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Back to the Future Part III Movie Review

Coming out 1990 and ending the trilogy, Robert Zemeckis released, a second sequel which is not only good but quite on par with the previous one and a satisfying conclusion to the series.

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“It means your future hasn’t been written yet.

No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it.

So make it a good one, both of you.“

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The plot is both the movie’s biggest strength and its biggest weakness. It is weak because it is set in the Old West and that western formula is so overdone and seen countless times that it pretty soon gets tired. Of all the places and all the times in history, they chose 1885 and that to me pinpoints to a lack of imagination and poor choices from the filmmakers.

But it is also great for the film mainly because of Doc’s meeting with Clara, a woman who he quickly totally falls in love with. That is great not only because that lends to more emphasis on Doc who has always been this franchise’s finest character, but also because that approach means less action and more character-driven story which is terrific and a nice change of pace from the previous entry which was problematic mainly due to all that unnecessary action.

As for the structure, it is solid but somewhat problematic. The first act is extremely rushed and is the weakest part of the movie overall. The second act is good as well as the last one which is a satisfying conclusion to the whole story. I would have wished a somewhat different ending and the action chase sequence in the end is once again too prolonged, but this ending is in itself a good finale for the series with a lot of fun and heart at its core.

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As for the characters, Marty is once again weak here, but thankfully the emphasis is on Doc as I said before and he is excellent. His relationship with Clara, who is also a pretty well developed character and finally a good female character in a somewhat sexist franchise, is ingenious because it explored his character while also opening the debate of time travel difficulties as well. The other characters from 1885 are solid, but do not get enough screen time so there is not enough to talk about there.

Technically, it is once again a strong movie. The editing is not perfect due to a rushed first act and dragged action sequence in the end, but it is nevertheless much better than the editing in Part II which was extremely problematic and one of the biggest problems for that film. The direction here is also strong, but the acting is terrific with expectedly Christopher Lloyd giving the finest performance and being the most memorable actor and character in the picture. The cinematography is quite good and the imagery is at times very beautiful to watch.

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As for the humor, it is still not as good as the original, but much better than in its predecessor. The sound effects are very good as is the score of course. The tone is done well with comedic and science fiction elements coming in as well as the newly introduced romantic one which was very refreshing. The action sequences, although they go for too long in a typical blockbuster style, are nonetheless very well executed and entertaining to watch.

Back to the Future Part III may have a rushed first act as well as some too prolonged action sequences, it is still inferior to the original and the setting is not a bit authentic, but the movie also has a refreshing approach which introduces romance along with comedy and science fiction which means more character-driven drama and less action and that was quite welcome. It is also quite on par with Part II, if not better, which is very commendable and it is a nice conclusion to this fun franchise.

My Rating – 3.5

You can get the whole Back to the Future trilogy on Amazon for a very low price.