Back to the future

[DanH]

This is one of my favorite Sci Fi series of movies,..ranks even a notch higher then the Original Planet Of The Apes...Anyway which of the Back To The future series is your favorite and why?

[lboinyamouf4sho]

part 1 4sho!! just an all around great movie with amazing special FX but not too much to where it took away from the movie

[Buzz Dixon]

I liked Parts 1 and 2 best, with maybe Part 2 edging out Part 1 for the cleverness of the various time paradoxes, etc.

[Albert]

I'm with Buzz on this one. However, I never could get through all of the 3rd one... it just seemed such a let down from the "ride" of the second one.

Favorite part of the first movie? The Oedipal dilemma Marty has avoiding his own mother in the past.

Favorite part of the first movie? Too many to mention them all, but the breast implants (a topic d'jour when the film came out) and Biff's foreknowledge of sporting event outcomes were certainly highlights for me.

Slightly OT, but since you are obviously a fan of time travel movies, did you see A Sound of Thunder based on the Ray Bradbury story? If not I'd recommend it, despite some problems with the paradoxes in the film.

[hoffmandu]

Personally, I believe this to be the most rock-solid trilogy out there. Each installment is very good and does well in continuing the series. A++!

[Phil Clark]

1 and 3 are my favorites. 2 was a little bit too much "been there, seen that" for me. 1 was absolutely ground breaking, and 3 was just pure unadulterated fun watching Emmit and Marty in the old west. And the ZZ Top cameo is just priceless. 3 Really wrapped everything up quite nicely. I just wish the original actess for Marty's girlfriend could have done all three. She was much better than the gal in 2 and 3.

[Loren]

III is definitely my favorite, although 1 is probably the best qualitatively. I have an affinity for mixed-genre westerns.

Some time back I decided that the reason II didn't strike the same chord with me is because it doesn't have an emotional heart to it. In the first movie, George is the emotional center of the movie, and in III it's Doc. Both guys go through a character-based struggle apart from the plot-driven action and paradoxes. II, on the other hand, is just a straightforward action/adventure flick, and I think it's the lesser for it.

[blackdragon6]

i love the whole trilogy myself

[Rob H]

I'm with blackdragon6. The trilogy is incomparable.

1.21 gigawatts!

[Weapon Ick]

The second one was rad cause it had hoverboards. What year was that supposed to take place in? Are we getting any where near having that technology yet? When I was a kid I was sure we'd have hoverboards by now. *sigh* The future is always so disapointing in real life.

[Rob H]

The second one was rad cause it had hoverboards. What year was that supposed to take place in? Are we getting any where near having that technology yet? When I was a kid I was sure we'd have hoverboards by now. *sigh* The future is always so disapointing in real life.
2015. We have another 9 years to make good.

[Ilash]

Back to the Future rules all the way through all three movies. If I have to pick one though, I'll go with the first simply because it is such a tight, tight little story.

[Huzzah!]

The intersing thing about back to the future is now i cant see the actress playing Fox's mother as attractive and simply see her as "mother"

Maybe thats why Howard the Duck failed

Duck having sex with hot lady? Kinda works

Duck having sex with you mother? mortifying

[the goddamn batman]

2015. We have another 9 years to make good.


Oh thank god! I still want the 'rising sun' hoverboard. That thing was bad ass!

I love these movies I remember seeing all of them in the theater with my aunt and uncle. I always went to movies with my aunt and uncle.

II is easily my favorite. I'm a sucker for the future. I was also pumped as hell for the sequel to one of my favorite movies! That being said II couldn't have all it's fun references without the brillinant original. I love the original.

III has a lot of silly crap pandering to the 'it's a sequel' thing. It could have been cooler. Moments were alright and it often felt right but, something ruined it sooner or later. I will watch it on occasion.

[ocelotrevs]

I love the whole thing. Hard pushed, I'd have to say that BTTF II is my favourite part, because you bounce about time. And yeah. It's great.

[DDM]

Back to the Future is best just as the first movie left up to the audience's imagination. The sequels just became ridiculous fodder.

[CaptainAwesome]

I liked all three, but the first was the best. It was a perfect blend of comedy and action, and it had the most depth overall. I think the sequals were great, but the first really stands out.

[DonC]

Some time back I decided that the reason II didn't strike the same chord with me is because it doesn't have an emotional heart to it. In the first movie, George is the emotional center of the movie, and in III it's Doc. Both guys go through a character-based struggle apart from the plot-driven action and paradoxes. II, on the other hand, is just a straightforward action/adventure flick, and I think it's the lesser for it.


Exactly. Part II is funny, no doubt, but it lacks the sense of fun the other two movies have.

My favorite is Part I. It was just a smart and funny movie. And Part III does a good job parodying western movies. Part II was more set-up for Part III than anything. But it did have some amazing special effects I never noticed until I was watching the "Making of" DVD features.

And if you have the DVDs, you need to watch them with the pop-up trivia facts about the movies. There are a ton of jokes I never noticed. For example, did you ever notice after Marty runs over a pine tree in 1955 (there's even a line about him running the tree over), the Twin Pines Mall becomes the Lone Pine Mall back in 1985.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

III is definitely my favorite, although 1 is probably the best qualitatively. I have an affinity for mixed-genre westerns.

as do i but i really like part 2,eitherway i love the whole trilogy.i wanted a hover board so bad as a a lil girl :)

[blackdragon6]

i always wanted a delorian,but one thing always bothered me.how was doc brown able to make that train?



BTW: i wanted that train too...

[KenK]

i always wanted a delorian,but one thing always bothered me.how was doc brown able to make that train?



BTW: i wanted that train too...

The thing about time travel movies, especially comedic time travel movies, don't over think it.

[Patient Boy]

And if you have the DVDs, you need to watch them with the pop-up trivia facts about the movies. There are a ton of jokes I never noticed. For example, did you ever notice after Marty runs over a pine tree in 1955 (there's even a line about him running the tree over), the Twin Pines Mall becomes the Lone Pine Mall back in 1985.

Not really much of a spoiler. I've noticed that for years, like how the ravine becomes the Eastwood Ravine rather than the Clayton Ravine.

What I didn't realise for years was that Crispin Glover didn't act in either of the sequels.

[Taskmaster]

I've always liked the second one best, when am I gonna get my 80s Cafe darn it!!!

[vaan]

Actually I loved part 2, and I thought part 3 was just something to fill in the trilogy. I loved the running around in the different times; Something part 3 lacked!

[LtMarvel]

I liked the first one. The third's tacked-on happy ending just ruined the whole "time travel is too dangerous" message of the first two and two thirds of the series.

[marshal99]

The 2nd one is what a sequel should be , it expanded and broaden the original storyline . The 3rd one was a big dissapointment after the first 2.

[Motormouse]

The first one is easily the best, it's like star wars in the fact that it doesn't age and i can happily sit and watch it anytime and not get bored by it. I still want a DeLorean

[SKETCHSANCHEZ]

For example, did you ever notice after Marty runs over a pine tree in 1955 (there's even a line about him running the tree over), the Twin Pines Mall becomes the Lone Pine Mall back in 1985.

Oh yea, I think thats what makes these movies so great, all the little things.

Thanks to wiki


Themes throughout the trilogy
In Part I, in "Lou's Cafe" of 1955, Biff says to George McFly: "Hey, McFly, I thought I told you never to come in here." In Part II, that same space is occupied by "Cafe '80s" of 2015, where Biff's grandson Griff says to Marty Jr. (having previously seen him walking in after mistaking his time-traveling father for him inside): "Hey, McFly, I thought I told you to stay in here!" And in Part III, that same space is occupied by the Palace Saloon, where Biff's ancestor Buford says to Marty (mistaking him for Marty's great-great-grandfather Seamus): "Hey, McFly, I thought I done told you never to come in here."
In Parts I and II Biff crashes his car into a manure truck. In Part III, Buford collapses into a manure cart. In each situation he comments, "I hate manure." In 1955, the manure truck displays the name D. Jones. In 1885, the manure cart displays the name A. Jones.
All three movies involve a chase scene early on in the movie through downtown Hill Valley. In Parts I (1955) and II (2015) these scenes involve variations of a skateboard, which Marty uses to escape. In Part III (1885), Marty has no such transportation aid and loses the chase to Mad Dog Tannen's gang.
All three movies have a scene where a slightly bewildered Marty walks through Hill Valley observing the inhabitants and variations of that current time. The inhabitants are also slightly bewildered by Marty's odd appearance.
In each movie, Marty is knocked out and wakes up at the house of a relative. In Part I, it is his teenage mother in 1955. In Part II, it's his mother in an alternate timeline, 1985A, and in Part III, it's his great-great grandmother in 1885. Each time, Marty wakes up groggily after several hours, thinking the previous events were only a dream. Each time he is reassured that he is safe and sound by Lea Thompson's character, "in good old 1955", "on the good old 27th floor", or "at the McFly Farm". Each time, the location shocks Marty to full awakeness.
Michael J. Fox says "Mom, is that you?" five times throughout the Back to the Future trilogy. Three times when he wakes up from an injury and twice as Marty McFly Jr.'s sister, Marlene.
At some point in each of the various time periods, Marty angers the Tannen of the age and usually tries to get out of it with the old gambit of pretending there's something behind him. ("Whoa, Biff, what's that?" while pointing beyond his shoulder.) What's worth noting is that, ultimately, this only works on Biff Tannen specifically: although Biff falls for it in both 1955 and in the alternate 1985 (as do his goons on another occasion), Biff's bioandroid grandson Griff, with futuristic sensors around his wrists that automatically raise Griff's arm, and Buford Tannen never gives him a chance (thanks to his trigger finger).
In each of the three films, when Marty confronts the Tannen of the era in the cafe/saloon, there is a scene where he stands up to them and, due to his small stature, he looks up and over their shoulder as they extend to their full height.
In all three movies the Tannen of the era pushes a girl or woman to the ground. In Part I, Biff pushes Lorraine down. In II, Biff again pushes Lorraine to the ground in his hotel in 1985A. In III it's Buford pushing Clara.
Every time Marty pushes Tannen's goons and makes them fall on the ground, they always collapse with the same domino-like pattern.
In 1985, Marty is scared of sending his audition tape to record companies saying "What if they didn't like it? What if they say I was no good?" In 1955, when Marty asks to read some of George's stories, George refuses, giving exactly the same excuse.
Marty's uncle "Jailbird" Joey is also found behind bars as his nephew meets him in 1955 (Better get used to these bars, kid...).
The site of Twin Pines Mall in 1985 was, back in 1955, the farm of Old Man Peabody, who had bred twin pines. When Marty goes back to 1955, he knocks down one of the pine trees. When he goes back to 1985, the mall is called the Lone Pine Mall.
Each time Marty checks his watch (when Doc rings Marty after the opening credit sequence and tells him his clocks are all exactly 25 minutes slow, when 1985 Doc states the time while Marty is filming him at Twin Pines Mall at the beginning of the film, when 1955 Doc and Marty syncronize watches, when Dave reminds Marty of the time at the end of the film, etc), he gives it a slight double-take and shakes his wrist as if the watch is not working. This is amusing because it is such a slight and subtle recurring gag, and the idea that the world's first human - and most active - time traveler (at that point) doesn't even have a working timepiece is quite ironic.
Marty buys a soft drink in downtown Hill Valley and has difficulty opening it the first time (at the Texaco gas station in 1955) because it is old-fashioned, and the second time (at the Cafe '80s in 2015) because it's futuristic.
In 1955, Biff chases Marty around the Courthouse square, and Marty escapes on a skateboard. In 2015, Griff chases Marty around the Courthouse square, and Marty again escapes, this time on a hoverboard. As an older Biff looks on, he comments "there's something very familiar about all this..."
In the end of Part I, Biff tries to weasel out of putting a second coat of wax on the McFlys' BMW. In Part II 2015, Griff berates Biff for not putting a second coat of wax on his car.
At the beginning of Part I, Lorraine McFly is pretty negative about her children's activities but states, as Lorraine Baines in 1955 (as well as the same scene in Part II), that she would be open to her future offspring's decisions, prompting Marty to mutter if he could get that in writing.
Marty's 80s catch phrases are quite confusing to the inhabitants of other time periods. In 1955, Marty uses "heavy" twice. Once Doc comments that weight has nothing to do with it, and the second time he gets confused by Marty's repeated use of it and asks if there's something wrong with the Earth's gravitational pull in 1985. In 1885, when Marty picks up a pie plate and sees the word "frisbee" in it, he exclaims "far out!", and Seamus and Maggie McFly comment that it wasn't far at all, but in fact "right in front of him". Also, when Marty tells Tannen "Hey, lighten up, jerk!", Buford looks at his cronies for clarification, and they shake their heads, mystified. Tannen is vaguely able to discern that the expression constituted "mighty strong words."
In Parts I and III, Doc builds an exquisite model to demonstrate to Marty how the time travel will be done. In Part I, Doc shows how the speeding DeLorean will intersect to capture the lightning bolt. In Part III, in 1885, Doc shows how the speeding locomotive will push the unfuelled DeLorean up to 88 mph as it reaches the incomplete bridge. In Part I, Doc apologizes, "Sorry, it's not to scale or painted." In Part III, Doc begins to say "Please excuse the crudity of this model-" and Marty interrupts sarcastically, "Yeah I know, it's not built to scale."
In Part I, after waking up in 1955 ("Mom, is that you?") Marty discovers he is not wearing pants, as they are "over there, on [his mother's] hope chest." In Part III, after waking up on the McFly Farm, as he gets out of his great-great-grandmother's bed, Marty quickly checks to make sure he's still wearing his pants before fully rising out of the bed.
In Part III, Clayton Ravine, named after the surname of a schoolteacher who fell in it in 1885 (did not fall in it anymore because she was saved by Doc Brown) now carries the name Eastwood Ravine (visible on a sign by the track when Marty reaches 1985 after the DeLorean was pushed by the speeding locomotive). One can presume that the ravine is now named after "Clint Eastwood" (Marty McFly) who fell in it with a complete stolen train engine in 1885 and mysteriously vanished.
The scene in Part I where Lorraine comes looking for Marty in Doc's garage, and the scene in Part III where Clara comes looking for Doc in his blacksmith shop have several similarities. In both cases, Marty and Doc are working on a plan to get back to the future, when the woman unexpectedly arrives. In both, Doc then cries, "quickly, cover the time vehicle!" Lorraine and Clara both ask Marty and Doc, respectively, to a social function during their visit. Doc's shocked and bewildered facial expressions are also very similar in both scenes.
Marty McFly is called "chicken" in Part II by both Griff and Needles in 2015 and Biff in 1955, and replies with "Nobody calls me chicken!" He's called "Yella" (yellow) by Buford in Part III and replies the same way with the same dramatic music cue.
Throughout the movies, Doc Brown frequently exclaims, "Great Scott!", and Marty frequently says, "This is heavy!" (a colloquialism which the Doc Brown of 1955 never seems to understand). In Part III, a comedic reversal occurs when, after a predicament manifests itself, Marty exclaims, "Great Scott!", to which Doc Brown replies, "I know, this is heavy!"


Thats not even all of them. As for the movies, I love part one to death, and growing up my favorite sequal was part 2 but part 3 has really grown on me over time and is a much better story IMO.

[The Batman]

These are great, great movies - all three of them. I've lost many an afternoon of worktime because of a BttF marathon on TBS. If only I had a time machine . . .

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

when am I gonna get my 80s Cafe darn it!!!i was thinking about opening a 80's and a 90's cafe lol.....SERIOUSLY


the 80's cafe would have 80's music video's playing on moniters like janet,michael,ll cool j,madonna,run dmc,ready for the world,rakim,the jets and of course new wave.


the 90's cafe woul have video's from that era like gangsta rap,alt rap,alt rock.for some strange reason when i think of my 90's cafe i keep thinking about two princess by the spin doctors.

[jwd]

Love all 3 of them. The first was my favorite.

I have a question about the DVD release. I remember back when it was getting released there was reports of framing problems on II and III. So I never picked it up. They claimed to of fixed it.

I checked the wikipedia article. The one that had framing problems had a pick of Marty and Doc on the front with Marty looking at his watch and Doc behind him. They said later they rereleased it with the corrected discs and you could tell with a "V2" stamped on the discs. My quesiton is -How do you tell which is the correct one by just looking at the package?

They also had a picture of one that said 2005 release with just the Delorean on the cover. I've yet to see this anywhere. All the store and online sites have pictures of the Marty and Doc cover. Are they just filled with the older versions and trying to sale them first?

I've been wanting to get them on DVD but I want to get the correct ones.

Thanks