Back to the Future Part II (1989) or, The DeLorean Time Traveler Returns

11/09/2013

Back to the Future Part II (1989) or, The DeLorean Time Traveler Returns

♥♥♥♥♥

Doc Brows and Marty McFly are poised for a new adventure on this delightful poster for Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future Part II

Marty McFly visits the future world of 2015 but is then forced to travel back to 1955 to make sure no dire changes are made to the past, as well as his his 1985 self, by a competing traveler in time with selfish aims.

Back to the Future Part II is written by writer/co-producer Bob Gale (Tales from the Crypt (1993, TV-series)), with co-writer/director, master Illinoisan filmmaker Robert Zemeckis (Flight (2012)) contributing story elements. It is the 2nd in Gale and Zemeckis' Back to the Future trilogy that also spans Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part III (1990).

Part II is my favorite of the three Back to the Future films and for me the most interesting one.
Where the original was the romantic, sensational blockbuster phenomenon, the sequel in my mind does the necessary; something different: Part II drops the romantic side of things, heads into the future, SPOILER where Marty McFly wants to prevent his future son from being imprisoned, and then back again to the 50's scenario, where the characters went in the first film, as the evil Biff character has stolen the DeLorean time machine in the future and goes back to give himself the means to become a rich man early in life. Tom Wilson's (Reba (2005, TV-series)) part as Biff is much bigger in Part II.
The science fiction plot of Part II is intricate and requires that the audience's brain is switched on. SPOILER As Biff's futuristic hell has to be prevented, things get complicated, as characters may stumble into themselves in the past. - And where might that lead? The possibility of parallel universes and time paradoxes are stimulating to the mind, but the film crucially doesn't lack fun, excitement and adventure to lighten up the dizzying plot aspects.
The late 1980s future vision is pretty electronically and technologically optimistic, (as could be expected), and always interesting, although Zemeckis and Gale have admitted that they exaggerated certain predictions for effect.
The film's effects were innovative and very impressive at the time, and they still look great, although no one will lose their breaths over them in today's world.
Back to the Future Part II is a fantastic, whirlpool adventure in time and an impressively well achieved sequel to the first film.

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Back to the Future (1985) or, The DeLorean Time Traveler

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Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 332.5 mil. $
= Mega-hit (returned 8.31 times its cost)

[Back to the Future Part II premiered 20 November (California) and runs 108 minutes. Zemeckis and Gale only jumped at the opportunity to make a sequel when Universal Pictures made it clear to them that a sequel would be made without them, if they didn't make it themself. Michael J. Fox (Teen Wolf (1985)) was paid 5 mil. $ for his performance. Crispin Glover (Back to the Future (1985)) was the only one in the first film's main cast who refused to take place in the sequel due to a pay dispute. Shooting took place from February - August 1989 in Las Vegas, Nevada and in California, including in Los Angeles. Pre-production lasted two years due to the fact that Part II and Part III were shot back-to-back. The film opened #1 to a 43 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for one more weekend and spent another 4 weekends in the top 5, grossing 118.4 mil. $ (35.6 % of the total gross). It was the 6th highest-grossing film of the year in North America and 3rd highest-grossing of the year worldwide, behind Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Batman. It was nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar, lost to The Abyss. It won a BAFTA, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Zemeckis returned with Back to the Future Part III, which was also Fox's next appearance. Christopher Lloyd (Suburban Commando (1991)) first returned in Buster Poindexter: Hit the Road, Jack (1989, music video) and theatrically in Why Me? (1990). Back to the Future Part II is fresh at 63 % with a 6.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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Donald Sutherland has passed away

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11/09/2013

Back to the Future Part II (1989) or, The DeLorean Time Traveler Returns

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