Review of Back To The Future Trilogy (3 Discs)

Introduction

"When this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you`re gonna see some serious s***!" These words heralded a fantastic journey through 130 years of Hill Valley history and three amazing movies. There had been nothing like Back To The Future before, and let`s face it, nothing since. These genre-defying movies were immensely popular, with brilliant characters and exciting stories that appealed to audiences universally. They also made DeLoreans cool. Since the advent of DVD, many films have been eagerly anticipated with audience clamour rarely abating. Back To The Future has been one of these trilogies, and as is usually the case of these things, its arrival isn`t without controversy, but more of that later.

Back To The Future

Marty McFly is your typical middle class teenager growing up in Hill Valley 1985. He lives in the usual dysfunctional family, his father George holds down an uninspiring job and is downtrodden by co-worker Biff Tannen and lacks the confidence to stand up for himself. Marty`s mother Lorraine on the other hand constantly drowns her sorrows and laments her lost youth and preaches puritanically to her three children. Marty`s escape is his music, like many teenagers he has a band and he also has the support of his girlfriend, Jennifer. Oh, and his best friend is a mad scientist. OK, maybe not your typical teenager. Doctor Emmett L Brown is considered the town crank, but Marty`s faith in him isn`t misplaced as he finds out late one night. Doc Brown calls him to the Twin Pines Mall and unveils a fantastic machine fashioned from a DeLorean. With the aid of some stolen plutonium, Doc Brown has fashioned a time machine. Before he can embark on his epic voyage of discovery, the Libyan terrorists who come seeking their plutonium rudely interrupt them. Marty watches in horror as his friend is slain, before making his escape in the DeLorean. However Marty has forgotten that the Doctor had set the time circuits and when he accelerates away from the Libyans, a flash of light sends him 30 years back to 1955. Marty is stranded in a strange time, with no plutonium to get home with. He searches for the only man who can help him, Doc Brown, albeit thirty years younger. After some convincing, the younger Doc is amazed to find one of his inventions actually works. While he searches for a way to send Marty home, he counsels the younger man to avoid interacting or risk endangering his past. But it`s too late, as he has already inadvertently stopped his parents from meeting. Before he becomes erased from history, he must get his teenaged parents to fall in love. But as luck would have it, his father`s a coward, Biff Tannen is the school bully and to top it all, Lorraine Baines has already fallen in love, with Marty.

Back To The Future II

Marty has hardly been home for long when Doc Brown returns with ominous news from the future. Marty and Jennifer`s future offspring are in dire circumstances in the year 2015 and soon Doc, Marty and Jennifer are future bound. Jennifer is eager to learn about her future but Doc fears for the time space continuum and renders her unconscious for reasons of temporal safety. Marty initially objects, but is soon made aware of the gravity of the situation. Following Doc`s explicit instructions, he goes to rendezvous with Griff Tannen (grandson of Biff) to stop his future son from screwing up his life. But Marty succumbs to the allure of the future, and a chance glimpse in a retro shop inspires Marty to make a fortune with the aid of a Sports Almanac. While Marty manages to change his son`s future, events take a turn for the worse as the unconscious Jennifer is found by the police and is returned to the McFly family home (2015). Doc and Marty must go to Hilldale and rescue Jennifer. Old Biff Tannen has been watching this with interest, and realises that Doc Brown has constructed a time machine. Taking his opportunity, he steals the DeLorean and Almanac and takes a quick sojourn into the past. When Marty, Jennifer and the Doc return to 1985, they find a horrifically altered 1985, where Biff Tannen is the most influential man in town and is married to Lorraine. Doc Brown has been committed to a lunatic asylum and worst of all George McFly has been murdered. Research reveals that Biff Tannen has appropriated Marty`s get rich quick plan. The only way to rescue the situation is to travel back in time to steal the Almanac from young Biff and put history back on track, the fateful destination is the night of the Enchantment Under The Sea Dance, November 12th 1955.

Back To The Future III

With the 1985 version of Doc Brown trapped in 1885 and Marty apparently stranded in 1955 (watch BTTF II), Marty has no other option than to seek the assistance of 1955`s Doc Brown. The younger Doc Brown, having just sent Marty back to the future with the aid of a lightning bolt (BTTF) is somewhat shocked to say the least to see the earnest face of Marty McFly immediately returned from the future. A good nights sleep, as well as a carefully scribed letter from 1885 convince him of the truth of the situation, and he resolves to help Marty get back once again to 1985 where he belongs. Doc`s (1985) letter explains that he has hidden the time machine in an abandoned mine and that his 1955 counterpart should have the necessary skills and components to repair the DeLorean and send Marty back, where the time machine would be destroyed. He also states that he is perfectly happy living in 1885 and that in no instance should Marty attempt to return to 1885 to rescue him. When Marty and Doc recover the time machine though, they find Doc`s gravestone lovingly erected by his beloved Clara. What`s worse is that his demise came violently at the hands of Buford `Mad Dog` Tannen barely a few days after the letter was written. 1955`s Doc is sceptical that he would be irresponsible enough to forge a relationship in the past, and both he and Marty cling to the faint hope that another Emmett Brown may lie in that grave, but further research confirms the dreadful truth, it is indeed Doc Brown who lies in that grave. Marty vows to take the DeLorean back and rescue his friend and Doc Brown soon has the time machine in working order. Marty`s entrance into 1885 isn`t without problem and when he conceals the time machine, he finds that he has ripped the fuel line losing the precious petrol. Before he can even find the Doc to warn him, he encounters his distant ancestors and makes an enemy of local bandit, Buford Tannen. Doc Brown is shocked to see his friend in 1885, but soon comes to see the urgency of the situation. He is initially stumped by the problem of getting the DeLorean up to 88 miles an hour without gasoline, but his keen scientific mind soon devises an outrageous plan. But all bets are off when Doc rescues schoolteacher Clara Clayton from certain death. Marty finds that his previously levelheaded mentor is giddily in love and it falls to the young teenager to keep the plans on track. Matters aren`t helped when Marty rescues Doc from being shot by Tannen but lets his pride cloud his judgement when Tannen challenges him to a gunfight. With Doc madly in love, and Marty destined to face off against a vicious killer, getting back to the future looks an increasingly unlikely prospect.

Video

All three films are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and have been digitally re-mastered for this release. As well as region 2, this title is Region 4 compatible.

Back To The Future

The first film is presented in immaculate condition. Granted there is the grain that is evident on all films from this era, but the image itself is clear, sharp and colourful throughout. There is no print damage to speak of and it felt as if the film was brand new. Back To The Future is a remarkably effects light film considering the sci-fi element to the story. That said, even after 17 years the time travelling DeLorean still looks spectacular as it leaves those fire trails behind it. The real wonder of the film is the design. The intricacy and complexity put into Hill Valley is surely the reward for the viewer. Comparing 1955`s pristine Hill Valley to the rather run down 1985 version really helps bring the story to life. The cinematography obviously isn`t of the epic scale of many blockbusters, but it is spectacular in its own way. The opening shot of the movie is a case in point, as the camera pans over Doc Brown`s workshop, focusing on the clocks and the gadgets in turn, then Marty`s entrance and the skateboard rolling up against the stolen plutonium. This sequence deftly tells many strands of the story and it is all accomplished in one take. This film rewards the careful observer.

Back To The Future II

Back To The Future II is in similar condition to the first film. There was slightly less grain, but once again the well-defined image is a testament to the remastering process. The future Hill Valley is rendered in bright vibrant primary colours and shows an optimistic and hopeful future. Whereas the first film was somewhat effects light, the success of the first film and Robert Zemeckis` penchant for visually impressive imagery has rendered BTTF II an effects extravaganza. Ironically this is what makes the second film the most dated of the trilogy, as practically all effects are accomplished optically and in an era where CGI dominates the film industry, discerning audiences can easily spot the joins. That said, where an actor is playing multiple roles at once on screen as in the future McFly household, the effects wizardry still looks impressive. The creation of the alternate 1985 Hill Valley is visually impressive, but the outstanding achievement is the third act, where Marty and the Doc revisit the first movie.

Back To The Future III

With Back To The Future III shot simultaneously with the second film, you would expect that the film is of similar quality to the second movie and you would be right. The image is once again a pristine transfer of a vibrant print. Finally Back To The Future gets to be a `large` movie as Marty and Doc make their debut in the Wild West. Understandably the Western motif is carried through the film, with atmospheric sets and period costume enhanced by the grand vistas and ruggedness of the Wild West. Zemeckis gives a knowing wink to some of the influential westerns of our time, with particular attention to A Fistful of Dollars (first referenced in BTTF II) Fortunately the overabundance of special effects are largely replaced by some sterling stunt work, but Seamus McFly does look a little familiar.

Audio

All three films have English soundtracks in DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1, the DTS being half of a contentious issue. It`s wonderful to hear the remixed sound in these films, and the music and effects are so much more vibrant and involving.

Back To The Future

Alan Silvestri`s score makes its first appearance here. He creates a theme that is truly memorable and will forevermore be associated with these films. His powerful orchestration provides the epic scale to the adventure and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Huey Lewis and the News provide two songs to the soundtrack, the anthemic Power Of Love and Back In Time. The fifties music is in keeping with the era and provides the right feel to the movie.

Back To The Future II

Alan Silvestri once again provides and expands upon the score introduced in the first film with similar results.

Back To The Future III

The theme is given a Western remix by Alan Silvestri for BTTF III and you can certainly feel the period in his score, he also gives the budding romance between Doc and Clara an appropriate theme. The films conclusion does feel a little sentimental and almost nostalgic though as he rounds off the trilogy. ZZ Top`s Doubleback is the pop tune of choice to go with the end credits.

Features

The other half of the contentious issue is here. The bottom line is that in place of the copious extras that Region 1 customers will get with their Back To The Future discs, Region 2 and 4 customers get the aforementioned DTS soundtracks and significantly fewer extras. Console yourself with the knowledge that our American cousins must watch their movies in measly DD 5.1.

Back To The Future

The Region 2 release has the bulk of the extras on the first disc, focusing on that movie. The Making Of Back To The Future as made in 1985 is a 15-minute documentary and is quite good if a little short. Making The Trilogy Chapter 1 is a more recent look at the making of, which also lasts about 15 minutes and complements this well. This is a more detailed retrospective and while there isn`t hide or hair of the infamous Eric Stoltz footage on any region discs, you do see a couple of stills of him as Marty McFly.

The Feature Commentary with Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis is inaccurately labelled as such. On the Region 1 discs, each film comes with two supplementary audio tracks, a feature commentary and a Q&A session with the producer and director. Region 2 and 4 only get the first movie with a supplementary audio track, and it is in fact the Q&A session with Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. There is nothing wrong with this, when you get used to the fact that there is an audience laughing at the occasional quip. It isn`t exactly scene specific mind, and you`ll notice that it finishes some 10 minutes before the film itself. All the extras are subtitled as necessary and this Q&A session is also.

There are 2¾ minutes of outtakes on this disc, some of them quite funny and there are 9 minutes of deleted or extended scenes.

There is a Universal Animated Anecdote track with this film, which amounts to a little BTTF themed animation heralding a trivia caption that pops up at relevant moments in the film. The info is quite interesting at times, but the animations soon become tiresome.

There is a short sequence of Make Up tests showcasing the work done in aging the characters.

There are two scenes storyboarded, which you can compare to the final product,

The Production archives contain countless stills of design sketches, cast photos, production photos and the like which you can peruse at you leisure. To save your remote finger, it is all presented in a convenient slideshow.

Finally there is the trailer.

Back To The Future II

The second film has conspicuously fewer extras and there has been no pretence at an audio commentary.

The Back to the Future Part 2 featurette is a 7-minute look at the making of the second movie, and as such is as much trailer as it is documentary. This is supplemented by the Making The Trilogy Chapter 2 documentary that was made recently. This is 15 minutes long, but the first 5 minutes focus more on the first film with significantly greater input from Michael J. Fox.

There are a couple of minutes of outtakes and around three minutes of deleted scenes.

There is some test footage of the way the Hoverboard sequences were accomplished.

The hoverboard sequence is also recreated with the Storyboard to final feature comparison.

The Production archives contain countless stills of design sketches, cast photos, production photos and the like which you can peruse at you leisure. To save your remote finger, it is all presented in a convenient slideshow.

Finally there is the theatrical trailer.

Back To The Future III

The final movie gets the fewest extras, but it still feels more than an afterthought. The big deal on this disc is the final chapter of the Making The Trilogy featurettes. This 17-minute documentary concludes the previous two segments with a little on the making of the 3rd movie, with considerable input from Bob Gale, Robert Zemeckis and Michael J. Fox. Much of the material in this documentary is on the trilogy as a whole though.

Once again we are regaled with outtakes and deleted scenes, though these amount to barely over 3 minutes in total. I can understand why the Strickland scene was cut, as it didn`t really gel with the light feeling of the final movie.

ZZ Top`s video to Doubleback is on the disc and it looks worse than I remember from 12 years ago. It has a kind of tacky charm to it though.

The Production archives contain countless stills of design sketches, cast photos, production photos and the like which you can peruse at you leisure. To save your remote finger, it is all presented in a convenient slideshow. (Did you see how deftly I copied and pasted this from above?)

Three scenes are presented in a Storyboard to final feature comparison and there is a theatrical trailer.

Finally there is a trailer for the ET DVD.

Conclusion

Back To The Future

The first film in the Back To The Future trilogy is arguably the best. Defying convention and genre, it told a gripping and entertaining story exceedingly well. It`s fair to say, that nothing like it had ever been seen before. BTTF works in large part because of the cast. The fundamental pairing of Doc Brown and Marty McFly is at the heart of the movie, and by casting Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox in the roles certainly confirmed the instant classic status of the role. It`s obvious why the casting was so important, and why even at such a late date into the project the filmmakers were willing to recast the role of Marty. Christopher Lloyd is the quintessential `mad scientist` and creates a wonderful and much loved character. Michael J. Fox`s portrayal of Marty as vulnerable but cocksure is spot on and his character complements that of Doc well. Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover are Lorraine and George, Marty`s parents and their middle-aged appearance is contrasted by their appearances as teenagers. Their performances do more than the make up to establish the differences in ages. Thomas F. Wilson is excellent as Biff Tannen, the eternal bully who so plagues George McFly. Billy Zane makes an early appearance as one of Biff Tannen`s henchmen, a role that he will reprise in the first sequel. Claudia Wells makes her one appearance as Jennifer Parker. The pointless pop star cameo in the first film is Huey Lewis. See if you can spot him.

There are many aspects to BTTF that made it such an instant classic in 1985. The novelty of a time travelling teen comedy was surely a big factor, but the outstanding cast combined with a perfect gem of a story defy easy description. The film has an amazingly complex and intricate design that rewards repeat viewing, yet this has never encouraged the limited cult following that other similar movies have engendered. Once the story and characters are taken into account, the aspect of BTTF that appeals most strongly to me personally is the brilliant comparison of 1955 and 1985 Hill Valley. Every time I watch the film, I marvel at the care and attention that is taken in contrasting the two time periods, and the nostalgia that 50`s Hill Valley almost universally engenders. It`s a feeling of lost innocence and wholesome values that is also exploited in movies like The Truman Show and Pleasantville.

Content 10
Video 9
Audio 9
Features 8
Overall 10

Back To The Future II

We are now closer to 2015 than to 1985. That thought boggles my mind sometimes. A quick glance outside shows a total absence of flying cars, hoverboards or Mister Fusion. Then again BTTF II has no Internet, no mobile phones and no widescreen plasma TVs or ahem, DVD. That`s the thing about movies that predict the future, they`re usually laughably inaccurate with hindsight.

In the Back To The Future Trilogy, the second movie is somewhat akin to The Empire Strikes Back in that it is the darker movie of the trilogy. I remember when it first came out that critics complained that all that time travel was confusing. I agree that it is the weaker movie of the trilogy albeit for completely different reasons. Robert Zemeckis himself states in the documentaries that the second film suffered somewhat due to time constraints as it was filmed back to back with the third film, and Michael J. Fox also adds that the middle film definitely had a surfeit of exposition. However the big problem was that the end of the original movie was something of a joke, and Zemeckis never originally intended a sequel. When the box office receipts were tallied and the decision was made to come back to the story and characters, they found that the ending of Back To The Future set up some problems for a sequel. For one thing, Marty`s girlfriend Jennifer had tagged along for the ride, an undesirable element in terms of the story, and indeed Jennifer spends most of BTTF II unconscious. The second, and somewhat more serious problem was that the film started in 2015. Creating a believable future is always problematic for filmmakers, especially the near future, which has to be different enough to be considered the future, but similar enough to today to be relevant and appear plausible to audiences. An even bigger problem is that movies predicting the near future date extremely rapidly as future predictions soon begin to appear ridiculous. According to Hollywood, the world should be recovering from a Eugenics War in 1996 (Star Trek II), wasting our time with VR porn circa 2000 (Strange Days), freezing criminals caught in yet another LA riot circa 1996 (Demolition Man), a year before the world ended in a nuclear conflagration (T2).

Zemeckis` vision of the future is for one thing, mercifully short and is used to set up the major plot for the rest of the movie. The director on the other hand uses his brief vision of the future to have as much fun visually as possible. This is the director who has become renowned for visual trickery, a la Forrest Gump and Death Becomes Her, and Hill Valley 2015 is an explosion of visual effects trickery. Flying Cars, hoverboards, and 3D imagery abound, and the McFly family of the future is created in a rather worrying inbred fashion as Michael J. Fox plays father, son and daughter seated around the same table. While I still question the necessity of such extravagance, the visual result is still impressive after 13 years. As I said, the visual effects playground of 2015 while impressive on screen, merely serves as a brief prelude to the next act of the film, the alternate 1985. Following the storyline established in the future, Marty and Doc come back to a darker and inherently dangerous 1985. The first film was a very light hearted comedy that never really strayed into the darker areas of the human psyche, yet BTTF II does this in the alternate 1985 where Marty learns the consequences of meddling with time. I am of two minds about this sequence. Yes it is necessary to show the effects of tampering with time and it does necessarily motivate the characters to fix the problem, but I feel that the whole alternate 1985 sequence is out of place with the rest of the trilogy. The BTTF trilogy as a whole is entertaining and fun, with characters thrown into the most fantastic situations, but you are hardly ever put in the situation of fearing for the characters. The darker sequence in the middle of BTTF II is always jarring in its bleakness and I always feel that it is out of place with the rest of the films.

By now, you would think that I would really mark BTTF II down, but this film is redeemed and indeed elevated by the final act. It is a stroke of genius to send Doc and Marty to 1955 to repair the space-time continuum and have them actually go back into the first movie. It`s a novel way of revisiting the original story by inserting the characters back into the same situation as they try desperately to avoid their past selves. It`s also a quick glimpse into the nostalgia of the fifties that made the first film so attractive and the final sequence is pure entertainment from beginning to end.

The main cast reprise their roles from the first film, with the exception of Crispin Glover, who due to contractual wrangles is replaced briefly by an inverted Jeffrey Weissman as George McFly. In an expanded role as Jennifer Parker is Elizabeth Shue who replaced Claudia Wells from the first film. It`s a matter of personal opinion, but I`m one of those who prefer the original Jennifer, and I feel that Elizabeth Shue is just too different from Claudia Wells. Cameos to watch out for include Frodo Baggins himself, Elijah Wood and Pointless Pop Cameo #2 Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Content 9
Video 9
Audio 9
Features 5
Overall 9

Back To The Future III

The third and final movie in the Back To The Future trilogy maintains the high standard set by the original movie. It is perhaps fitting that the trilogy ends by going back to the beginning of Hill Valley. Once again, the story is innovative and appealing. Perhaps the most American of movie genres is the Western, and to see our two heroes in situations normally inhabited by John Wayne or Clint Eastwood is a special treat for fans of the first two movies. The hi-tech gadgets and special effects of the second movie are left by the wayside as this story goes back to basics, with simple solutions for the characters problems. The complexity of the second movie`s plot is ditched for a rip-snorting romp in the Wild West and this film proves a fitting conclusion for our heroes` adventures in time.

The story takes another twist and to a certain extent, the characters of Marty and Doc Brown switch places. It is Doc Brown who throws caution to the wind, as he is hopelessly smitten with Clara Clayton while Marty has to remain levelheaded and keep the giddy Doc on track. This deftly shows that the teenage Marty learns to take responsibility for his actions and gains a measure of responsibility. In a way, it`s this change in his character more than anything that proves the conclusion to the trilogy.

Once again most of the cast return to the fold and reprise their roles, or at least create a similar ancestor. Thomas F. Wilson creates another Tannen, and Buford `Mad Dog` Tannen has to be my favourite member of that particular clan. The flea-bitten bandit is a far more edgy character than the future Tannen`s and his particular brand of stupidity is highly entertaining. Joining the cast for the final movie is Mary Steenburgen as Clara Clayton, and she provides the love interest for Doc Brown. Her character is a good match for the eccentric scientist and this helps conclude his personal adventure as well. As for pointless Pop cameo #3, watch out for ZZ Top themselves executing one of their trademark moves. Hint: Frank Beard is the one without the beard.

It`s very difficult for me to find fault with Back To The Future III, it is a carefully crafted masterpiece of a film. It works extremely well as a piece of entertainment, with a brilliantly paced script, with just the right proportions of action and comedy to keep the audience gripped. The story flows impeccably from beginning to end and is a massive improvement over the slightly haphazard second movie. However compared to the original Back To The Future, the first movie wins hands down, if only because it got there first. The first movie did something that had never been accomplished on celluloid, and was a multi faceted little gem of a story. The third movie has it a little easier because the characters and situations are already there. That said, it is just as much fun as the original right up until the final scene, where it gets a little schmaltzy and contrived. What can you say; they had to end it some way.

Content 10
Video 9
Audio 9
Features 4
Overall 10

In Conclusion

When I started watching the trilogy on DVD, the big controversy was the imbalance between Region 1 and 2/4. While American customers basked in a surfeit of extras, including two commentaries for each movie, European audiences were given extra audio delights in the form of DTS audio tracks. Needless to say, people were complaining on both sides of the Atlantic, feeling short-changed.

However, just as I put BTTF II into my player, a new brouhaha blew up regarding the mis-framing of key scenes in the newly remastered prints of BTTF II and III (The problem doesn`t apply to the original movie). As soon as I heard that particular piece of news, I got that sinking feeling and a sudden reluctance to press play. The story is that the BTTF movies were initially shot in 4:3 format and the 1.85:1 theatrical prints were cropped from the original negatives. In making the DVDs the films were reframed from the original source and in certain scenes, mistakes were made that meant that visual information was lost. At least that is the case in Region 1, and American customers are up in arms about it. Region 1 discs will be replaced in February 2003, giving Universal some grief no doubt. When it was intimated that the mis-framing issue applied to all regions, I paid a visit to a German Website that is probably listed in the forums on this site that had some screen captures that vividly illustrated the problem. It was with considerable reluctance, but with careful attention that I watched the final two movies. Out of all the screencaps that illustrated the affected scenes, I found just one scene in BTTF II that looked as if it was mis-framed. In BTTF III, I found no loss of visual information at all. Admittedly I was enjoying the films considerably by this point, and my attention may have wandered, but I did pay particular attention to one scene early on in the third movie, and it in no way matched the image presented on the German Website. I can only assume that the Region 2 discs suffer from the problem to a lesser degree than Region 1, if at all. It is a problem that will in all likelihood be addressed by Universal UK in the near future, if only by issuing a press statement to reassure customers. If you are thinking of buying the box set and are concerned by this issue, then I suggest you go to a retailer with a decent returns policy and try the movies for yourself. I for one am very happy with my purchase, but I`ll wait to see what Universal does.

The Back To The Future Trilogy is a prime example of how to make sequels. Each movie is a different story and genre and pushes the plot and characters along consistently. The audience is warmly rewarded for its attention with little touches throughout the trilogy. I like the way that each movie has a showdown of sorts in the town bar/saloon, followed by a chase in the town square. The little character traits and foibles that are echoed through time are wonderful winks to the audience that keeps our attention glued to the screen (That`s the way to do echoes, George Lucas).

This box set contains three movies that together tell a wonderful story and are packed with action, comedy and excitement for all the family. At the price that all three are available, it seems almost petty to be stressed about the R1/R2 inequity in extras, especially when the picture and sound quality of these films is so delightful.

An absolutely essential purchase, you`ll kick yourself if you don`t.