Review of Back to the Future Part II (1989) by Beth M — 28 Aug 2013

This bizarre ride of pleasure is broken into three separate parts, I think, and while not every aspect of its broader direction works, it still amounts to a highly entertaining and strangely moving film.

It suffers the same inferiority that all respective sequels have when stemming from a classic, but in comparison to most other sequels, this is one hell of a follow-up. We see Marty and Doc launched this time into the future, for what turns out to be a very silly, very manic, but undeniably hilarious forty minutes.

Things take a turn for the worse when Biff acquires the means to get rich, and thus creates his own parallel reality which thankfully doesn't last long, because this is where the film loses its bearings a little for me.

This darker turn just feels more like a stain on the fun-filled fantasy element achieved by Zemeckis and the chemistry between Fox and Lloyd up to this point. However, it does set into motion a fascinating dilemma, which then pulls the story right back into 1955, where the movie finally finds its foothold, and cleverly intertwines with the events of the original film.

Overall, 'Part II' lacks the charm and the subtly most would have expected, but it still dishes out some deliciously fast-paced entertainment, and every time I watch it, I tend to like it more and more.