# Which Back to the Future movie is the best one? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757 "2012-08-26T22:43:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/1 "2012-08-26T22:43:00Z")
It’s that easy, folks. Which is the best one? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/2 "2012-08-26T22:45:11Z")
I’ll start things off by voting for the third one. I just think it is the most fun of the group. I love the Wild West theme and I think everyone is on their game here. A lot of the in-jokes pay off in this one and I had a ton of fun watching this one in the theater in 1990. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/3 "2012-08-26T22:50:26Z")
I am a fan of the entire series . . . but this is a no-brainer. The first, as a stand alone movie, is one of the greatest movies of its decade, an all-time classic. I love the whole series. I share **Mahaloth** ’s affection for the third. But, c’mon. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/4 "2012-08-27T00:28:53Z")
See, I think the third is a distant, well, third. The second, however, is still pretty engaging for me. The first, obviously, is the standard-bearer for the series. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/5 "2012-08-27T00:58:13Z")
The original is my favorite, especially the scenes where he’s on guitar. He tries out his amp and blows himself away,then his audition gets rejected by Huey Lewis, and finally he get to do all those classic moves at the dance. I haven’t listened to any commentary tracks-- I wonder what he has to say about doing those scenes. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/6 "2012-08-27T01:38:48Z")
That’s not easy! 1 is obviously the most standalone and classic. 2 has the best timey wimey time travel convolutions and adventure. 3 has the most heart, sentiment, nostalgia, and resolution. By a narrow margin I pick number two because it’s the best time travel movie of the three. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/7 "2012-08-27T02:03:39Z")
I find Part II the most fun to rewatch, but the original is so perfect that it really is the “best”, IMHO. And really, seeing the original in the cinema in '85 as a kid just couldn’t be topped by the other two. Part II came close but Part III was no more than entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/8 "2012-08-27T02:28:58Z")
Part I by a mile. Part II is probably a better film but I find Part III more fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/9 "2012-08-27T02:36:20Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > And really, seeing the original in the cinema in '85 as a kid just couldn’t be topped by the other two. Part II came close but Part III was no more than entertaining. This probably affected my answer. I did not see part 1 in the theater, watching it countless times on tape. My whole family went to see part 2 and 3 in the theaters, though, and we absolutely adored them. It was probably the theater experience that made me love the sequels even more, especially the final one for me. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/10 "2012-08-27T02:44:28Z")
I went with number 2 mainly to give it some love. Without number one, there is no 2 and 3, and number one can obviously stand on it’s own. Number two I enjoyed because I liked the idea that someone with that ability would absolutely exploit it for future profit, and I was glad it was Biff. The only flaw with II was they didn’t use the same Jennifer. Unless that actress was dead, I’m sure she was available. I wonder what happened that they couldn’t get her for the second movie? I loved the interaction between the old Biff and the young, cocky but stupid Biff. He’s a good actor, and I’m surprised he hasn’t been in many more things. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/11 "2012-08-27T02:59:35Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > The only flaw with II was they didn’t use the same Jennifer. Unless that actress was dead, I’m sure she was available. I wonder what happened that they couldn’t get her for the second movie? > . She quit acting. Something about her mother being ill as well. They didn’t use the original George, either. Crispin Glover actually sued over usage of his image. ---
**Author:** ![Sundrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sundrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sundrop)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/12 "2012-08-27T03:12:25Z")
Part I is obviously the best of the three. Love the whole series, and Part II was fun and interesting. BUt Part III Just went off the rails. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/13 "2012-08-27T03:17:39Z")
The first one is an almost perfect movie and got my vote. The second one should get more credit for being risky. Going to the future was a no brainer and set up by the end of the first one but dealing with parallel timelines and weaving the story around the events of the first one was crazy risky for its time and it paid off IMO. The third is not a bad movie but played things as safe as the second one took risks. I think setting nearly the entire movie in one era like that was a less interesting choice. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/14 "2012-08-27T03:29:34Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I loved the interaction between the old Biff and the young, cocky but stupid Biff. He’s a good actor, and I’m surprised he hasn’t been in many more things. Yeah, I liked his character in _Freaks and Geeks_. I thought he did a good job with it. ---
**Author:** ![TaoPilot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TaoPilot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaoPilot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/15 "2012-08-27T03:37:30Z")
[quote=“Sundrop, post:12, topic:632757”] Part I is obviously the best of the three. Love the whole series, and Part II was fun and interesting. \*\*BUt Part III Just went off the rails.[/\*\*QUOTE] Only when the train hit the Delorean in 1985… I voted for the first one. Truly a classic movie, and stands alone. The others are fantastic as well, but if I had to choose only one movie to keep, it’d be the first one. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/16 "2012-08-27T04:39:23Z")
The third one has the problem of the logical Doc going completely stupid for a woman (risking certain death)\*. The first one is good, but it doesn’t really do anything interesting with the temporal premise. The second one, however, deals with a complete altered timeline, along with having Marty show up in two places at the same time. That’s just more interesting. - I thought it also had another bit of stupidity, but I figured out why Mr. Fusion wasn’t hooked up to handle ground-based travel: 1955 Doc didn’t know how to fix that part of the device, and 1985 Doc didn’t have the parts to fix that, anymore then he had the gasoline to power the combustion engine. And 1985 Doc probably didn’t plan for the eventuality of needing to use the combustion engine again, and thus didn’t refit the Delorean with a diesel. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/17 "2012-08-27T04:43:32Z")
1st one by an absolute mile… one of the most flawlessly entertaining movies ever made. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/18 "2012-08-27T04:54:20Z")
First one by far. It doesn’t have as much to do with the temporal premise, but that is what makes it work. It’s a story about people, not time travel. I like the sequels, but they’re not on the same level as the first one. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/19 "2012-08-27T10:39:48Z")
It’s no contest, the first film is a classic, flawless piece of blockbuster entertainment. My favorite movie, actually. I love the sequels, but they had their flaws and just didn’t seem too add up to the sheer exhilaration, and pure movie magic the first one managed to achieve. For me, part II had a weak, and over the top first half. The setup at the end of the first film about Marty and Jennifer having to do something about their kids turned out to be an anti-climatic let down in part II. It was obvious Bob Gale and Zemeckis didn’t really have a sequel plotted out, so they were forced to contrive some reason to necessitate Marty to have to go to 2015 to bail out his son (not his “kids”, after all). Parts of the future sequences are fun, but overall, I think they could’ve come up with something better. Also, the alternate 80s drags a bit for me (but it is pretty kickass when Marty just steps of the ledge on the rooftop, taking Biff by surprise). However, the second half of part II is pretty brilliant, and makes for some interesting storytelling woven around the events of the first film. The ending of Part II, for myself, is the best of all three films and brings back a bit of the exhilaration from the first film. Part III is just pure fun, and a treat for full-on Marty/Doc chemistry. I think it’s the most notable for the callbacks and all the reversals between Marty and the Doc from the first film: It’s the Doc this time who has the girl problem. It’s Marty who’s attempting to rescue the Doc. The technical problem this time wasn’t generating the 1.21 jiggawatts, but rather getting the DeLorean up to 88 mph. I believe they even switch catch phrases at one point where Marty says “Great Scott,” and the Doc exclaims “This is heavy.” I think there’s even more, but all in all part III was definitely more fun than II, and part I is infinitely more rewatch able that either sequels. I’d give Part I a 10 out of 10. Part II a 7 out of 10 (would’ve been a 5 or a 6 for me if the 2nd half didn’t totally redeem itself). And Part III an 8 out of 10. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757/20 "2012-08-27T11:42:52Z")
I mostly agree with **cmyk** ’s assessment, but I think I’d give the edge to _Part III_; it just has all my favourite character moments (though Lea Thompson is wasted). P.S. Watch the whole trilogy in close succession, or it’s easy to overlook some amazing acting that is hidden in plain sight - and that is of Tom F Wilson. He has a really elaborate range of characters to portray, and he absolutely nails it pitch perfectly every time. He is most definitely cruelly underrated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-back-to-the-future-movie-is-the-best-one/632757.md?page=2)