Back to the Future Part III

And here comes the conclusion of one of the finest and most likable cinematic trilogies: "Back to the Future Part III", more than a sequel, a resourcing in the spirit that made the first film such an endearing classic, with an even more escapist value in the setting, the Far West during the 1880's. As a Sci-Fi Family Romantic Comedy, "Back to the Future Part III" is already a winner, but the Western is the defining aspect of its originality.

"Back to the Future Part III" was directly made after the second, basically recycling the same material, and using the same team, the same casting etc. The continuity between the two films is so determining that there's no way watching the second without getting immediately to the third, it's like keeping in touch with the same family. Indeed, as much as I can watch the first one alone, because it's a class on its own and a film I consider slightly independent from the two sequels, on the other hand, I consider the sequels too connected to each other not to be seen in a row. This continuity helps to appreciate the second part that feels more like a link between the two other films while "Part III" resurrects the spirit of the first one by focusing on the emotionality rather than the eternal "back to the future" mission.

This has always been Marty's preoccupation and the thrust of the trilogy but the travels also had the merit to solve some familial issues and help a beloved character to improve something in his life, if anything, the trilogy defines the notion of 'coming-of-age' as the inspirational aspect of the film, its encouragement for success through self-improvement. But since people were facing less materialistic issues than during the 80's, I guess there was a need to take some distance from these so-called philosophies of successes and a huge step back one century earlier when the 80's followed the Secession War and preceded the Industrial Revolution that would lead to demise of the frontier spirit. The Far West is less a setting or an era, than a state of mind, embodying the roots of the American spirit in its purest form, before greed and profit perverted its meaning. The Far West setting perfectly fitted the tormenting desire of Doc Emmett Brown for retirement and a tacit existential quest for love.

Consequently, while the central character of the first film was George McFly and the second part focused on the McFly Family, Gale and Zemeckis took the last film as a great opportunity to enrich the character of Doc Brown and close his story's arc through a love story in order to replace the "mad scientist" label by a necessary element of three-dimensionality. On the surface, Marty's mission is to prevent Brown from being killed by the villain who –for our greatest delight- is Biff's ancestor, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, but while Marty and Doc try to find a solution to push the DeLorean to 88 mph, destiny puts them in Clara's path. So Doc meets Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen), a teacher whose fate was to fall in the Shonash ravine canyon and give it a posthumous name.

At that point of the trilogy, we're all aware of the time travels' mechanisms, we can even be surprised by Marty's incapability "to reason fourth-dimensionally", who he traveled so much. But here, the film invites us to put all the scientific stuff into perspective and think of the real elements that predefine our fates. There's a strong philosophical material hidden behind the love story as the film concludes its approach on time travels with the idea that nothing is written except by our free will and our capacity not to let external elements direct our lives. But I may make the film sound too intellectual when it's also a great comedy and one hell of a western.

The film is the opportunity to rediscover and say goodbye to the wonderful characters of Hill Valley, to see the first McFlys in American land, to witness the inauguration of the clock tower which, as Doc said, was fitting that he and Marty could witness, not to mention Marty pretending to be named Clint Eastwood, at the risk of tarnishing this name by becoming the biggest yellow belly in the Old West. And the delight on the comedic level is in the way the humor works on a meta-referential level as if the film was breaking an imperceptible fourth wall, playing on its own trademarks. I can't resist to the scene where Marty, realizing that he might be killed instead of Doc utters a "Great Scott" followed by Doc's comment "I know this is heavy", when Marty wonders why they always have to "cut these things so damn close" or when, in the most dramatic situations, he reacts by an ironic 'perfect'.

And speaking of dramatic, the film also provides great thrilling moments you'd expect from a Western, and probably the most heart-pounding climax from the trilogy with the train sequence, so suspenseful, I remember I had to pause for seconds the first time I watched it. This was one of the few times, I needed to take a break because it was just too suspenseful, but what a fitting and rewarding conclusion. Action, escapism, duels, stage, rides, Indians, cavalry, "Back to the Future Part III" is also an independent homage to the Western genre with some exhilarating moments, served by Alan Silvestri's terrific score, probably his best work in the trilogy.

And this is why I consider "Back to the Future" as the greatest trilogy after "The Godfather" with a slight advantage that remains the consistency in terms of spirit, thrills, laughs and emotional value. So thank you Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and all the team for these three unforgettable classics!

Part III, the wild west entry, is probably the most fun. The original has just such a fantastic premise that creates a sense of urgency about seeing it out till the end, but there is something uncomfortable about your mother having a crush on you that leaves a bad taste in the mouth during Part I. The premise of Part III is this: in 1955, Doc learns that he will eventually travel back to 1885 to live out his days as a blacksmith, but then Copernicus, Doc's 1955 dog, stumbles upon a gravestone that tells Doc and Marty that Doc will be shot to death by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars. Naturally, Marty says he will travel back to 1885 and get Doc and bring him back to the future with him (though it couldn't be 1955, because there's already one Doc there).

There are time-jumping laws that are not obeyed by the scriptwriters here, and much worse than in the second film, but this one's so well concentrated and so much the better movie that they hardly matter. It has a climax involving a train that rivals the clocktower climax of the first one. A fantastic scene.

Thomas F Wilson, the perennial bad guy of these movies, who started off as Biff Tannen in the original, played Griff Tannen in the second one, throws himself into a Yosemite Sam part as Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen in the third. Mary Steenbergen, in one of her few leading roles, is a nice addition to the cast. She fits right into the wild west world, as the dainty schoolteacher who plays "his beloved Clara" to the Doc.

Like the others, its larger-than-life tone, with the over-blown time-travel dialogue and melodramatic highs and lows, render it into a kind of live-action cartoon. Kids will enjoy Part III the most, but it is so good-natured that adults should have fun with it too. Out of the three, this is the one that you'll be able to put on any time and feel good. Great, harmless fun.

Sitting back to watch the final, for now, entry in the Back to the Future trilogy, I was a little disheartened. I had a lot of fun with this series, and was sad not to be traveling through the dimensions of time with Marty and Doc Brown for the last time. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and of course, I can always rent the DVD, or perhaps even add any of them to my own collection. Back to the Future Part III, didn't simply "phone it in" for its' final act, it provided a complete compilation to its time travel exploits.

This story picks up where the second left off; with Marty (Michael J. Fox) acting on a letter he received from Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). At the conclusion of Back to the Future Part II, the DeLorean is struck by lightning, with Doc inside, and he is transported all the way back to 1885, in the old west. Since Doc had always dreamed of living in the Wild West, he was not severely disappointed to be stuck in the 1800's, and he certainly was stuck because it would be 70 or so years before the replacement parts he needed to repair the DeLorean would exist. He writes Marty a letter explaining to him what he is up to and that he is fine and should be left in 1885. Soon after receiving the letter, however, Marty uncovers that Doc Brown is about to die. Unwilling to leave him to that fate, Marty ignores all risks, intent on traveling to 1885, to find Doc Brown. This would prove impossible without a trip back to 1955, to get some help from the Doc Brown of the past. Marty's crash landing in 1885 creates quite a conundrum, however, as a fuel line breaks causing all of the gas to leak out of the DeLorean. Doc reminds him that gas hasn't been invented yet, and they will have to be innovative to find a way to power the DeLorean to the necessary 88 M.P.H. needed to travel through time. After devising a plan to power the DeLorean by locomotive power, a new distraction, of a feminine nature arrives. A Ms. Clara Clayton greets Doc Brown, and he is instantly smitten by her. Doc even vows to stay in the past with Clara after helping Marty fix the DeLorean. Our Heroes situation is made even more difficult because Marty, in typical McFly fashion refuses to be called "chicken", or "yellow" in 1885 terms. After an altercation with Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), Marty gains the attention of the gun that he discovered was to kill Doc. In the final installment of Robert Zemeckis beloved time traveling adventure, out duo is outrunning a gun, deciding between love and fate, and learning that the words of others should only ever be words rather than a reflection of ourselves; a pleasing finale to the Back to the Future series.

Once again, the brilliant on-screen chemistry of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd bring Back to the Future Part III to life. Years working together on the same franchise were nothing to dilute the pair's on-screen chemistry. Still as engaging as ever, it was pure joy to watch Marty and Doc on screen again, one last time. This film also kept the heart in to the movie. Each entry in this trilogy has heart at the center, no pun intended. It was endearing to see our zany Doc Brown fall in love, even if he did wish to pick his new love over traveling with Marty.

I would recommend Back to the Future Part III to almost anyone. Rated PG, it is appropriate and engaging for all ages. Fans of the trilogy have to see it, as it wraps up all of our favorite's story lines. Anyone who believes in the power of love, time, and destiny will feel empowered by the message. I'm not sure what type of viewer Couldn't find something to appreciate about Back to the Future Part III, and to me, that's exactly how a franchise should end; pleasing the one time viewer and the series fanatic alike.

Even in the best franchises which proved that sequels can be just as good, if not better than the originals, the third parts are often fairly controversial. Look no further than to the third entries in "The Godfather" and "The Terminator" movies. "Back To The Future III" is no exception to that rule as it clearly is the weakest part in the trilogy, but it's still one hell of a great ride.

Writer/producer Bob Gale and writer/director Robert Zemeckis are two very clever men. They know the difficulties of sequels well. As Zemeckis explains somewhere on the "BTTF"-DVD set, the hardest part is to give the audience something new without moving too far away from the original's spirit. "Back To The Future II" achieved that goal gloriously (although Zemeckis who is very critical about his own work is always downsizing the greatness of it). Maybe the two Bobs went a bit too far away from what audiences loved about the original in part 3.

Although the movie is set mainly in the Wild West, it's still seen through the eyes of two people from the 80's. There are shootouts, horse chases and train robberies, but "Back To The Future III" is never a real Western. What makes this movie seem different from its predecessors is that fittingly it doesn't have a lot to do with teen culture anymore (save for a Michael Jackson-reference). Marty himself seems to have grown up quite a bit and you'll be surprised to see him behaving more focused on his mission than Doc in the latter half of the movie. This change of places by the characters was a deliberate decision by the writers and it does push the story and the relationship of Marty and Doc forward, but something about it just doesn't feel right.

It's intriguing to learn about the origins of Hill Valley and the ancestors of the McFly-clan. However, the earnest Seamus McFly and his family - that for some reason includes a woman looking like Marty's mother - seem strangely out of place in a BTTF-movie. They're just not quirky enough.

What makes the story seem even more estranged is the introduction of a new character, Clara Clayton, with whom Doc falls madly in love. Now, although we should all be happy for Doc having found his own private happiness, somehow we don't want him to behave like that. It's not Doc as we know and love him - and that's exactly the problem Robert Zemeckis was talking about. Marty and Doc used to be a team. Was anyone happy for John when Yoko got between him and The Beatles?

I still think "Back To The Future III" is an amazing accomplishment, a fine finale to one of the best trilogies ever made. You can't give enough praise to Zemeckis and Gale for not just making these movies for financial reasons but for actually trying to make them as good as possible. Personally, I love this movie to bits and I don't think it could have been realized any better. The only explanation I got for why this brilliant sequel got a lukewarm rating of 6.7 from IMDb users, is the dilemma Zemeckis himself was aware of, but couldn't fully avoid.

Fans who are still longing for a fourth part should keep that in mind and would be best advised to let it go. Zemeckis and Gale have said repeatedly that they don't plan on ever continuing the story. And why should they? Everything has been said, everything has been done. The movies are perfect the way they are. Let's be thankful there are still filmmakers that stick to their artistic conviction.

I know it's hard for any sequel to live up to the original. Yes, the first 'Back to the Future' film is definitely the best, but - come on - as far as sequels go, 'Parts II & III' are still pretty impressive. I know they may not have the same 'original feel' to them, but they at least to a fantastic job of expanding the original concept/mythology and growing the much-loved characters we met in the first outing.

I doubt there are many people who will decide to watch 'Part III' of a trilogy first, so my advice is watch them all in order. Then you can experience the full magic of watching a young high school student (Marty McFly - played perfectly by Michael J Fox) get caught up in with his friend 'Doc Brown's' (played by the only person seemingly capable of upstaging Michael J Fox here - Christopher Lloyd) exploits with a time-travelling DeLorean car

There's a brief recap at the beginning of the film as to how our heroes have become stuck in the past and now they have to go further back to the Wild West in order to get home - don't worry, if that sounds confusing - it all makes sense if you've watched all three.

What you have here is a movie that feels totally at home in the 'Back to the Future' trilogy, but this time is set among cowboys and spittoons. It delights in poking fun of the time period and genre, plus gives us familiar faces/enemies in the form of series antagonist 'Biff Tannen's' long lost grandfather as a murderous outlaw - naturally hell-bent on causing all sorts of problems for our heroes. Plus we even have a love interest for Doc - which does add a new dimension to the story. Normally if a new character is introduced so late it feels a bit jarring - I'm glad to say that here the insertion of 'Clara Clayton' feels organic and a necessity to the overall story.

You may not love it as much as the first, you may also consider this (or the second) to be the 'weakest' in the series, but even if that's true - it's still fantastic family entertainment. There are few films that can be considered 'timeless' (especially those made today), but the 'Back to the Future' trilogy can still be enjoyed by the whole family and holds up as it ever did (even if it did fail to predict what 2015 would look like and many of us are still waiting for hover boards and Nike self-lacing trainers!).

'Rick and Morty' may be cool, but they'll never be as well-loved as those they are spoofing. Long may the 'Back to the Future' trilogy never be remade/rebooted/whatever. 'Part III' may only be an 8/10, but overall the series will always remain a 'perfect 10.'