bat. Well, needless to say, Marty still gets his payback in the end.

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”

One of the most timeless quotes – not just from Back to the Future Part II but also cinema as a whole. Marty tells Doc that there might not be enough runway for the DeLorean to hit top speed; however, Doc replies that the adventure they’re going on isn’t contingent on roads.

“The time-traveling is just too dangerous. Better that I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe: women”

Doc has jokes, that’s for sure. However, no one quite buys that he’ll stop his time-traveling shenanigans just yet. After all, there’s still another movie to come in this trilogy, so yeah, he’s straight-up lying here.

“Power laces! All right”

Hey, why does 2015 look so much more advanced in this movie than even now? Forget about the hoverboard and think about this for a second: Marty puts on a pair of Nike sneakers, which feature power laces that adjust themselves automatically to the wearer. How is it possible that no one has invented this yet?!

“Why don’t you make like a tree and get out of here?”

Young Biff Tannen totally massacred this quote, but it’s almost too good to not use in a real-life situation. The next time someone bothers you, hit them with it and see their immediate reaction. If there’s a smile, they might just be a Back to the Future fan and who knows – you could just make a new BFF.

“The justice system works swiftly in the future now that they’ve abolished all lawyers”

To this day, this hilarious remark from Doc merits a chuckle because everyone knows the snail pace of the justice system. Look, let’s not throw too much shade at lawyers – because we might need them some day – but folks, tell us, where is the lie here?

“What in the name of Sir Isaac H. Newton happened here?”

Doc’s exclamations never fail to hit the mark in Back to the Future Part II. Whether it’s the iconic utterance of “Great Scott” or him equating an event to a science figure, he always delivers wicked lines to make those moments that more special.