Back to the Future Part 2 (1989) (Movie Review)

 

    After the smashing success of 1985’s “Back to the Future”, it was inevitable that there would be a sequel. What fans didn’t expect were two sequels filmed back-to-back, making one of the most popular films of the 80’s only part one of a tight three-part trilogy. “Back to the Future Part 2” premiered in 1989, and despite its mixed reception at the time, it’s gone on to be regarded as a classic sequel. Steven Spielberg returned to produce, with Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis returning to write and direct. They knew they could never recreate the same magic of the first, so they instead decided to go for a straight forward Sci-Fi adventure, with far more time-traveling, and celebrating the first film by looking at it from a different perspective. While I’ve never viewed this as one of my favorite movies in the same vein of the first, I do feel it’s arguably the most fun of the three to watch.

   The movie begins with a recap of the cliff-hanger from the first movie, in which Doc Brown arrives from the future of 2015, in the now flying time-traveling DeLorean. He insists that Marty and his girlfriend go back with him to fix problems with their kids. For the longest time, I thought this opening was the exact same scene copied from the first movie, but it was actually re-filmed for the sequel, and if you look closely, you can see the differences. 

When Marty amusingly asks … “What happens to us in the future, do we become Ass-Wholes?” … the Doc now has a funny reaction in which he ponders on it. Also, Marty’s girlfriend Jenifer is now played by a different actress, which I’ll talk about later. Anyway, it’s time for our three travelers to set sail to the future for another crazy adventure. Doc: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!” Now, based on the cliffhanger, you’d think the story would have a tight focus on Marty’s family, namely his kids, along with his girlfriend who’ll become his wife, as she’s now going along for the ride … well … you’d be wrong. Everything involving Marty’s kids is a quick fix, and the real story begins when Marty crosses paths with an elderly man, who is in-fact his arch nemesis Biff, and he’s none too happy about how his life turned out. Thus, after learning of the Doc’s Time Machine, Biff steals it, goes back in time, and alters history, creating an alternate reality of the 80’s, in which Biff is a ruler. Thus, in order to set things right, our hero’s need to go back to the 50’s, and by extent back to first movie again to prevent the villain from ruining their history.

   Right off the bat, the thing I love most about this movie is that it’s the only film in the series that has the most variety of “time-traveling”, as it isn’t just stuck in one place, and needing to get the machine to work. This time around, we’re traveling to the future, we’re also seeing an AlterNet reality of the 1980’s that’s gone to Hell, and we’re going back to the 50’s to crossover with the events of the first film.  

There’s a lot more action and tension in this film, which makes for the most fun Sci-Fi adventure of the series, and I love that the time traveling DeLorean is mostly working through the whole film. Also, seeing it fly is just the coolest thing, and gives it an exciting screen presence, almost like it’s a space-ship. The 2015 setting of Hill Valley is personally my favorite future setting on any Sci-Fi picture, as it’s the one I most want to live it. Most settings of the future are so dingy, ugly and depressing, while this depiction of the future is colorful, cheerful, detailed, and has a personality all its own. Just the tinny things on display give this setting so much atmosphere … like shoes that don’t need laces, jackets that can dry-off on their own after getting wet, 3D adds for new movies, and of course … hoverboards! While Marty’s hoverboard chase is an obvious parallel to the skateboard chase from the first film, I personally like this one even more, as his signature hoverboard is just the coolest thing … I want it! Likewise, the effects on display still look great all these years later. There are select moments that look a little choppy, but for a movie from 1989, the overall presentation of the visuals mostly hold-up. No surprise, this film was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Special Effects, but understandably lost to “The Abyss”.  

   Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd naturally slip right-back into their respected roles of Mary McFly and Doc Brown, and the two haven’t lost an ounce of chemistry. Honestly, I could just watch these two go on adventures all day, exchanging witty remarks, and be perfectly content. Marty: “You’ll never believe this Doc, but we have to go back to 1955”. Doc: “I DON’T BELIEVE IT!”. 

Unfortunately, while the cast is still great, there really isn’t as much substance to the characters, and noticeable lack of emotional bonding between them. This is ultimately my biggest reservation with this sequel … as it’s a highly enjoyable watch, but it lacks the same beating heart, and character story that made the first movie one of my favorites. Lea Thompson returns to her signature role of Marty’s mother Lorraine, but she’s mostly sidelined, and again doesn’t have any kind of special bonding scenes with the other characters. Crispin Glover didn’t return to play George McFly, thus the movie resorts to archive footage, or a stand-in played by Jeffrey Weissman. As such, he has very little to do in the movie as well. One small detail I always loved was a brief appearance from a young Elishia Wood as a kid playing video games. This was before he became a popular child-actor, so it’s cool to see him in this prior to his more famous roles.  

    Probably my biggest issue with this film is the treatment of Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer. Of course, we once again have a change in cast, as originally Jennifer was played by Claudia Wells, but in the sequels it’s Elisabeth Shue, who was fresh off playing the girl-friend from “The Karate Kid”, which would have been fine if the character simply had more to do. Despite being a small part in the first movie, Marty and Jennifer had wonderful chemistry, and always wanted to see more of their relationship. Well, in the opening, this sequel set’s her up like she’s finally going on the adventure with her boyfriend, and that the two are going to bond over all the crazy excitement they share together. Unfortunately, she spends the first half of the movie sleeping, and is absent for the latter half all together ... it’s very frustrating. While I understand that Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis still had a difficult time giving her something to do in the story, I can’t help but feel that they could have done something … anything … better than just conking her on the head and putting her in the corner. There is an okay sequence with her hiding in Marty’s house, and bumping into her older self, but again … why is that the extent of her character?

    Now, I’ve been holding it off for a while, but let’s finally talk about the real star of the movie … Tom Wilson as the villain Biff Tannen. It’s common place for the middle chapter in a trilogy to be the darker, more villain centered story, and “Back to the Future Part 2” is no exception. 

To say Biff steals the show is an understatement, as he’s kind of the main character of the story, and a good chunk of the film is seeing all the different ways this character changes. Despite being more of a threat this time, he's still just as dimwitted, and can fall for something as juvenile as "What's that behind you". At the center of it all is Tom Wilson, who’s having a ball with this role. He's not only playing different versions of his character, but also extended family members like his grandson Griff. There’s also a number of scenes in which the actor gets to have fun acting opposite himself, like when young Biff encounters his older self. Biff: “Get the Hell out of my car old man!”. However, for as much as I enjoy this character, it dose get to a point where I expected him to figuratively carve his name in the moon. As such, there are lengthy scenes with him that do overstay their welcome. The scene with old and young Biff in the car … while a lot of fun to watch … just feels like filler, and doesn’t give us any new information. Still, while I personally would have preferred a story with a tighter focus on our hero’s, and can’t deny the appeal of seeing one of my favorite villains steal the spot light for one film. 

    Another mixed aspect of this sequel is re-visiting the first movie, and seeing things from a different perspective. It’s an interesting idea, and upon first viewing, it’s really existing to watch. However, upon repeat viewings, it just leaves me wishing I was watching the first movie instead. Still, the movie builds to a thrilling climax, in which Marty and Biff have one last final showdown to determine who the future belongs to, and its great stuff. The scene with them racing down the tunnel is one of my favorite set-pieces of the whole trilogy. We also have a direct set-up for the third movie, in which the lightning storm strikes the time-machine, sending the Doc back to the old west, and Marty is once again stuck in the 50’s. Sense both sequels were made back-to-back, there’s all kinds of tiny details that will come back into play for the third film, like Biff being a descendent of an outlaw from the old west, and a clip from a Clint Eastwood western featuring the hero creating his own bullet proof vest. There’s even a sneak preview of the third movie, which you rarely see in a sequel, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

    In the end, I enjoy “Back to the Future Part 2” a great deal, but it’s probably the movie I love the least in the trilogy. While the third picture doesn’t reach the same level of fun, it at least brings back the heart, and bonding that felt closer in spirit to the first. Still, it’s great to see variety to the time-travel elements of the story, and it also makes for a passable one-off chapter to spend with the villain stealing the show. Plus, there’s just so many details throughout this film I love, including the future setting of Hill-Valley, and a number of action set-pieces, that it makes for a easy experience to enjoy, and occasionally return to. 

Thanks for reading my review of the 1989 sequel “Back to the Future Part 2” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!