After the electrifying (pun intended) finale of “Back to the Future Part II,” Marty McFly (Fox) is stuck in 1955…again. Using directions left by Doc Brown’s 70-year old letter, he finds the buried De Lorean time machine and reactivates it. However, he learns that Brown was mysteriously murdered back in 1885. Thus our traveler from 1985 is determined to travel to the Wild West to save him, but now he may instead become the sole victim of time travel…
“Back to the Future Part III” is opposite of its previous sequel. It’s slower-paced and its obviously not interested in trying to be creative with the genre film concept of time travel. Really its like Zemeckis and Gale basically had the urge to make a western picture, and with the opportunity of this mega-hit franchise, they simply used the opportunity to fulfill their desires.
If anything, it’s like those episodes of “Dr. Who” or “Star Trek” where both programs had dozens of pulp episodes where the protagonists explored various historical time periods and geographical locations in-between the serious fan-loved “personal” episodes that centered on certain characters. The first “Back to the Future” picture was a serious episode built within this ever-decreasing margin of error to a timely finale. The sequel wasn’t as emotional, but more action-oriented in the editing narrative.
The third film is simply an all-out adventure film in the likes of Dr. Who traveling to Victorian England or the U.S.S. Enterprise fighting Nazi-inspired aliens. No real poignant connection to the original film’s universe.
Not that it’s a problem. This is a pretty slick, disposable form of entertainment to where Zemeckis and Gale have fun with their homage to the cinematic westerns of Hawks, Leone, and Ford, along with the conventions of such genre-TV fare of the past.
While Fox is trying to avoid being gunned down by the Tanner family clan, the movie’s real focus is on Lloyd and his romantic subplot with Mary Steenburgen, a casting that is an obvious homage in itself to her work in Nicholas Meyer’s “Time After Time”.
I really enjoyed this picture, but questions come to mind. How does a kid from 1985 suburban California, who probably never seen a horse in the flesh save for dog food, be able to horseback ride like a pro overnight? How does the “Doc” create his machine in the film’s ending? Why is ZZ Top in the Wild West? Do trains really explode into a giant fireball like a car crash?
Think about that last sentence when Michael Bay gets around to helming a $120+ million western-action movie….
