McFly/ Hello? McFly/ Anyone home? (new BTTF thread)

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I don't know, i just thought it was time once again to talk about the great trilogy, particularly those aspects that you all don't like about it, although the cool stuff would be good too. I had scratched DVD's that had to be replaced, but in stores only FS was available. today at the flea market I found the WS trilogy for $10, so that's what sparked me to start a new thread.

I love all three movies. Even the 2nd one. People said that by using the first movies footage, or by reshooting scenes from different angles that the film wasn't good that it was like an excuse for itself. It wasn't as good as one, but i've never seen the technique before.. of a character reliving events to make sure they go alright (Trials and Tribble-ations not withstanding) but it was a cool high concept idea. What I DID have a problem was that George was upside down in the film. This was REALLY silly, but I do know why they did this (it's on the commentary) but it's still silly. I also hated Fox playing Marlena. Just get a woman!

 

[Small White Car]

I also hated Fox playing Marlena. Just get a woman!

My single biggest complaint about all 3 movies. Seriously.

Why didn't they have Elisabeth Shue play the daughter too? It would have been goofy, but it would have been "Back to the Future Goofy" and would have fit in pretty well. They just wanted to show off the new technology that could put M.J. Fox in one scene 3 times. That's the ONLY reason they did that. It was just dumb.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

^ I completely agree!

Still BTTF 2 gets a bad rap, but I think it's a lot of zany fun! And it works because the first film was good and we care that those events go a certain way.

 

[Small White Car]

^ I completely agree!

Still BTTF 2 gets a bad rap, but I think it's a lot of zany fun! And it works because the first film was good and we care that those events go a certain way.

I think part II was a "necessary evil." The future stuff is nothing but lightweight jokes (ha ha, they'll be making 'Jaws' forever! ) and it has no heart and no substance. It's like cotton candy compared to the rest of the series.

But I call it "necessary" because I think people would be ticked if they never got to see the future. So I think they had to do it. But the fact is, everything that comes before and after it in the trilogy is 100 times better than what we see in 2015.

 

[Kryton]

We've got a guy at work who gets kinda cocky sometimes and is a bit of a bully but backs down in a heartbeat. The other day he was acting like that and, in front of our boss and everyone I said "Now Biff...don't you con me" and everyone fell apart laughing.

Gotta love it when you can recycle a classic movie scene into a massive insult.

 

[Ometiklan]

BTTF is my favorite series of movies ever. I like all three. I have heard people who say they don't like part 2 and even people who don't like part 3, but for me I can't agree with them at all. I loved the future portayal, the alt-1985 was powerful if dark, and revisiting 1955 and reinteracting with the same characters at the same time was a fun and cool sci-fi standard. And I can't really understand not liking part 3, but oh well.

I wish I could see the two seasons of the animated show again (the bittorrent stream doesn't seem to be complete) and I would even be up for any kind of sequel/continuation/spinoff, anything. Despite some of the failures of recent "lets bring back this beloved property" (Star Wars, Indiana Jones) I have found something to like in them even if they aren't great (or even good in the case of SW), and the originals are still always there to love.

 

[Lapis Exilis]

^ I completely agree!

Still BTTF 2 gets a bad rap, but I think it's a lot of zany fun! And it works because the first film was good and we care that those events go a certain way.

I think part II was a "necessary evil." The future stuff is nothing but lightweight jokes (ha ha, they'll be making 'Jaws' forever! ) and it has no heart and no substance. It's like cotton candy compared to the rest of the series.

Because the rest of the series is so full of substance??

Seems to me BttF is a light-hearted fluffy comedy from start to finish - and that's why I love it. I think it's the most successful pure movie trilogy* ever made.

*Before someone brings up LotR - that's an adaptation, not a story made for the movies. In the category of movies, BttF wins hands down.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I completely agree!

Still BTTF 2 gets a bad rap, but I think it's a lot of zany fun! And it works because the first film was good and we care that those events go a certain way.

I think part II was a "necessary evil." The future stuff is nothing but lightweight jokes (ha ha, they'll be making 'Jaws' forever! ) and it has no heart and no substance. It's like cotton candy compared to the rest of the series.

I always thought 2015 was made to look that way on purpose. Meaning, even as we see it in the original BTTF II timeline, it's not supposed to look as gaudy, overly satiric ("Cafe 80's"? ), brightly colored, etc. Perhaps that's one of the things that Marty is ultimately supposed to fix - i.e. make the future look more realistic, none of this Charlie Chocolate Factory crap.

 

[MikeGainer]

^ I completely agree!

Still BTTF 2 gets a bad rap, but I think it's a lot of zany fun! And it works because the first film was good and we care that those events go a certain way.

I think part II was a "necessary evil." The future stuff is nothing but lightweight jokes (ha ha, they'll be making 'Jaws' forever! ) and it has no heart and no substance. It's like cotton candy compared to the rest of the series.

I always thought 2015 was made to look that way on purpose. Meaning, even as we see it in the original BTTF II timeline, it's not supposed to look as gaudy, overly satiric ("Cafe 80's"? ), brightly colored, etc. Perhaps that's one of the things that Marty is ultimately supposed to fix - i.e. make the future look more realistic, none of this Charlie Chocolate Factory crap.

I thought about this too.

I felt that even Hill Valley 1955 was overworked into the 50's theme on purpose, making Marty feel more out of place (like in 2015). These places are not tangible or even the characters are realistic. Just for the sake of storytelling and need to cut down on time with the character development, the characters were written in such a way that they don't need explanation. I think that's what gave BTTF its charm.

 

[Ethros]

I'm gonna marry you Lorriane! SOMEDAY YOU'LL BE MY WIFE!!!

Frak your Star Wars and Lord of the Rings bollocks, BTTF is by far the Best Trilogy Ever


Who the hell is John F Kennedy?



Although if I have one negative thing to say, I do hate Clara Clayton. I always want to see her get horrifically dragged under the train's wheels in a bloody carnage at the end of Part 3

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Fun fact: Ronald Reagan (yes, that one) was offered the role of the Mayor of Hill Valley in part 3, as he was a huge fan of the BTTF films.

 

[captcalhoun]

Ronald Reagan? The actor? Then who's vice-president, Jerry Lewis? I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady? And Jack Benny is Secretary of the Treasury!

 

[davejames]

Part II definitely felt like a letdown when it came out, but I agree it looks a lot better now. My only problem is that, after all the buildup, only a tiny portion of the movie actually takes place in the future.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'm a huge fan of the trilogy since the night that I stumbled across it on TV when I was around six or seven years old. Remember that my parents wouldn't take me to see II because of a strike and they wouldn't cross the pickets (union supports and workers themselves). Remember seeing a preview for II on ET and going crazy insane for it!!

As for stuff that bugs me...really seeing the Time Train at the end of Back to the Future Part III. Essentially Doc went back on his word for the reason he wanted the DeLorean destroyed so he could see Marty again to assure him that he was all right and he had a new family with Clara. I'm sure that if Marty really wanted to he could've gone to the library and checked for infomation that Doc could have left him from the past. It also tantalizingily leaves a possibilty of another movie open and of course set up the mediocre animated series.

 

[MyCylon]

I really, really like this trilogy. It's excellent fun, I think, with a few ideas to ponder later on.
The performances are great, the production values are great (haven't seen the movies in a long time, but that's the way I remember it), the humor's great, the music's great - just lots of terrific fun from start to finish.

I will say that I think part two is the weakest link, but it still holds up very well IMHO. Part one is probably the strongest, followed by the final entry. Still, I enjoy all of them.
I haven't purchased this on DVD yet, but I'm sure I'll be picking it up sooner or later.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I always thought 2 was fantastic, as it really took the most creative approach I've ever seen to "sequel", in that, it truly WAS one. It build on the sequel, and revisited it in an original way that wasn't a copy. Truly worthy, I thought!!

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I've been a huge fan of this saga ever since I was 8 or so. It's so ingrained in my head that I can't imagine a world without it. I can't fathom a person who doesn't love it. Each of the separate films has their own merits.

Part I is the funniest. It is just a pure Swiss watch of comedic timing.

Part II is a fascinating sci-fi story. It has a lot of action. In a lot of ways, it's my favorite of the 3 films because it just hits the ground running and doesn't let up for 2 hours. (Of course, it also takes place over the shortest period of time. Parts I & III take place over the course of about 1 week. Part II occurs over only 2 breakneck days.)

Part III is the heart of the trilogy. It has the most heartfelt character development.

BTW, it's funny you bring this series up now, since I spent Halloween doing karaoke of "The Power of Love." However, our karaoke machine didn't have a monitor, so we could only do the songs that we already knew the words to. At one point, when I just flat out didn't know the lyrics, I just said, "Look, the movie faded out by this point."

Oh, and, this is wrong, but look @ this-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uwuLxrv8jY

 

[CommodoreKong]

I always thought 2 was fantastic, as it really took the most creative approach I've ever seen to "sequel", in that, it truly WAS one. It build on the sequel, and revisited it in an original way that wasn't a copy. Truly worthy, I thought!!

I agree. Part 2 has always been my favorite of the trilogy. I just don't get the hate it seems to get. The way it builds on the first one is pretty much perfect.

 

[Kirkman1987]

^

I still like the first best, but I agree that part II is fantastic. I loved alternate 1985 where Biff controlled everything.

The ending to II is also a great cliffhanger.

 

[Ethros]

Part II is far superior to III IMO as well. Part 1 is my favourite film of all time, Aliens is my 2nd, and BTTF 2 is my 3rd.
I love Part 3 but it wouldn't be in my Top 10.

And actually Empire Magazine recently had its 500 Greatest Movies of all Time issue, and BTTF 1 was no.23, BTTF 2 was no.498, whereas BTTF 3 was nowhere to be found.


I also remember a drunked conversation with a friend where he said he would probably bang Marlene McFly, granted she had female "parts", albiet with the face of M J Fox