The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015. Remaining movies: 124 Days to go: 87
Movie #316: Back to the Future Part III
Back to the Future Part III could’ve gone a couple of different ways: It could’ve held fast to the tortured plot structure of the second film, or it could’ve deviated as much as possible from that tract and given us another lighthearted, entertaining time travel comedy. Somehow, it manages to do both.
Back to the Future Part II ends with Doc (Christopher Lloyd) accidentally stuck in 1885 and Marty (Michael J. Fox) stuck in 1955. So Marty has to seek out the Doc from 1955 again and have him assist Marty in locating the DeLorean (hidden away by Doc in 1885 and communicated to Marty via a letter delivered by Western Union to the exact spot he was standing when he saw the DeLorean vanish) and getting him back to 1985, where all that crap from the alternate universe has been corrected. So Back to the Future Part III picks up at that same spot. Thankfully, though, it doesn’t address the situations in 1985 or 2015 at all. Instead, in locating the DeLorean, Marty discovers that Doc is murdered by Buford Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) six days after writing the letter to Marty. Naturally, just as he was driven to in the first film, Marty goes to save Doc. Instead of traveling to 1985, he travels back to 1885, and the bulk of the movie takes place there, in the old west.
At this point, the story is infinitely better than it was in part two, as it mirrors the same central conflict as the original: how to get the time machine to work in a time without the necessary technology. The problem isn’t plutonium anymore, of course, because the Mr. Fusion fixes that, but regular old gasoline. The fuel line gets torn when Marty arrives in 1885, and even if they repair it, they have nowhere to get gas. It brings back the ingenuity of the first film, complete with not-to-scale models, a famous alias for Marty (this time he’s Clint Eastwood) and a cast of characters who don’t understand modern jargon or references. It also has Mary Steenburgen, who I think we can all agree makes everything better, as Clara Clayton, the schoolteacher who was supposed to fall down a ravine and die but instead winds up being the love of Doc’s life. By reverting to the beats and feel of the original in this way, while also having a lot of fun with an Old West story, it makes the franchise fresh and appealing again. The movie has tension, conflict, building moments of suspense and a light, tender sense of humor again.
Of course, there are some ways in which Back to the Future Part III is still steadfastly gripping some of the more annoying aspects of Part II. Marty, for instance, is still afraid of being called a chicken, which is still a ludicrous character trait for him. It’s a good thing they wrap it up — both in 1885, with him bowing out of a dual with Tannen on account of Tannen’s an asshole, and in the newly restored 1985 in which Marty reverses his truck rather than drag race bully Needles (Flea, because … he really wanted to be in the Back to the Future movies, I guess?), thus changing his original future history in which he gets in an accident, injures his hand, has to give up rock music and eventually gets fired for being the same ridiculous pushover at work his father used to be with Biff — with Marty simply accepting the fact that being called a chicken is stupid, nonsensical, and meaningless. I mean, it’s annoying it’s in there at all, but since Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue) was abandoned in Part II on a porch swing in a ghetto neighborhood of Hill Valley with a “You’re Fired” fax folded up in her pocket, they were pretty much forced to do something with it.
Back to the Future Part III also continues to use the same main actors (Fox, Wilson, and Lea Thompson) to portray relatives of their 1985 characters at different points. Normally it’s annoying, but here it’s not so bad. There’s only one Tannen in 1885, only one non-Marty McFly man (Seamus, which, who knew Fox was so cute as an Irish ginger with a little beard?) and only one McFly woman being portrayed by actual woman Thompson instead of Fox again. Here the silliness and fun of it shines through, rather than it just being pointlessly odd and disconcerting.
Overall, this entire movie is a lot more fun than the first sequel. It’s got ZZ Top as an old time-y band, Frisbees being used as pie plates (which Marty uses as a Frisbee), the construction of that infernal clock tower, and Emmett Brown completely unable to hold his liquor. Not only that, but it ends with a magical steam engine time machine helmed by Doc and his wife Clara, traveling through time with their sons Jules and Verne. And everyone lives happily ever after.
Most of all, however, I like Back to the Future Part III for its positive message about the future, that it’s not written, not set in stone. We can all forge our own paths, write our own stories, and create our own destinies. I really like that idea, and any time I’m feeling unaccomplished or at a loss, I think of it and refocus. It brings me confidence and contentment and the courage to make (and live with) my choices. “Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one, both of you.”
Viable Option 