Back to the Future III,1990
Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy (Widescreen EditioBack to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy (+ Digital Copy)
I know what you have to be thinking, How could I have missed the last two movies in the Back to the Future Trilogy? Well the truth is, I had seen them in pieces and on TV which means I had an idea of what was going on, but honestly I was missing whole chunks of the movie. So I decided to take this opportunity with the 365 Movie Challenge to finally sit down and watch the whole movie. Luckily enough for me, I 'talked' the boyfriend into watching them with me.
After having watched the movie:
(Possible spoilers below)
I picked up this horrible habit when I was film school. I'd go with my friends a couple of times a week to the movies and we pretty much watched anything. I was in film school at the time so I thought, why not. After all it was going to be the meat of conversations for weeks to come anyways. And it didn't matter what time of day, or how much sleep I had got the night before I would end up falling asleep for fifteen minutes during any movie we went to see. I wouldn't say that I kicked the habit completely, because I was awake and fully conscious during Back to the Future II but I couldn't keep my eyes open for the final chapter in the trilogy. The truth is, I had to attempt to watch the movie a second time at home after work one night. And, as luck would have it I feel asleep at exactly the same part of the movie - again. That's right it took me three attempts to finally watch in full Back to the Future III.
It wasn't really a matter of not liking that movies that made me fall asleep, I guess it was just pure exhaustion and the right level of comfort that made me doze off. As far as the movies are concerned though, I really liked them a lot. After I finally watched the last movie, I spent some extra time watching a few DVD extras: interviews and how the movie was made - that sort of thing and I'd strongly suggest that you take the few extra minutes to watch those. The filmmakers go on to discuss how the movies were shot back to back and maybe how that even the second movie suffered a little as a result. They also talk about how it seemed fitting that the final movie take place during the Wild West.
When the movies first came out, in 1989 and 1990 I was too young to have seen them or really have any real understanding about the hype that the movies had created. I'm pretty sure my parents had seen the movies at some point, because I remember waiting in line for the ride while on vacation at Universal Studios with my Dad who was pretty excited to ride the ride. It's funny the things we remember as a kid, because I remember watching my Mom who was pregnant with my sister and could ride the ride waiting for us, and finally getting into the car and 'blasting off into the future.' I don't remember a single thing about the actual ride experience though.
The boyfriend though was old enough to remember the second and third movies in theaters and even remembers hearing rumors about how some of hoverboards were available in Japan but not in the States. I couldn't imagine if I had been an eight year old boy who got to watch Michael J. Fox ride around on a hoverboard in a theater and then hear about how they were available in Japan but not in the States. I would have been furious! So it kind of makes you wonder, where did these rumors start? Well in this case the rumors came straight from director, Robert Zemeckis' mouth. He jokingly explained the boards utilized magnetic energy and have been prevented from being released in the States because of protests from various parent groups. Not only did this make kids mad for hoverboards, but it also created a bit of chaos for Mattel whose logo was printed on the board. Mattel was reportedly flooded with phone calls from parents trying to find out how they could get their hands on hoverboards. Oh, the days before the internet.
As far as Back to the Future III, it had it's own unique level of awesome. I wasn't born in a Western Genera generation, and I've heard my Grams talk about watching Westerns as a child so I get that there's a certain level of appeal that goes along with Westerns. It seems likes it's kind of a dead or lost genera like Film Noir that still has an audience for it though. Talk with almost any filmmaker or 'Film snob' and they'll tell you they would give anything for the chance to work on, or get to see another great Western. So not only did Back to the Future have a huge success rate with the first and second movie, but when word got out that the third movie was going to be a Western, it seemed like everyone wanted to work on the movie. All of the stuntmen from the area wanted a chance to run across the top of moving trains, jump onto the back of a horse and run through an open field chasing bad guys or Indians. (Sorry, There is little to no room to be politically accurate when you're talking about Cowboys and Indians.) On the DVD extras Michael J. Fox even talks about what it was like to step onto this set that was carefully and precisely constructed to look like an old town set out west.
Final thoughts: I think the reason Back to the Future is such a great trilogy is simple really, the movie has a great story and references itself again and again with some of the smallest details. When writers, directors, and art departments really take the time and connect all the dots, even the smallest ones like the name of a manure company it adds to quality of the film.
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Next up: A Cry in the Dark
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