You know what? I am tired as heck of everyone hating on Back to the Future III

Cafe Society
1

I don’t see why it was so bad. I prefer part III to part II, although I think both sequels are a step down from the original. But that is more because the original was so great, it is impossible to live up to it.

But I do think that the ending to III was really lame with the time travelling train, and Doc Brown’s little “the future is what you make of it” speech. I get that that’s the lesson of the movie, but it is really shoved down our throats there.

But I thought the rest of the movie was good, and I liked seeing the Old West elements. And the train.

So why is it so unpopular (as I have learned from my substantial research on imdb forums and other back to the future discussions)

2

As a kid I loved back to the future III, it was the one I loved the most of the series and the easiest to understand while watching. It was only in my teen years did I really get to appreciate the value of BTF I and II actually. Now I’m torn as I really like I but III always holds a special place in my childhood.

3

III is way better than II. 2015 is not going to look ANYTHING like that, and the production staff should have known that even in the 80s. I remember when I saw II in theaters, and the highlight was the trailer for III shown at the end of it. I just kept thinking they should have just brought III out instead of II.

4

Plus you get to see ZZ Top rock out (well, rock out as much as 1880’s music tech will let them).

5

Another data point: I also have always liked III better than II, and have always been confused by the disparagement.

6

Same here - III is great. The only real downside to III for me is that it has a few too many parallels to I. I feel that III is better than II because it got back to the more light-hearted feel of the original that was lacking in the second one.

7

The funny thing is, I remember back when Part II came out, everyone but me seemed to be disappointed in it (“It’s too confusing and manic!” seemed to be a big complaint), and those same people liked Part III because it was closer in pace and style to Part I. Over the years, though, it appears that Part II has become more appreciated and Part III less so. Personally, I love all of them, although the original is the best.

And as for 2015 not being a realistic vision of the future – well, yeah, of course it wasn’t, and I think the filmmakers did realize it at the time. It was supposed to be an idealized, cheesy “Sci-Fi Flying Cars Future,” not an accurate guess as to what the real 2015 would be like. I base this mostly on the fact that pretty much nothing else that happens in the entire series is realistic either. Which is all part of its crazy charm.

8

I like III better than even the first one. The old west is what does it for me. Everythign in the movie just seems to work right.

9

I always loved that Marty had the plate on his chest, and wondered why I never saw that happen in my Grandpa’s Westerns.

In fact, that might answer the question: a lot of the things I like about 3 are the stuff it borrows from Westerns. And that’s a genre that has almost entirely up and died.

10

Part III is my absolute favourite, as well. I never understood why so many people like it least. Although, looking at this thread, I wonder where those people are all of a sudden.

11

Definitely this. Self-drying jackets, self-lacing sneakers, hover-boards, power-extendable baseball bats, etc - certainly tongue firmly in cheek.

12

BTTF is one of my all time favorite movie franchises.

Part I is, hands down, the best of them. Everything about it just worked. The chemisrty between Marty and Doc. The DeLorian. The flux capacitor, time circuits, and the forgotten plutonium. 1.21 Jiggawats. 88 mph. Save the clock tower! The scene at Twin (Lone) Pines Mall. November 5th, 1955. 10:04 PM. Lorrane, Biff and George. I could just keep going on and on… everything exudes charm and magic. The whole plot is one great, fun puzzle that comes together piece by piece in a very satisfying way, every time I’ve watched it. And I’ve seen the first one probably over 30 times (Saw it opening day back in 1985 when I was 12). Now I get to share these movies with my kids… and they declare them their favorite movies.

Here’s the problem with Part II. The problem with Marty’s kids? Somethings gotta be done about his kids! Yuh, turned out to be nothing to wait 5 years for in between films. I won’t even say it was contrived, more like painfully obvious they couldn’t come up with a good idea about some mess for his kids to be in. We don’t even get any details either. Just some hand-waving about refusing Griff’s offer. Bwah? So what. It was like they just wanted to get that part of the story out of the way, so they could move on to more interesting prospects. The future was really over the top and campy. It was fun the first time I saw it when I was 17, but it just doesn’t hold up now.

For me, the movie really gets going once Marty is back in 1955 again, working around the events from the first film. “Gray’s. Sports. Almanac.” By the end, I was enchanted again. Doc getting hit by lighting from the very storm that sent Marty back home in the first film: awesome. Marty on the Walkie, after Doc disappears. The string of pendent flags fluttering down… then heavy rain. When the car pulls in from Western Union and hands over the letter from the Doc, to hear Marty utter the words, “There’s only one man who can help me now.” Then him running around the clock tower just after he went back from the first film, only to grab Doc and tell him, “I’m back! Back from the future.” Brilliant.

Which brings me to Part III. Awesome movie all around. I actually liked all the parallels they were able to make from the first film. It’s fun to tie them all together. Really, there’s a lot of reversals, if you think about it. In the first movie, they couldn’t generate enough power to activate the flux capacitor. In this one, they had all the electricity they needed because of the Mr. Fusion. It’s that they couldn’t get up to speed. So it was trading 1.21 jiggawatts for 88 mph. The lightning swapped for the train. Love it. Clara falls in love with Doc, instead of Loraine falling in love with “Calvin Klein.” We see the Clock Tower being built, instead of ruined. And the Train set piece was really fun. The characters were great, and had some genuinely comedic moments. How awesome was Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen? Of course, it had some smelly residue from Part II on it at the end. Had to tie up that loose end with his accident. Heart wrenching to see the DeLorian smashed. Didn’t like the ham-handed speeches at the end, but I did like the Time Train in a way. I wasn’t sure how we would get to say goodbye to the Doc, or what his fate was, so it’s cool to think he’s out there somewhere/somewhen, with his wife and kids, on some more adventures… with a fucking flying steam train.

Maybe Jules and Vern will pick up where Marty and their dad left off. They’ll be teens one day, what teen doesn’t want a tricked out DeLorian?

13

It ain’t bad. I especially like the fact that Christopher Lloyd got a girlfriend in the movie.

Of course the big problem with BTTF is it has Michael J Fox, whom Mojo Nixon correctly identified as “the direct opposite of Elvis, the evil anti-Elvis” in the great song “Elvis is Everywhere”. It’s not evolution, it’s Elvislution.

14

Tired as heck? OK Ned Flanders.

15

BTTF III is the favorite of the trilogy at Casa Scarlett.

Best line? "It’s a science experiment!"

16

I agree that III is underrated a lot of places. Certainly better than II (which isn’t to say II is bad, it’s still great,) and holds up to I.

I also like how in III, we see the “reverse evolution” of time travel. What took a tiny, 1"x1" IC in 1985 takes a 3’ x3’ series of tubes and transitors in 1955, which takes a 7’ cube full of god knows what in 1885.

17

I love III as well. My favorite line:

“What do I care what Tannen thinks of me? He’s an asshole!”

18

I wasn’t aware that anyone hated on this movie. Mostly, it just doesn’t get talked about much at all.

19

I liked III better than II, and the first one best of all – but they were all great. In fact, I’d hold them up against any other trilogy I can think of in terms of consistant quality, exept maybe Star Wars (and even that had a week 1/2 film at the end).

20

I have no real problem with BTTF III, which is a fun romp. And BTTF II has moments of greatness.

But neither is even close to BTTF I, which is one of those rare absolutely movies that accomplishes what it is trying to accomplish nearly perfectly. It’s a flawless gem.