Review By Liam O Brien, 5 out of 5 “Are you trying to tell me my mom has the hot’ s for me?”
THE FILMS: Stop and think for a moment about the nature of time. Think about the past present and future, think about the seconds going by as you read this very review. Think about, what you could do, if you could play with time. If you had a time machine then? Ok so far so good, so where do you go? Forward to the year 3000 to see if doors make that pssst sound when they automatically open like on Star Trek?. Back in time, to the very beginnings of man to gaze at your reflection in the primordial ooze? Or, back to 1955 to meet up with a Doctor who you saw shot by Libyan nationals before your eyes, a meek, generally socially retarded young man who will become your father- and your mother to be- who fancies you. Well, I would go for option A (I want to run back and forth through the swooshy doors) but young Marty Mc Fly, hero of the Back To The Future trilogy chose option C.
The premise of these movies is so good, that it may shock you to learn that the screenplay for the first instalment was sitting on the shelf for over four years before Universal picked it up. Written by director Robert Zemekis and Bob Gale, the script is full of iconic moments (Doc Brown hanging from the clock tower, the Delorian in general, the skateboard chase) brilliant lines (“What’s a gigawatt?””If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 your gonna see some serious shit””Roads?Where were going we don’t need roads”) and characters to die for. The brilliant thing about the screenplay is also this- there is not a redundant scene in it. Every scene is important to give us an idea of the characters and move on the rollicking plot.
The acting is brilliant, with Michael J Fox giving a career best as the role he seems to have been made for- Marty Mc Fly; the ever excellent Christopher Lloyd as Doctor ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown make up one of cinema’s most appealing double acts. The acting by the parents is a credit- Martys dad is the most socially inept man since Allan Partridge re-inacted the first fifteen minutes of The Spy Who Loved Me, Martys mum (in a very risqu?dea which seemed to have slipped through) fancies the ass off her future offspring, and its up to Marty, after screwing with the timeline to ensure his folks get it together before he fades out of existence.
While the brilliant first film cannot be beaten, both Parts II and III have every bit as good a moment as the first movie; number II goes into uncharted sequel territory by going back in time to re-evaluate the events of the first picture. The far too futuristic 2015 just adds to the anachronistic fun-, as good as these films are don’t THINK about the time travel malarkey, you’ll just need an aspirin by the end. By the time were on Part III its one big brash and brilliant finale’ with most of the action taking place in the wild wild west its one joke after another, and, following a fast moving train ride, the film has the good sense to give a real sense of finality to the seires, with the destruction of the Delorian.
THE DISCS: The menu screens are really rather dull compared to the likes of Star Wars and Minority Report, with little activity going on anywhere, but with the extras that come with the package, its only a small flaw.The DTS sound is brilliant, and the picture crystal clear with a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio, it looks good even on the smallest of sets. The first disc has a Zemekis/Gale commentary, which pays no actual attention to the movie (it is effectively a interview track played over the film) a very nice retrospective making of doc, a featurette made at the time, outtakes, deleted scenes, storyboard/movie comparisons, trailers, film achives, the lot. The other two are treated as well with a meaty doc each plus the usual smorgasbord of extras, including music videos and most of whats available on disc one (except any commentary). A nice package rounded off by a VERY nice price.
ANY GOOD?: Well worth your pennies, this is a top set, at a very good price for the whole lot. Zemekis directs with flair, the whole seires never lets the quality drop, and theres not a dud scene or performance. Putting today’s crop of blockbusters to shame shame shame, these films have it all, action, comedy, science fiction, romance and an emotional core that few films of today seem to get. Rounded off by extras galore and THAT price, buy it now dammit!
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