Review of Back to the Future Part III (1990) by In Your D — 23 Jul 2012

One of the best adventure films of the 90's! A science-fiction adventure that isn't afraid to have a little fun with the concept of time-travel, but still finds compelling ways to bend the idea of destiny and free will to round out the main character's dilemmas.

Marty and Doc Brown's misadventures in the past are a hoot, because it's fun to think about changing the past to change the present, and all of the branching problems this causes. The "wild west" of Hill Valley circa 1885 is a thoughtful series of nostalgic set pieces; the bar, the main street, Doc's lab, the train robbery at the end. The Hilly Valley festival scene is fantastically staged. Watching Marty try to fit into the old west is awesome, and I loved the climactic standoff sequence where he struggles tooth and nail to back down from a fight with "Bulldog" Biff Tannen that could kill him. The movie is full of clever historical references and nods to the earlier films, the kinds of details that some thought went into. The writing and timing of the jokes is just golden. All of the acting is appropriately campy, and all of the players are well versed in using their physicality to establish time, place and intent.

The scenery feels rich and lived-in, with a thick layer of romanticized spagetti western that comes off as a little fake without being a buzz-kill. Some shots feel a little too tight, with all the characters crammed together as though they were canned from a sit-com. The pacing can drag due to some scenes going on too long, like the romance between Brown and Clara, even though it's a sweet little love story and becomes integral to the plight of the characters. Lloyd deserves his due in the series, and it was fun to watch him shift from a humorless mad scientist to a love-sick puppy, and the effect it has on his friendship with Marty, who is struggling with his own philosophical perils.

The two leads do a great job reflecting individuals who have been to the past and to the future multiple times and have had impressions left on them because of these experiences. This gives part III the same level of depth as time-travel epics like Twelve Monkeys and the more recent Primer, if not the same level of seriousness. The opening and closing scenes are direct fan service, meant to frame the events of the movie inside the trilogy and provide closure, but will make almost no sense to someone who hasn't seen the previous entries. I understand the need for these scenes but was disappointed with their quality of execution compared to the rest of the movie.

Still, Part III is proof that second sequels can be exciting and well-written. It remains faithful to the science and humor of the originals while still feeling like a new and separate adventure. Though it lacks the gravity of the previous films, it is still a well conceived sci-fi western and one of the best adventures of the 90's, behind the superior Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which came out the same year. The fact that it isn't as good as the first two isn't an insult to the third, it's a compliment to the trilogy.