Okay, I've decided to mix things up a little.I'm sure my legion of readers (all three of them) are getting a little tired of me saying the critics are wrong, because anyone can think that. So this time, I'm going to agree with them. I'm tackling one of the biggest sci-fi trilogies of the 20th century. And no, it's not Star Wars, or The Matrix. Somehow, I've never seen Matrix. I'm sure I will eventually though. After all, what kind of geek would I be if I didn't? Anyways, for you Trekkies, Trekkers, and Niners who read my blog, no, it is not Star Trek 2-4. Now that we have all that settled, I will begin the review.
Back to the Future
Well, I think that pretty much says it all. I know many of you have already seen it, but I had to do it. Now, I tend look at them as one continous movie, but for reviewing it's easier to seperate them. But if you really want to know my ranking, of the movies, here it goes: I can't decide. All three are classics. And just to get this of my chest I saw a review of BTTF2 on imdb that said Christopher Lloyf ripped off Christopher Walken's performance in Click. That guy clearly is not a professional geek. The most obvious reason: BTTF2 came out in 1989, while Click came out in 2006! For those who need clarification, that means that PART 2 CAME OUT 17 YEARS BEFORE CLICK, THEREFORE CLICK DIDN'T EXIST YET! So that's for all you people out there who say that. Thank you all readers who sat through that rant. Now, I'll start reviewing.
Back to the Future is a story about 17-year-old Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who has befriended an eccentric inventor named Doctor Emmet L. Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The good doctor has just invented a time machine, (out of a DeLorean of course!) but the thing that opens the time warp, the flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts (!) to function. So what does the Doc do? Rip off some Libyan terrorists of course! Anyways, the Libyans find out that they were ripped off, and kill Doc in front of Marty, who, in an attempt to escape the terrorists, ends up in 1955. Unfortunatley, the capacitor does not have enough power to take him back to the future. (Yes, I just name-dropped, and I will probably do it again.) While there, he accidently causes his mother to fall in love with him, instead of his father, thus threatening his very existance. Meanwhile, he formulates a plan with the '55 Doc to get him back in a week. So now he has to make his parents fall in love, try to get the Doc to listen to his warnings about his future death, and get back home. That is the plot of the first movie. The acting is superb. The fact that we're sad that Doc is dead ten minutes after we first saw him and later relieved to see his '55 self is a true testament to Lloyd's acting ability. And if acting is simply reacting, then Michael J. Fox has it nailed. He obviously knew what he was doing worked, and the fact that his performance in the movie was terriffic even though he had to film Family Ties at the same exact time is a testament to the quality of the actor. Thomas F. Wilson, Crispin Glover, and Lea Thompson are also great. I especially laughed when I found out Wilson was apparently one of the nicest people the other filmmakers said they had ever worked with. Anyways, the special effects are short, but sweet, even today. They are very realistic. Truely a classic of American cinema.
Back to The Future Part II
Now this is where things get intresting. Everyone agrees that the first one is one of the best films ever made, but the second one has a little more controversy. While it does have a lot of great sci-fi elements in it, it seemed to many people to actually be at least average. Personnally, I loved it, and there was a time when it was my favorite of the trilogy. The fact that it focuses on the sci-fi stuff does not turn me off at all. It wasn't exactly meant to have the same impact as the original, and I think people forgot that. Essentially what happens is that Marty, Doc Brown, and Jennifer (Marty's girlfriend) go to the future to stop Marty Jr. from participating in a robery and starting a chain of events that ruin the McFly family forever. One thing many noticed afterwards, is that Claudia Wells no longer protrayed Jennifer. Instead, it was Elizibeth Shue. Personally, I thought that Shue's reaction to the Doc talking about the future and the time machine was more believable than Well's. Anyways, after they stop that, Marty buys a sports almanac that tells the outcomes of every major sporting event to the end of the century, in an attempt to cheat at gambling. However, Doc finds out about his scheme, and throws the almanac in the trash. Meanwhile, Biff hears their conversation, and steals the time machine. He returns and Marty, Doc, Jennifer, and Einstein (who was there earlier) return to 1985. Once there, Marty and the Doc discover that Biff has taken over Hill Valley, and chaos and anarchy rule the streets. It is also established that the time circuits are malfunctioning, causing the destination time to to randomly change. Marty and the Doc discover that 2015 Biff stole the time machine, and went back in time to give himself Marty's almanac, thus stealing Marty's idea. However, since the DeLorean does not keep a record of all times visited, only where you're going, where you are, and where you last were. So, Marty must learn from Biff, who, coincidently, married Loraine after George McFly was murdered. (Intresting piece of trivia: George was dead in 1985-A because the filmmakers couldn't get Crispin Glover back. Personally, I think it gave the future more of an impact, because it showed just how bad that time period was) He asks him, and Biff tells him he recieved the book November 12, 1955 (coincidentally, the same day Marty left the timeperiod, and got back to the future.) However, Biff also reveals that his older self warned him that Marty or Doc would ask about the book, and to do whatever was neccessary to remove them. Biff then begins to shoot at Marty, and eventually traps him on the rooftop. There, he reveals he killed George McFly. (What a suprise, I think I'll have a heart attack and die from that suprise) Marty, at gunpoint, jumps off the building, but lands on the DeLorean, which can now fly (Did I forget to mention that? My bad.). Doc incapacitates Biff, (by hitting him with the car door, of all things) and our heroes travel back to the past. Once there, they must try to get the almanac from '55 Biff after 2015 Biff leaves, while avoiding contact with their past selves. (Ironically, for all Doc's warnings on this, he's the only one to actually be seen and talked to by his past self.) Eventually, they get the almanac and destroy it. However, the DeLorean is struck by lightning while turning at a speed of 88 mph which causes it to vanish into the unknown. Then, Marty receives a letter stating that Doc is alive and currently in the year 1885. Now, Marty must find the '55 Doc, and enlist his aid to rescue the '85 Doc, and return home.
Back to the Future Part III
Now, things get intresting. One noteworthy thing about this trilogy, is that each movie is a different genre from the last. The first one was a sci-fi comedy, Part 2 a sci-fi action-adventure movie, and the last, a full-blown Western. I always liked this one well enough, but I have found it's the one I rewatch the least. I like it, but I prefer rewatching the others. Anyway, the story picks up after the last movie. Doc fainted, and wakes up in his home, believing seeing Marty after he was sent back was a simple dream. He then sees Marty again, and discovers it wasn't a dream. Marty explains the situation. They read the letter, and discover that the Doc has been in 1885 for the past eight months. He has instructed Marty to retrieve and repair the Delorean, and to leave him in 1885. The Doc and Marty then go to find the DeLorean. It turns up buried under a graveyard, and they manage to retrieve it. While there, Marty discovers a grave stone that reads: Here lies Emmett L. Brown. Shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of eighty dollars. Dedicated to his beloved Clara. Marty decides that since Doc dies only a mere week after he writes the letter, that he must go back and save him. Marty does so, but accidently damages the DeLorean, making it unable to be driven. They decide that they will have to wait till 8:00 Monday morning till they can hijack a locomotive, and push the DeLorean into the future. Doc also learns about Clara, and learns that she is the new schoolteacher that he volunteered to pick up from the train station. He decides not to meet her, in the intrest of perserving the timeline. Later, they see a runaway horsecab heading towards the ravine. Doc saves the passenger, but learns her name: Clara Clayton. He falls in love with her at first sight. During the course of the week, Doc and Clara continue to grow closer, Marty incurs the rath of Biff's ancestor, Buford Tannen, and eventually ends up challenging him to a one-on-one duel, to take place on Monday, at 9. Doc, noting that the fight was arranged because of Marty's "chicken" problem, tries to warn him that he needs to think more rationally. Eventually, complications arise, and Marty has to duel Tannen, or else he will kill Doc. Marty, beggining to realize his fault, tries to avoid killing Tannen. Tannen then shoots him, and Marty collapses. Buford walks over to his fallen body, and Marty pulls himself up. Tannen then begins a fistfight, attacking Marty's stomach. He reels back in pain, and Marty takes advantage of his suprise, and knocks him out, resulting in Tannen falling into a manure cart. Marty reveals that he mimicked something he saw in a Clint Eastwood movie: he used part of a stove as a shield. Tannen gets arrested, and Marty and the Doc catch the train. However, Clara catches on to the scheme, and follows them. Doc, having to save Clara from the collapsing locomotive, misses the DeLorean, and Marty goes back alone. Once he gets back, however, the DeLorean gets hit by a train, with Marty just barely escaping. He goes to check on Jennifer, and they see Needles, who challenges Marty to a street race. However, it was earliar established that this race will result in Marty hitting a Rolls-Royce, and his life spiraling into a catastrophe. Marty begins to shift gears, and when the light turns green, the cars take off. Needles wins, and the Rolls-Royce rounds the corner. However, Marty moved in reverse, deciding not to race him. Jennifer then discovers that the note she took back from the future has erased. They then go back to the sight of the DeLorean's wreck. While looking through it, they see the train corossing bars go down, though no train is there. Suddenly, a large steam locomotive appears out of nowhere, heavily altered. The door opens, and Doc runs out to greet Marty. He then introduces Clara, and their children: Jules and Verne. After letting Marty know that he managed to develop a steam-powered flux capacitor, and showing that he picked up Einstein, he activates the trains flying abilities, and travels away.
And that concludes the Back to the Future trilogy. An intresting fact about it is that it draws little attention to itself. Every one calls it a classic, but parodies of it are few and far between. However, it will always live on in the hearts of us all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure my parents meeting isn't disrupted. It's pretty heavy, but if I don't, there won't be much point in getting back to the future.
