Review of Back To The Future Trilogy (3 Discs)

Introduction

"Roads? Where we`re going we don`t need roads!"

Back to the Future:
The year is 1985 - but not for long. Because teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is about to be blasted back to 1955 aboard the plutonium-powered DeLorean created by eccentric genius Doc Emmet Brown (Christpher Lloyd). But when Marty accidentally keeps his parents to be from falling in love, it triggers a time shattering chain of events that could vapourise the future - and leave Marty trapped in the past! Now, Marty`s only hope is to change history - before the clock runs out on his one-in-a-million chance to get himself Back to the Future!

Back to the Future II:
Marty and Doc have barely recovered from their first time-travelling adventure when they launch themselves once more into the space-time continuum. But this time around, their history-tweaking antics in the year 2015 create a frightful alternate 1985 Hill Valley where bully Biff Tannen is rich and powerful and Marty`s dad! Now, their only chance is to fix the present is by going back to 1955 all over again. But can Doc and Marty patch up the past without igniting a universe-shredding time paradox?

Back to the Future III:
Fulfilling a long time fantasy, Doc Brown has decided to live in the Old West of the 1980s. But when he`s in danger of meeting an untimely end, Marty travels back in time to rescue him. There`s just one problem: Doc is so smitten by schoolteacher Clara Clayton (Steenburgen) that he can`t think straight! Now, it`s up to Marty to keep Doc out of trouble, keep the DeLorean running, and keep the past, the present and the future on track so they can get back to where they all belong!

Well finally it`s here! One of the most highly anticipated and much loved movie trilogies gets the shiny platter treatment. No it`s not Indiana Jones or Star Wars, it is of course the Back to the Future Triplet. One of my all time favourite series of films has been released on region 4 DVD (Australia) as a box set, and I`m sure it will keep the majority of BTTF fans happy and contented until the Region 1 and 2 version appear mid December. But more about this strange staggered release fiasco later!

The discs come in a nice slipcase sleeve with a gatefold inner that houses each disc. Artwork on the packaging is nice, mostly taken from teaser, original poster art and movie stills. These have been slightly doctored to omit references to the single movies. For example the front cover of the package shows the DeLorean zooming into the distance with streaks of fire from its tyres. The number plate has been changed as this was taken from teaser posters for Back to the Future II. These types of cases are a bit flimsy and don`t stand the test of time especially when lent out. My copy was brand new and already had a few knocks and dints in it just from posting. Inside is a four page booklet with photos, production notes and a brief synopsis of each movie. The most interesting thing about this set is the region coding information on the back of the packaging. It clearly states that it is both Region 2 and Region 4. I have managed to confirm that it does play on an unmodded R2 only DVD player without any problems.

In this set you get all three movies on separate discs, with the extras appearing appropriate to each movie. Each DVD is easily recognisable, with poster art for each film lovingly screen printed onto each disc and the back face of the packaging.

As mentioned earlier this is the Region 4/2 (Australian) version, out a good four months before the region 1 or official U.K. region 2 version. Why I hear you ask? well it`s not clear really, but a quick trawl round the net and a look at some BTTF fan sites will lead you to believe it`s worth waiting for the later releases, as they will contain more extra features. This seems to come from the horse`s mouth, producer Bob Gale, who has said there will definitely be more bits on the U.S. and U.K. editions...but it will be at a price!

I saw these gems many years ago on the silver screen. I caught them again in a marathon triple bill at my local cinema about five years ago. I`ve watched them on TV time and time again and I`ve even been lucky enough to try-out the Universal Studios theme park ride in Orlando. But how do these DVDs fair?

Video

All the movies are presented in their true theatrical aspect ratio (1.85:1). I have noticed no cropping or distortion and they are all enhanced for widescreen TV`s (Anamorphic)

On each disc you are treated to some movie snippets before a simple animated menu based around the Hill Valley clock tower pops up. This isn`t up to the usual Universal DVD standard we`ve seen on movies such as The Mummy Returns.

Back to the Future:
Marty and Doc`s first outing is the disc that`s had the most care and attention lavished upon it. This is a fabulous looking transfer that knocks spots off the old Pioneer Laserdisc, that I still own. This is the best I`ve ever seen this movie with beautiful detail and vivid strong colours. There`s a small amount of macro blocking on areas of solid colour, but nothing to worry about. For a film of this age it actually holds up pretty well with only a small amount of grain in the more darker scenes. Blacks remain solid and throughout and whites are bright and sharp with no signs of smear or haloing. Slow movement or panning scenes don`t stutter like some region one DVDs either. This could be to do with the discs being in the PAL format rather than NTSC.

Back to the Future II:
The above also applies to the second adventure also. Everything is the same from a cracking picture, with an almost three-dimensional feeling of depth, to the greater reduction in digital artefacting. There is also less grain evident in this release and it looks much better than the Laserdisc, which, yes, I still own.

Back to the Future III:
Parts I and II in the Back to the Future series were filmed back-to-back and released a year apart of each other. This shows in the transfer quality as it`s on a par with part II. And yet again this release rivals the Laserdisc...and, yes, I still have this one too!

Audio

This release contains both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS tracks. The sound remixing is good but not great and can`t match newer movies such as Star Wars - The Phantom Menace, that are now considered reference quality material, and really there`s no way it could. That said, they do perform well and are on a similar sonic level, with only parts I and II having the edge over part one due to their age.

Surround use isn`t strident but delivers some fabulous moments when required. The surrounds seem to be there mostly for ambient use, most evident in outdoor scenes. Dialogue is clear and clean and required no artificial boosting on my system. Bass extension is good and improves on both laserdisc and VHS versions, but never reaches the room shaking levels it should and probably could have with a little more work. The remix really flourishes with the fabulous Alan Silvestri score that must have been re-dubbed from a digital master.

So does it need DTS? Bob Gale seems to think not, as the U.S. and U.K. releases will drop DTS in favor of 30 minutes of extras per disc. I have an above average system and believe that the DTS has a definite edge over the DD5.1 track. The room felt bigger and had a definate sense of greater immersion with DTS. The surround imaging was better placed and the score was lifted to an even greater level of clarity. Bass gets a bit more punch too! Don`t get me wrong the DD5.1 is good but the DTS is just plain great and I`d much rather have DTS than the extra extras!

Features

This set should satisfy most ardent fans but like I said the U.S. and U.K. releases will have more additions but sacrificing sound on the way. This discs set hasn`t been monikered with the title "Special Edition" but almost deserves it with a mixed bag of bits and bats. It only fails due to the lack of one major "well known" piece of material that they either couldn`t be bothered to fight for or deemed not of interest to the average viewer.

Back to the Future:
This disc will probably not change that much on the U.K and U.S. release as it`s jam packed with goodies. First up is the Zemecki`s Gale commentary that is basically a question and answer session that was recorded at USC, after a showing of all the movies earlier this year. This is a chatty and cheerful piece which gives us some well know and some not so well known anecdotes.
One such question is the Eric Stoltz footage. Stoltz filmed for 6 weeks on the BTTF shoot and was ditched when Zemecki`s and Gale considered his performance to be too straight. Michael J. Fox, who was the original choice, was now available after wrapping up on his sit-com Family Ties and the rest his history. Legal wrangles put the stop on these scenes being put on the disc but I think there`s more to this than meets the eye. This isn`t screen specific commentary and ends when Marty returns to the Lone Pine Mall. The only thing this is missing is Michael J. Fox, most of the pre-release adverts said he would be there.

The "Did you know that?" Animated Anecdotes feature is my favorite extra. As you watch the movie spinning numberplates, Doc Brown`s and zooming Deloreans appear with text information about the production. Executed in an MTV Pop Up Video style it is amusing and deserves multiple viewings.

There`s also a 1985 feature on the making of BTTF that runs for 15 minutes. This is quite a gem and has interviews with almost all the principal cast and crew such as Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Steven Spielberg, Alan Silvestri, Huey Lewis, Kevin Pike, and Lawrence Paull.

A retrospective feature entitled Making of the Trilogy Part 1 is a mix of 1998 interviews with Michael J. Fox, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis plus some more interviews with all three recorded in 2002. This is a great in depth piece and a must for all fans. It continues on each disc to give you a full-on look into the production of all three movies.

The Outtakes section is great, with some laugh-out-loud moments that include fluffed lines and practical jokes to props that fail to work on cue. This is one of those features that you will wish would go on forever.

The deleted scenes section is also a great extra with many of the rough-and-ready lost footage placed back into its scene (not the whole movie). What you get is a short section of original footage either side of the lost section to help you place it in context within the whole movie. George`s extended "Darth Vader" scene is the highlight.

Another short section is the Make-up test. All principal cast members played themselves both old and young and here are a few mini snippets of the prosthetic application used on Christopher Lloyd, Tom Wilson, and Lea Thompson.

There`s also a storyboard to finished scene split-screen comparison section that I consider to be the usual one watch and forget it extra.

Then there`s the production archive of publicity photos, posters and more.

And finally you get a couple of teaser and theatrical trailers.

Back to the Future II and III:
These discs don`t quite match the original in the extras stakes, but they contain enough to keep the average fan happy. Most features are similar to disc one, with original featurettes from the movies release year and the continuation of the Making of the Trilogy Part 2 on disc two and Making of the Trilogy Part 3 on disc 3. There`s no animated anecdotes on the two other discs which is a real shame. These may appear on the U.S. and U.K. release in December but this is not confirmed.

There`s more great deleted scenes on part I and II but again not as many as you`d like. More storyboard to finished film comparisons are here too and a short clip of a hoverboard special effects test that looks amazing even without any added optical effects work. More production archives and trailers are present too. These are more interesting on BTTF 2 as you get to see detailed images of future vehicles.

On disc 3 you have the added luxury of the ZZ Top Double Back video...Shudder!

Conclusion

This is a fabulous box set with plenty to recommend it to both the most ardent fan and general viewer. The transfers are fabulous and the sound is good considering the films respective ages. It`s a damn shame the sequels don`t contain the animated anecdotes and that there`s no M.J.F commentary.

My only comment would be to the movie makers! This staggered release is either a not-so-clever ploy to take advantage of the worldwide region free issue and make more money when many ardent fans will buy both sets or...no that`s probably the reason actually!

Talking of price this set varies wildly over many of the import internet sites. Some are as high as £28.99 (DiscEmporium.com) to actual Australian sites (ezydvd.com) working out at about £21.50 depending on the current exchange rates. The best though must be CD-WOW.com offering this at a must have bargain of £17.99...Wow is the word!

So ignore Bob Gale and every other "region one is best" campaigner. Just buy it now for a bargain on Region 4!