Back to the Future Trilogy (Box Set)
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Studio: Universal Studios
*Extreme warning! This review contains the entire plotline of the movie! While I’ve tried to outline the plot without ruining anything major, many scenes are discussed, so if you’re worried about spoiling any of the movies, then please don’t read further.
In the mid 1990s, just when DVDs were first being released to the mainstream public, studios began to put out lists of when the old favorites were going to be digitized. The Back to the Future Trilogy was in the top 10 of Universal’s list. They set a release date for the BTTF launch, but the date was pushed back. Fans grew impatient, but the studio claimed that they were working very hard not only to preserve the quality, but to provide many of the extra features that DVDs can offer. Well, the date kept getting pushed back again and again until months became years. Over 5 years after the original release schedule, the Back to the Future Box Set was released on 12/17/2002. It was well worth the wait.
For those who haven’t already seen any of the Back to the Future movies, what are you waiting for? This is one of those cinematic classics that everyone should see. BTTF is the story of a high school kid named Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his friend and inventor Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The plot of part one went down like this: Doc Brown built a time machine from a DeLorean, and due to some hectic circumstances, Marty ends up traveling back to 1955 (30 years in the past) where he ends up stranded without a way back home. The only person who could possibly help him get back to 1985 is his friend Doc, who in 1955 has no idea who he is. Once he meets up with Doc and explains the situation, he is more than willing to help. The only problem with this, is the fact that Marty has already ran into his future parents, and altered events preventing them from getting together. So, before he goes home, he must get his future parents back together. This task proves quite interesting.
Even though Marty makes his way home, he doesn’t stay for long. Part II begins with Doc taking Marty to the future, where his kid has caused a bit of trouble. A few events occur there, and the time machine is borrowed by someone else, altering the past. When Doc & Marty return to 1985, everything is completely different, and the villain of the previous movie, Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) is in charge of Hill Valley. They find that in order to restore the normal order of time, they must return to the past, and prevent from the major change from being made. After completing their mission in the past, Doc is hovering in the DeLorean when he is struck by lightning. The DeLorean disappears, leaving Marty stranded in the past. He receives information telling him that Doc got stuck in 1885. He knows that there is only one man who can help him get home. This is where Part II ends.
Part III begins with Marty & 1955 Doc reading about how the DeLorean is buried in the cave, and that it can be repaired with 1955 parts. Doc’s letter tells Marty that he is happy in 1885, and that once the time machine is fixed, he should return to 1985. During the dig however, Marty discovers that Doc is killed in 1885, just seven days after the letter was written. He decides to go back to 1885 and rescue his friend. Once in 1885, Marty tears a whole in the gas tank, thus ruining their chances of getting back home. Doc searches for other methods, while at the same time trying to avoid getting shot by Buford Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). While in the past, Doc meets Clara (Mary Steenburgen) and falls in love fast. This complicates the entire situation. In any case, the rest of the movie follows a rigid schedule to get everything ready for the return trip home. Even though it’s a western, it’s definitely a great movie.
Now that you know the story of the movies, there is much more behind the scenes with this trilogy set. There are over 10 hours of extras included here. They’ve included commentary from directors, producers and actors. They’ve included every little special that aired on TV, or was available on home video years ago. Some of these things include the rarely found “Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy.” The set also includes a whole new way to watch the movie. You can turn on a mode that will pop up with little subtitles telling you little factoids and behind the scenes information that is very fun to know.
Overall, the DVDs look great, despite the fact that the first version of the Widescreen edition shipped with a few misframed scenes. Universal Studios acknowledged the problem, and replaced the disks for anyone who felt they needed a replacement. (I got mine!)… To make a long story short, the movies look great, and the literally hours of special content was more than worth the wait. It’s definitely something that should be the part of every DVD collection.
Overall: 10/10
Additional Information:
Rating: PG-13
Run time: 342 minutes.
DVD Special Features:
Over 10 hours of extras!
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes & Bloopers
Commentary by directors, actors, etc
Subtitles & Alternate Language Audio
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