Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis topped his breakaway hit
Romancing the Stone with
Back to the Future, a joyous comedy with a dazzling hook: what would it be like to meet your parents in their youth? Billed as a special-effects comedy, the imaginative film (the top box-office smash of 1985) has staying power because of the heart behind Zemeckis and Bob Gale's script. High schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox, during the height of his TV success) is catapulted back to the '50s where he sees his parents in their teens, and accidentally changes the history of how Mom and Dad met. Filled with the humorous ideology of the '50s, filtered through the knowledge of the '80s (actor Ronald Reagan is president, ha!), the film comes off as a
Twilight Zone episode written by Preston Sturges. Filled with memorable effects and two wonderfully off-key, perfectly cast performances: Christopher Lloyd as the crazy scientist who builds the time machine (a DeLorean luxury car) and Crispin Glover as Marty's geeky dad.
--Doug Thomas Critics and audiences didn't seem too happy with Back to the Future, Part II, the inventive, perhaps too clever sequel. Director Zemeckis and cast bent over backwards to add layers of time-travel complication, and while it surely exercises the brain it isn't necessarily funny in the same way that its predecessor was. It's well worth a visit, though, just to appreciate the imagination that went into it, particularly in a finale that has Marty watching his own actions from the first film. --Tom Keogh
Shot back-to-back with the second chapter in the trilogy, Back to the Future, Part III is less hectic than that film and has the same sweet spirit of the first, albeit in a whole new setting. This time, Marty ends up in the Old West of 1885, trying to prevent the death of mad scientist Christopher Lloyd at the hands of gunman Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson, who had a recurring role as the bully Biff). Director Zemeckis successfully blends exciting special effects with the traditions of a Western and comes up with something original and fun. --Tom Keogh
1 Back to the future, the greatest movie ever?
Back to the future just might be the greatest movie ever.
Back to the future 5 stars
Back to the future part 2 4 stars
Back to the future part 3 3 stars
thanks to robert zemeckis, bob gale, and steven speilberg for making this movie!
2 Why Was This The Best Science Fiction Movie Ever Made?
Well, there are five reasons.
1. The screenplay's treatment of science. As much as I like science fiction, science fiction fans have developed a jargon which has alienated normal people. SF folks know, for example, not only what a time warp is, they also can explain the general theory of relativity which allows for such a thing. So you have extremely involved scientific theory which must be explained to a lay audience, in such terms that they are not put to sleep. H.G.Wells understood that, and Robert Zemeckis does, too. So, without patronizing the audience or cheapening the literary value, the theory is developed and then illustrated in straightforward, dramatic and accessible terms. It helps that the scientist-hero is lovable but not quite sane.
2. The screenplay's treatment of extremely touchy human issues. OK, so you go back in time and your mother falls in love with you, which is punished by the extinguishment of your own existence. Sound like lighthearted fun? Can you only imagine what Quentin Tarantino would have done with this material? But here, it becomes independent fuel for the plot, made "safe" by mom and son consummating their relationship, only to find that they taste funny. Our socio-sexual mores are protected, and the universe is restored to peace and balance. And they did it in only two shots, too!
To read the other three reasons, see each separate movie DVD.
3 Part I ****, Part 2 ****, Part 3 ***
This trilogy tells the story of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) adventures through time in a time machine of Doc's invention. The first film is the best; it has more heart than the others as Marty plays Cupid in the 50s to make sure that his parents fall in love and marry the way they are meant to. The second film relies more on zaniness as our two heroes rush breathlessly between the past and future trying to correct paradoxes of their own making. The final film is a let-down; there is some time travel business at the beginning before the story settles down to a standard Western comedy with all of the stereotypical elements. Strengths of the trilogy include the performances of Fox and Lloyd, lots of complex fun with the time stream, and the many inventive ways that the supporting cast is included. A weakness is its tendency to go for the easy joke every time, even at the cost of making our hero seem somewhat dim-witted, such as Fox ordering a Pepsi Free in the 50s or ice water in an Old West saloon, hollering in panic like a cartoon character, or flying into uncontrollable rages at the suggestion that he is a coward.
4 Three exciting movies in one set
I saw the first movie on TBS and I loved it ever since. I really got into it when the second was on ABC Family. Then I rented the third, making me feel happy I watched an exciting trilogy. during my rhode Island vacation, we went to Walmart and I bought the whole trilogy for not a lot at all. And I loved them ever since. So I think you should watch them all first,and then buy this set. Micheal J. Fox rocks!
5 exciting, funny, suspensful and awesome!
Back to the Future is one of the best trilogies ever, and probably the most well thought out trilogy ever.
Back to the Future: Teen Marty McFly (Fox) accidentally gets shot back to the year 1955. There he runs into his parents in their teen years and gets in the way of how they meet and fall in love. Now Marty must make his mom and dad fall in love, within the time course of a week because he only has one chance to get back to the future.
Back to the Future Part II: I think this one has the best story of the three. Marty and Doc go to the year 2015 to stop Marty's kid, Marty McFly Jr. from being arrested and destroying his family. They are succesful, but the future Biff steals the time machine without them knowing and gives his past self a certain sports almanac. All he has to do is bet on the winner in the book, and he'll never lose. Old Biff returns the time machine and Marty and Doc go back to 1985. When things go drastically wrong (Biff is married to Marty's mother and is a billionaire, George McFly is murdered) they figure out soon what happened. Marty and Doc must travel back to 1955 when young Biff was given the almanac and destroy it.
Back to the Future Part III: Doc is accidentally shot back to 1885 leaving Marty back in 1955. Marty goes to the Doc (of 1955), and suddenly learns that he is murdered in the old west. Marty goes back to 1885 to rescue the Doc and get both of them back to 1985.
6 Great Trilogy
The movies are great and the DVD's are great. The special features are also very interesting to watch.
7 Framing Fiasco appears to be corrected.
1/29/05 - Happy Birthday Annette. I just received the 1/25/05 widescreen release of the BTTF trilogy release on 1/27/05, from Amazon/Borders, and I am very pleased. I have viewed all three movies and some of the special features. My set up is a 50 inch widescreen TV and a 6.1 sound system. The sound and vision was excellent. I was reluctant to purchase the trilogy, due to past poor reviews of the widescreen version with errors on disc 2 and 3, with letterbox black bars on the top and bottom. I did not detect any portion of scenes with less picture information or black bars on any of the movies. The viewing screen was filled, in my opinion, perfectly. The 5.1 re-master sounds great and is utilized very well. In fact, I am able to force on my two rear surround speakers in conjunction with my side surround speakers and my decoder fills my room with sound. The most obvious sound effect is within the last 15 minutes of disc one, where a helicopter sounds like it is circling the room from the right to rear to left. The viewer has the feeling of being in the center of the screen. Great Sound.......
The packaging on this new release has a cellophane wrapper indicating - All 3 movies! Lowest Price Ever. Own it before time runs out! Widescreen. I checked the DVDs to try and determine if indeed these were updated versions. The second DVD does have the obvious "V2" (for version 2) on the face near the bottom, after all rights reserved. The third DVD does not have "V2" on the bottom, as I was hoping. Thereafter, I placed the DVDs in my computer to check the contents date. Disc 1 (that never had any problems) had dates from 2002. Discs 2 and 3 had content dates from 2003. Just to be sure, I put the movie to the test and compared the noted problem scenes on the BTTF framing web site, and found disc three to be correct. So, I am satisfied and believe that I have updated versions of the widescreen DVDs.
NOTE: On a regular TV (Not Widescreen), there are the black letter box bars on the top and bottom of the screen, but they are not visible on my widescreen TV.
4/2/05. I recently watched all three movies for a second time and turned on the trivia track - A great special feature for another viewing. This trilogy is a definite purchase.............
8 I loved it all over again!
Ok, some of the extra features are a little lacking... Do they really have so few outtakes and bloopers? Overall though, this set is huge fun and it's so great to have an excuse to own the second movie, which sometimes brings derision, but which I enjoy if only for the few seconds we see Michael J Fox as his own daughter. :) Even though the first movie was meant to stand alone it really is more fun to view the whole story, especially the sweet way Doc finds true love in the old west. This box set is worth your time and money!
9 My absolute favorite movie trilogy of all time...
The Back to the Future movies are probably the only movies I can watch again and again and still always see something new. Whenever I'm doing something around the house, I put these movies on to keep me company. The writers are the masters of set-ups... something will occur in the first movie and somewhere in the middle of the third they'll lay out some conclusion that took two movies to build... it's fantastic! These are great movies, they make you feel good, laugh, and you really feel for the main characters. And they are full of classic lines that are now a part of our list of Americanisms... "Hello.... Hello, Anybody home, huh? Think McFly... Think!!"
10 Nearly Perfect. No, on reconsideration, Perfect.
Robert Zamekis deserves to be included in the top ranks of 20-21st century directors, but most people don't even know his name. I say that's a crock because many of his movies are not only totally original, but among the greatest crowd pleasers of all time. I think that is because he is considered to be a producer of light-weight entertainment only, which is a bum rap. In reality, he explores themes that raise more questions about the human condition than most "serious" directors.
Which brings me to Back to the Future. Is time travel possible? is a question explored by Nobel winning scientists. If it could be possible, what ramifications would it present? Zamekis gives us the most enjoyable exploration of that theme imaginable. Start with a name which is one of the cleverest and most ironic movie titles of all time and the pleasure never stops. Casting is perfect, the overreactions of the characters, considering the comically overwrought style of the movie, are perfect. Plot twists are among the cleverest ever. Biff and Buford Tannen is (are) the funniest, nastiest villains) ever seen in the movies. The effects were outstanding for the times and hold up well today. The Doc Brown character redefined our idea of what a movie scientist should be. Everyone must have had a fabulous time making the movie and it shows. As a Star Wars fan it pains me to say this, but BTTF is the best trilogy ever made.
11 Roads? Where were going we don't need Roads!
The Back to the Future Trilogy is one of my favorite movies of all time along with the Terminator trilogy. Doc Brown bulits a time machine out of a delorean! Unfortunally, Marty McFly is accidently sent back to 1955 in which he stop his parents from meeting and his mom falls in love with her own son! Marty also has another problem he can't go back to 1985! There is only man that can help him his name is Doc Brown. Marty must find a way to get his parents back together and find way to get back home to 1985 before time runs out! I love this movie I love all three movies and if your fan of Sci-Fi, Action and Adventure I recommend the Back to the Future trilogy. Buy it right now before time runs out!!!
12 one of THE BEST triology ever made
Lets just say I have been watching all 3 Back to the Future movies since I first saw the first one in 1985 and till this day..these 3 movies are still freakin awsome to watch. The sound track is great. Al Silvestri, Bob Zemeckis & Bob Gale and all the makers did a great job.
13 Framing problems still exist in Dec 2004 shipments
A warning: I just received a new copy Back to the Future trilogy from Amazon yesterday, and the DVDs I received still have the framing problem that causes the framing of the movie on the BTTF 2 and 3 DVDs to not match the framing on the theatrical release. For more information about the problem, do a web search on "BTTF DVD framing fiasco". It's possible to get replacements from Universal (information is given on the web page), but I'm disappointed that these defective DVDs are still in the retail pipeline.
14 Back to the Future
Back to the Future (1985)
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Chris Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson
Director: Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump 1994, Romancing the Stone 1981)
Running Time: 1 hour 51 minutes
Release Date: July 3, 1985 Nationwide
Language: English
Genre: Adventure, Romance, Fantasy
Rating: 9.5/10
Who doesn't dream of being the teen icon Marty McFly, (Michael J. Fox) back in the 1980's? Marty had the talent to conspicuously clasp on to the back of cars to catch a ride to school, play as the guitarist in a band, and have the `perfect' girlfriend every guy at school only fantasized about being with. He also happened to have a close friend, Dr. Emit Brown, who invented a DeLorean-turned time machine. He had first hand experience of an invention that allowed mankind to skip in and out of time realms- bringing harmony, causing chaos, and changing the past and the future.
The plot was particularly captivating when Marty traveled through time from 1985 back to 1955 accidentally, and ran the risk of being stuck in the past, nightmare amongst many, but never a reality. Humor came naturally throughout the storyline especially when he saw his parents as teenagers and ensuring that their romance was not interrupted so they can marry and therefore have children, including Marty's existence. Along the way to accomplish his mission, actions and adventure were abundant as Marty faced obstacles of extreme measures such as collecting energy from a bolt of lightning for him and the DeLorean to get back home, which made time critical tasks within narrow margins of error.
Hollywood is criticized for their lack of originality, often overusing the same themes. Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg's former assistant, shows his talent with a completely original theme and great screen from his 5th movie production. Prior to Back to the Future, Zemeckis works included 1980's Used Cars, 1978's I Wanna Hold Your Hand , and 1973's A Field of Honor. While Zemeckis' past few films were comedy based, he was quite a newcomer to adventure type movies. Somehow, talent compensated for his lack of experience. The movie Back to the Future has many plots and conflicts that appear, these kind of adventure movies can be tricky because the director must be able to tie in all of the conflicts together for the viewer to understand. Zemeckis did a great job of making the film plot clear, and cleverly restating the conflicts and situations for the viewers to understand clearly.
Back to the Future was Michael J. Fox's 3rd movie while acting and spending most of his early acting career on comedy TV series, such as Family Ties Vacation and Letters from Frank. Again, he was also a newcomer to adventure movies because of his previous experience only on comedy television shows. While this film was quite a challenge for Fox, he played flawlessly! Marty kept to his personality throughout the film as he used tricky physical moves against Big Biff or to get himself back to the future in the DeLorean. Back to the Future was one of his first "big" and "original" movies he has ever acted in.
Back to the Future is suitable to the interests of all sex and ages. The movie covers all sorts of entertainment from romance, to adventure, and even has its fair share of laugh out loud from drama to comedy.
One theme particularly liked about this movie was the contrast in personalities between father and son, not uncommon in the world today. It opened up a subject of debate, as to whether a person's in-born personality or the family's influence should play a bigger role in one's brought-up. If Marty were not brought up to be a more aggressive goal-getter, would he be able to change the destiny of his family? In contrast, if Marty were brought up in an environment where his father answered to Biff the bully as a slave, would he be able to grow up as an achiever taking on the various challenges during his time travels?
The only areas preventing this movie from getting a perfect 10 rating are the following unanswered questions that left the audience somewhat dissatisfied. When the Mom and Dad kissed in 1955, how could a simple kiss ensure that they would indeed get married in the future? If destiny was so, and Marty messed with destiny, shouldn't his fate also be altered, regardless of his attempt to restore order in his life? Taking into account the creativity and complexity of the storyline and in any movie this intense, there will be "what if" questions that leave you pondering long after you leave the theater. I would say the little imperfection may only add to the experience. The last scene is thought provoking, with the reassurance of a sequel. The film is definitely a must see, as to miss out on such a unique storyline would only meant depriving yourself of an almost perfect movie experience.
15 Excellent, and Worth Many Viewings
I always enjoy BACK TO THE FUTURE.
In widescreen, it adds a great deal, even if minor cropping occurs, the effect of the wider screen is very good. Nit-pickers will always take stabs at films for some insane reason such as spurious cropping.
That aside, this is great on DVD. The audio is a brilliant edit, and the quality is great. I have the VHS versions as well in widescreen( plus original Full screen), and there is little difference in the VHS and DVD editions.
Plainly, the films are fun, enjoyable, and a great ride. See it for what it is. Zemeckis just gets better with time, and he started out brilliantly.
16 Best Trilogy, ever
Just becareful of the widescreen framing issues, supposedly fixed in more recent editions, might not be but Universal is replacing them and is coming out with another release of the box set in 2005.
17 Brilliant trilogy
I've seen these movies so many times now, it's unbelieveable. And it's even better to watch on DVD. When I was still young, and these were coming out on TV, I actually saw them in the wrong order. I saw the third first, then the second, then the third. Because I've seen the third so many times, I now cannot stand to watch it. It's so strange! The second & first can sometimes still seem to me to be a novelty, as I haven't seen them as much as the third. What's your favourite? Mine is the second I think. It can change depending which one I watch, and which one I remember clearer.
I think all the actors are great in this, although I'm not sure about Eric Stoltz being cast originally. Poor guy though, originally Michael J. Fox was the first choice, but scheduling conflicts due to his work on "Family Ties", initially prevented him from taking the part. Eric was then drafted in, and filmed at least a third of the movie. (If you look at bttf.com, then there's photos of him in scenes, and he did film a lot of scenes.) Michael then replaced him, driving straight to the movie set after taping of the show was finished every day. He averaged about one or two hours' sleep during production. The bulk of the production was filmed from 6pm to 6am, with the daylight scenes filmed at the weekend. He also had to learn to skateboard for the film. Billy Zane makes his first on-screen appearance in this film as "Match", one of Biff's cronies. It took three hours in make-up to turn the 23-year-old Lea Thompson into the 47-year-old Lorraine. Elisabeth Shue was cast as Jennifer, and all the closing shots of Back to the Future were re-shot for the beginning of this film. Christopher Lloyd is a brilliant actor, and although, he doesn't do much press for many of his films, and is really private about his life, I love him in this. Not quite as much as I do in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (WOW!). I still can't believe sometimes that's the some guy. I basically grew up watching him! Watch out for Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers as Needles in parts 2 & 3!
I love the Delorean too. Watching it when I was so young, I didn't realise what other time travel movies used, and I never saw a Delorean to actually try it out! Now that would have been fun! A refridgerator was originally thought of as a time machine but ended up not being used as director Robert Zemeckis said in an interview that the idea was scrapped because he and Steven Spielberg did not want children to start climbing into refrigerators and getting trapped inside.
Recently, I also saw Gremlins, and was shocked to discover that the main street in this is the same one used in Gremlins! Obviously with different shops & stuff, but it's exactly the same layout. It was so strange to see it that way!
The clock is a common feature throughout all three movies. The clock in the clock tower started running at 8:00 p.m. on September 5, 1885. The date is provided by the caption on the photograph Doc gives Marty at the end of the movie. The lightning strikes the clock tower at 10:04 p.m. on November 12, 1955. This means that the clock tower operated for exactly 70 years, 2 months, 7 days, 3 hours, and 4 minutes.
There exist enough clues in all three movies to reconstruct the travels of the DeLorean precisely (to within a few minutes at worst, except 2015 Biff's arrival in 1955 and Doc's personal travels). There are a few interesting things to note: On November 12, 1955, between the time Biff arrived (or 6 am, whichever came later) and 6:38 pm (the time he left), there were three DeLoreans present in Hill Valley (ordered from its point of view): (1) The instance when Marty was trapped in 1955 in the original movie, (2) the instance when Biff came to 1955 to give himself the almanac, and (3) the instance when Marty and Doc came back to 1955 to take the almanac back (since the second lightning strike hadn't happened yet at this point, there would not be a DeLorean in the Delgado Mine). Not counting the time Doc traveled by himself, the DeLorean spent nearly 71 years (on its own time scale) from its first time travel to its destruction. By the time Marty made his ultimate return to 1985, he was approx. 14 days, 3 hours, and 27 minutes older than he should have been; Jennifer, on the other hand, is 7 hours and 26 minutes younger than she should have been.
I love this DVD, and it's one of my most prized, as the whole trilogy is great, and actually comes with extras! It does annoy me now, as I got it just after it originally came out, and it's getting cheaper to buy as the months go by! The extras on this are OK, not bad, but not mind-blowing either. They include: audio commentary by writer/producer Bob Gale and producer Neil Canton; Michael J. Fox discussing his experience making the Back to the Future trilogy; live Q & A session by writer/director Robert Zemeckis and writer/producer Bob Gale; hoverboard tests-original "flying skateboard" on location road tests; original "Making of Back to the Future" featurette; "Animated Anecdotes" - option to see over 150 facts and trivia notes while viewing;dDeleted scenes; outtakes; bloopers; music video "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News; behind-the-scenes segments-designing the DeLorean, Make-Up tests, Time Travel, Storyboarding, and Production Design. Just don't watch this in the wrong order! They are stand alone films, but how did I ever understand it when I was that young? I was probably just watching it for Michael J Fox at the time!
18 Beware of framing issues on this set
A great set for your collection, but be aware that disc 2 and 3 have framing issues that chops off some picture.
Check the issues on the dvdreview.com site for details.
Go to the news section and do a search for this set.
See sample at www.dvdreview.com/news/pokenews.asp?news_id=5666
19 The best time-travel movies ever made
There are other movies involving time machines but none of them seems to include a realism to the character's emotions as deep as this trilogy. It also does a better job at explaining time travel paradoxes.
Out of all three movies part II is my favorite, because of all the different scenarios, and the way events from the first movie occur simultaneously with the second, something never done before. You'll spend hours watching these movies because of the audio commentary. The staff brings up many interesting ideas that weren't used in the movies as well as anecdotes and personal thoughts (such as, how will they feel when the real 2015 comes around). One bad point about the extra features: the Q&A sessions are a little dull, and in the third movie it ended in just 25 minutes.
20 A fantastic trilogy
(I am reviewing the films only. I hope this review is helpful.)
The Back to the Future Trilogy is truly one of the best trilogies ever made. I am here for a short summary on each amazing film.
Back to the Future-- Marty Mcfly(Michael J. Fox) is a typical 80's teen who doesn't have much of a life. But one night that all changes when his friend "Doc" Brown(Christopher Lloyd) bulids a time machine out of a Delorean. Before Doc has a chance to use it, terrorists show up and shoot him. Marty then gets in the time machine and tries to outrace them,causing him to accidently go back in time to 1955. There his dad( Crispin Glover) is geek that is constanly being picked on by Biff( Thomas F. Wilson). Soon Marty follows his dad and is almost hit by a car. It turns out that is how his mother and dad met and how his mother(Lea Thompson) fell in love with his father. But since Marty has altered that, his mom has got a crush on him. Soon, Marty locates Doc, who is 30 years younger, and tells him he needs his help. Doc doesn't believe him at first, but after getting some evidence, agrees to help. Now Marty and Doc must get Marty's parents together and get Marty back to the future.
This is widely regarded as the best in the series and while I don't agree with that, it's still a awesome entry in the series and you will love it.
Back to the Future, Part II-- Marty and Doc have to go to the year 2015 to save Marty's children. While he is there, Marty picks up a sports almanac and Doc tells him no bringing stuff back with them. Unfortunley, the Biff of 2015 picks up the book and while Marty and Doc aren't looking, takes the time machine back to 1955 and gives the book to the 50's Biff. When Marty and Doc return, 1985 is now completely different: schools are gone, crime is out of control, Biff is married to Marty's mother, and his father is dead. Biff is also now is a millonaire because of the book. Now, Marty and Doc must go back(once again) to 1955,get the book back, and put the future back on track.
This, in my opinion, is better than the first. It has a better story, better effects, and better acting. The Deloren flying looks awesome(they explain why it flies in this and the third film) and the future scenes were amazing. Overall, all this make Part II better than I.(and yes, Doc from the 80's is still alive. Marty changed that, too. But if you want to find how, watch the first one. It explains it.)
Back to the Future, Part III-- Due to the events of II, Doc is stuck in 1885(the old west)!!!! Marty goes to see the 50's Doc and shows him the letter Doc sent him from the past( it explains it all in the second)and it said that he is doing well. But soon, they discover that Doc was shot by the ancestor of Biff Tanenn and now Marty must go back in time to save him. When he gets there, he meets his ancestors, Biff's ancestor, and finds Doc. He explains that the gasoline tank was damaged, which is bad news because that is what the time machine runs on. While looking for another way to go back in time, Doc meets Clara Clayton(Mary Steenburgen) and falls in love with her. Soon, Marty finds himself in a fight with Biff's ancestor and tries to get out of it.Plus, Doc begins to have second thoughts about leaving because of Clara, which could cause promblems for Marty and Doc both. Now, Marty and Doc must defeat Biff's ancestor and get back home,even if it means leaving Clara behind.
I don't think this is better than the first two, but is still a worthy conclusion to series and I'm sure you will enjoy it.
I hope my review was helpful. I hope you enjoy this amazing trilogy as much as I did.
21 The Back to the Future Trilogy
First things first.
These films were filmed in "open matte", meaning the widescreen versions are just fullscreen with black bars on the top and bottom to create an ANAMORPHIC widescreen picture (so the videophiles won't complain about having black bars on the sides of the movies).
Basically, they took the 4:3 (fullscreen) version and just put black bars on the top and bottom, thus cutting off a lot of the picture.
The Fullscreen versions are the REAL versions, regardless of who says what.
There's been a debate on the BTTF.com forums of which was intended (widescreen or full). Well, widescreen would be intended for the theatres, but full is what Zemeckis intended the audience to see. He admitted this himself.
NOW.
Reviews of the films:
Back to the Future -
Whether you classify this as science fiction, comedy, or fantasy, this movie could fit all three categories. In 1985, Marty McFly's good buddy, "Doc" Emmett Brown, has a DeLorean and is building a time machine out of it. So the two meet at a mall, which was once a pine tree farm, and test it, but when Marty is chased by Libyans, he is accidentally sent back to 1955, and this is where the movie really begins. He accidentally runs into his parents and the evil Biff and his henchmen. Instead of old man George getting run over by the car, Marty does, so Lorraine falls for her own son. But Doc sees a picture of the family and it is incomplete, so he advises Marty to get his real parents together or else he will "disappear from existence." When Marty gets back to 1985, he notices a dramatic change in his parents - his dad is not a nerd and his mom actually has self esteem, as do the siblings. Now if Marty himself can quit being a slacker... What stands out is the plot and what results from it, as well as some one-liners (Great scott! by Doc, and This is heavy! by Marty). To realize the full effect of this movie, you must watch the whole trilogy, even if Future II is a little repetive, while III is better than II, but not the original, of course.
Back to the Future Part II -
BTTFII somehow manages to remain fresh and original. Unlike most other sequels like "Rambo: First Blood part two", the Rocky sequels, Superman sequels, and the Batman sequels, this one remains to be as good as the first one. The story can get a little predictable at times and has a few minor plot holes if you haven't seen the last film, but it gives you a few plot twists that make it interesting. Michael J. Fox is simply hilarious in this film as well as everyone else. The special effects are great too even by today's standards. Overall, this is another great sequel for its franchise.
Back to the Future Part III -
The cast and crew, from the last two Back to the Future movies are back to deliver another comedic performance for the entire family. What can I say about this film? The film offers everything the last two had with loveable characters, clever plot twists, and many memorable scenes. This last one is still fairly predictable and has some plot holes if you haven't seen the last two films, but the plot twists will leave you in suspense. Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox are brilliant in this film, so the wild west never looked like so much fun.
Overall, the Back to the Future series is a great movie trilogy for the whole family to enjoy, and I hope you'll agree too.
Bonus Features:
The extras include commentaries on all 3 films, deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes, and much more behind the scenes stuff! If you own a DVD player, the Back to the Future trilogy is a must have for your DVD collection. The only minor annoyance is that they are only selling it as a set and the fact that they are trying to trick everyone into buying the cropped widescreen versions. But, the set isn't too big of a problem. Besides, you were going to get all three anyway...weren't you? :)
22 awesome.ive seen the first one about 100 times.
the story is about michael j fox who hangs out with a maf scientist named doc brown.doc brown has ivnvented a time machine from a delorian.thats a really bad ass car.whenever it goes 90,it travels time to its programmed destination in time.it runs on plutonium.the terrorists doc stole it from come back and waste him.mikey runs in the car.yep you guessed it.he goes over 90 and gets zapped back to his hometown only 30 years earlier in 1955.i know what youre thinking.no future?no ancient china?or what about.............this isnt bill and ted.its based in science.when mike pushes his future father out of the way of a speeding car,his mom falls for him instead of his dad like she was supposed to.if he cant hook those two up,hell never exist in the future!well,they figure it out and the doc goes to the future.thats part 1.in part 2,the doc comes back and takes mike to the future about 30 years.he must stop hiself from making a decision that totaly screws up his entire families future.on the way he gets a hold of a sports almanac with every sports result since god only knows when in it.biff-his dads long time rival,steals it and goes back in time to the 50s and gives himself the book.by 1985 he rules the area and is rich beyond belief.so now they must travel back to the 50s and steal the book back.they figure it out.in part 3,the doc goes to the old west.he leaves the car in a cave and sends a letter to marty in his time.marty uses the car to visit the doc in the cowboy days.the doc screws with the space time continuim again.they end up sending mike back alone.the car is destroyed by a train.kids love it.this is the trilogy.the firstb is a classic.#2 is also great.#3 leaves a little to be desired but is good too.part one is in the 50s.part 2 is in the future.part 3 is in the old west.its much better than a lot of time travel movies because it uses the space time continuim theory in which even the smallest and seemingly minute of details could cause really crazy things to happen.this movie is crazy obsessive over patterns.the same things happen over and over in many different ways.its weird to have explained to you,but is very funny and entertaining to watch.they didnt get to be in the top selling movies ever by not being loved by the masses.hes got an ok girlfriend you dont see so much and hes mom looks way better.especialy in part 2 after biff forces her too undergo a massive boob job.biff and all his buddies are very annoying.the doc and michael j fox both give great performances.the message here is:think about the future!this is the 2 stars' 2nd,3rd and 4th best films.doc plays in a better movie called one flew over the cuckoos nest ten years earlier.michael j fox had a better movie with mars attacks!the special effects are pretty cool.there wont be anymore in the trilogy.its in the top 10 best movie sets with at least 3 ever!
23 The best Christopher Lloyd movie
This is hands down C. Lloyd's best movie. Not to mention how he teamed up with M. J. Fox. If you do not believe me, then see the movie. Oh, and I suggest going to a nearby Universal Studios and ride Back to the Future the Ride! It is just as good. The doc lets you in his DeLorion, but don't be too comfy, because it flies! You read right! You fly into the futuristic Hill Valley and to make matters worse, you go right into a dinosaur's mouth (a T-Rex to be exact)!
However, that is not in this set. You just have to pretend to be in the DeLoreon, but that is not hard to do at all. The sound has been remastered and this is the Back to the Future that puts the 80's versions to shame.
So, let's go back to the future!
24 A GREAT DVD PACK!
Movie Number 1: This was a great movie of the past, made in 1988! I think it was a great film, because it showed what some parents were like when the were 17! HA! Marty's parents are nothing like they were when they were 17! HA HA HA HA HA! I give this one 4 out of 5!
Movie Number 2: I LOVED THIS ONE! This one has to be my favourite one of the series! Because the went to the future, then they went to the the preasent, then they went to the past, then they went to the present again! By present, I mean the present of the movie, which is 1988! I give this one 5 out of 5!
Movie Number 3: This one is the worst one of the series! But it was still good! I didn't really like the ending though! They should make a fourth one, so Marty can see Doc again! I give 3.5 out of 5!
Anyways, I enjoyed this DVD!
25 Get ready to be sent back to the past
Ever since the DVD format was launched in the early months of 1997 there have been movies that have been among the most requested, the Holy Grails of DVD if you like. Initially these included such titles as BRAVEHEART (in 1999 a website was launched with the sole purpose of persuading Paramount to release the Oscar winner on the small shiny discs) before the mountain relented and released the epic in 2000. The same was true with WHERE EAGLES DARE, which went through many twists and turns (including a confusion at the studio level over rights) before finally emerging on the format from Warner in 2003.
One of the most often requested titles in those early days of DVD was the Steven Spielberg produced BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy and, after several false starts, it eventually made its triumphant arrival in the latter half of 2002, going on to be one of the biggest sellers of that holiday season.
Released theatrically from 1985 to 1990 (with episodes 2 & 3 filmed back-to-back) the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies were among the most popular movies to come out of American cinema in the 1980s.
With ingenious scripts that were pure brilliance, the cast and crew were obviously having a great deal of fun filming these three movies and it shows on the screen. The humor is infectious and the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) time travel references are definite highlights in these light hearted science fiction classics.
"Back to the Future" featured a great cast from a youthful Micheal J. Fox, to a zany Christopher Lloyd and a gorgeous, beautiful and sexy Lea Thompson.
The movies on this set come well recommended, however be warned, the second and third movies feature some bad aspect ratio errors, however these are easy to overlook.
I particularly enjoyed the documentary that is split into three sections. Although I would have liked it better presented in the same manner as similar documentaries on the STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES sets (ie all together), this is a minor quibble for they are uniformly informative and entertaining.
Also of note in this set is an audio track from a lengthy presentation that Director Bob Zemeckis made to a college class on the movies.
If you have yet to add this trilogy to your collection, what are you waiting for?? Recommended.
26 THE TRILOGY ROCKS!!!!!!!!!
I got into the back to the future movies because I went on a ride at universal studios hollywood called back to the future the ride. Almost a year later I went to the library to get back to the future. It didn't work so another day I got back to the future, back to the future part 2, and the secrets of the back to the future trilogy. Back to the future part one and 2 did not work. I asked my dad if we can buy back to the future. He said that we can buy the whole trilogy. We went to target to get it. I didn't know if they would have it. They had one more left. A few days later I watched back to the future it was a very good movie. I also watched back to the future parts 2 and 3 which were also very good. When I was at the end of part 3 I saw secrets of the back to the future trilogy. If you have back to the future trilogy then go to get part 3 and pop it into your DVD player and go to the special features. This is a great DVD and I go to the site almost every day to see if back to the future, back to the future part 2, or back to the future part 3 is on tv.
27 Marty, you've gotta come back with me...
Back to the Future, one of the best and creative film trillogies of all time has finaly made it to DVD, giving it the format it truly deserves.
Back to the Future stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a young 17 year old teenager who gets trapped in a non stop romp traveling through time in a souped up DeLorean sports car time machine. Christopher Lloyd, the inventor of said time machine, is Dr. Emmett L. Brown, a white haired and wild eyed scientist who no one ever took seriously.
Back to the Future 1 starts off in 1985 where Marty meets up with Doc in a Shopping Mall parking lot one night, when something goes wrong and unexpected vistors arive, Marty has to speed away without delay. As the speedometer on the car reaches 88 mph in spped, the DeLorean and Marty are suddenly transported in time to the year 1955. Marty meets his soon to be parents, (Played by Lea Thompson and Chrispen Glover) has a run in with the bully, Biff Tannen, that has always made sure to keep his father down (Thomas F. Wilson) and has to figure out how to fix things before his own existance is eliminated. If that wasn't bad enough he still has to find a way to get back to his own time. It truly is a great story and movie, one that you will want to watch often.
Back to the Future Part 2 picks up right where the first left us. After getting back to 1985, Marty's present has changed for the better. Unable to even get a moment to relax though Doc arrives in his drive way telling him that his future is in jeopardy and off they zoom to the year 2015, where Marty finds that he has children and has to deal with Griff, the grandson of Biff, find a way to fix his own future which hasn't turned out as great as he hoped and prevent himself from being seen in the process. He buys a sports almanac that will tell the results of all the sporing events up to the end of the century. When Doc disapproves he tosses the book away only to wind up in a very old Biff Tannens hand. Biff steals the time machine, hands it to his teenage self and when Marty and Doc return to 1985 it is a world they don't recognize. Biff is rich, married to Marty's mother and Marty's father has been killed. They must once again return to 1955 and prevent Biff from ever getting the almanac so they can save the present and future forever. A great sequal overall that keeps the BTTF flavor that we loved in the first and even revisits the old movie within. Seeing the DeLorean fly was pretty cool and the story is a lot of fun. A movie to watch more then once though as it can be confusing at points.
Back to the Future Part 3 is the final movie in the saga. It starts in 1955 where Marty is stranded as Doc got hit by lightning and got sent to 1885. Marty must use the DeLorean that has been packed away in a cave and go back in time to rescue Doc from an untimely death. Along his way in the old west, he has to deal with indians, the founding of his town of Hill valley, a gangster by the name of "Mad Dog" Tannen and Doc falls in love with a school teacher named Clara, (Mary Steinburgen) which may put the plans to return to 1985 in Jeopardy. The worst part is the car has no gas and now they need to find a way to get a train fast enough to get to the 88mph speed they need for time travel. It's a fitting end to a great trilogy and gives a new taste on BTTF with a lot of old west references and gun battles and a fun ending that won't disapoint.
Disks includes a lot of extra features like cut scenes and commetary on both the cut moments and the movies themselves by Bob Gale . There is the making of the BTTF trilogy, music videos, little pop up snipits that you can have appear to give you facts of moments in the movies.. and much more. The extras alone make the movies worth it, but you get three great movies and the extras all for a great price. Truly one of the best sagas getting the treatment it so rightfuly deserves. If there is one set to get for your movie collections it is this one.
As Marty would say.. "This is heavy!" and I coudln't have said it better myself.
28 Great Scott!!! It's a great trilogy!!!
This is a great DVD set of one of the top five trilogies of all time. The first movie follows Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) as he travels back in time, from 1985 to 1955 and back again to save Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) from a tragedy in the future; while there, he has to get his mom (Lea Thompson), who has fallen for him, back together with his father (Crispin Glover). The second movie has Marty and Doc heading thirty years into the future, then back into an alternate 1985, returning to 1955, and finally back to reality, all due to a disruption in the time-space continuum. The final chapter has Marty venturing solo to 1885, to save Doc Brown from Mad Dog Tannen (Thomas F Wilson), Biff's ancestor. Doc also gets the girl in this one, played by Mary Steenburgen.
Many people consider the Western chapter inferior to the other two, but I'd have to say that while not quite as entertaining as the original, it's definitely better than Part II, which is definitely intriguing, but just a bit too dark for my liking. My favorite scenes in the trilogy: the whole high school dance section in the first film, and the train race from the third. Michael J Fox plays multiple characters in the two sequels, as does Thomas F Wilson, who always seems undervalued when people mention the series; personally, I think one of the reasons it works so well is because Fox is so loveable and Wilson is just so good at being unlikeable -- much unlike his real personality, if you watch the supplements.
Oh yeah ... the extras. There are quite a few here, which will probably take you the better part of a week to get through. On each disc of this three-disc set there are two making-of featurettes, one contemporary and one restrospective; some pop-up video trivia anecdotes; a feature commentary by producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton; and a chat session hosted by DVD producer Laurent Bouzereau featuring Gale and director Bob Zemeckis (beware, though -- the first movie's Bouzereau-Gale-Zemeckis session goes through the whole film, but the second lasts only about 80 minutes and the third goes only about 45 minutes into the film before they stop).
The first film also has a gag reel, deleted scenes, make-up tests, production archives, screenplay excerpts, the trailer, and a video commentary by Michael J Fox (which only lasts about 35 minutes). The second film has a gag reel, deleted scenes, a featurette on the visual effects and the hoverboard scene, production archives, "The Power Of Love" music video by Huey Lewis and the News, and the ever-present trailer. The final installment includes featurettes about designing the frontier town and marketing the trilogy, a gag reel, a deleted scene, production archives, a TV special on Part III hosted by Kirk Cameron, the ZZ Top video for "Doubleback," the ubiquitous trailer, and finally, a Frequently Asked Questions list.
Films: Part I - 5; Part II - 4; Part III - 5
Extras: Entire set: 5
29 Outstandingly Original
I love all the back to the future films. They are the most amazing and enertaining films i have ever seen. I love the ending to the 1st one but the third is my favourite. They are the most outstandingly original films ever made.
30 Great Movies in a Great DVD Package!
Back to the Future only conjures up extremely fond memories of my childhood so when this baby came out on DVD I had to have it. To my great surprise I found the extras on the DVDs to be just as entertaining as the movies themselves!
The movies themselves vary in degree and by far the first one is the best and the most original. The duo of Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc both give witty, funny and unique performances. As Marty accidently goes back in time to 1954, he inadvertently changes his parents' histories which need to be put back on track if Marty wishes to remain in existence. Throw in Biff, the bully, a great chase scene with Marty on a skateboard, and the classic one-liners between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd and you have before you a classic.
The DVDs present the movies in their original format with no surprises or added scenes. However, the extras on each of the three discs add even more hours of enjoyment. There are interviews with Michael J. Fox, a commentary by the producers during the film if you chose, and, my favorite, Universal ancedotes which pop up during the movie giving little know facts about the making of the movies. There are quite a few deleted scenes on each disc which only add to the storyline, and you can chose to view these scenes with or without commentary. I would recommend doing both. And then of course, there are my personal favorites, the outtakes, which are hilarious and show a side of this movie making experience that cannot be missed.
A must buy for any quality DVD collection!
31 Best birthday present!
This trilogy has been on my must-have list since part III came out. Call me a dork but I can't get enough of this movie. I really love it, and now am so happy to own the trilogy! It was well worth the wait.
32 A fantastic trilogy!!!!
Anyone who's not a fan of the 'Back to the Future' trilogy should be locked up for some sort of treason to the world of entertainment. Though the first movie is the only one which can be said to stand alone as a whole story, it's when the three of them are put together as one complete adventure that things really get good. In fact, everyone should make a point of watching all three 'Back to the Future' movies in a back-to-back marathon at least once in their lives. Allow the occasional toilet break, of course, but no more than that.
Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd stars as the troublesome teen and madcap scientist who do their time-travelling in style, courtesy of a revamped DeLorean. Their adventures over the course of the three incredible movies take them from 1985, to 1955, back to 1985, on to 2015, 1985 again(!), 1955 again(!!) and the wild wild west of 1885 (!!!) before returning home to 1985 in time for tea and a couple of Huey Lewis tracks. It features quite possibly the only sequel ever in which a large chunk takes place within its own predecessor, and definitely the only trilogy to feature Christopher Lloyd leaping around the outside of a moving train rescuing a damsel in distress. Lea Thompson, the brilliant character actor Crispin Glover, Elisabeth Shue, Billy Zane and the marvelous Thomas F. Wilson are among the other members of a fine supporting cast. And is that really Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers popping up as squeaking bad boy Douglas J. Needles? Yup, that's right , something for everyone!
Go out, buy this collection, watch it repeatedly and, when you're not watching, keep the three discs in a glass display case which only very special friends are invited round to see. At this price, there are NO excuses. Do it now. Right now. Go. You'll thank me later, why are you still here?
33 More info on widescreen format errors on II and III discs
I read somebody else's review from December 2002 about how there were errors on discs 2 and 3, that they weren't really widescreen. I did a little more research and found this information on dvdtown's site:
The most controversial part of the video concerns the framing of the image for widescreen viewing. When Universal went back to the full-frame, open-matte negatives to do the DVDs, they made some changes, intentional or not, from the laser disc framing. Then they issued an official press release as follows: "Universal Studios Home Video is aware of a minor technical framing issue on the 'Back to the Future Trilogy' widescreen DVDs. The framing appears differently from the laserdisc releases for approximately two minutes during 'Back to the Future II' and four minutes during 'Back to the Future III.' The framing difference is unnoticeable to widescreen DVD viewers and does not detract from or interrupt the viewing experience. Consumers with further questions can call (888) 703-0010."
The studio is probably right in saying that the differences are unnoticeable (whether they meant "widescreen" or "full screen" or whatever), because unless a viewer has a photographic memory of the theatrical versions or has the laser discs on hand for direct comparison, there is little to notice. It's doubtful that anyone but the most meticulous "Back to the Future" partisan need worry about any possible framing problems.
34 amazing!
Everyone should add the Back to the Future DVD set to their DVD collection. The extras are great and add a whole new dimension to this classic movie. I highly recommend it!
35 An Awesome Movie.
In this review I am only going to review the first installment because I have not yet seen the other two. Back to the Future is a true Blast! The movie is a whimsical movie that you will expect from Spieldberg. It is not predictable in any sense. The movie is definately a modern blockbuster classic. It is completely different than any other time travel movie. It is whimsical and less scientifical and complicated like we see in most time travel films. The acting, sound, effects, and plot are all good. See it, I highly reccomend it.
36 Good Trilogy and Good Value for Three Disc Set
Back to the Future is a very enjoyable trilogy and this three disc set edition is well worth the price. There are also a lot of cool extra features on the disc. For example, you can watch the movie and when an icon pops on the screen, you can press play again and get commentary about the scene from Michael J. Fox, which was very interesting. The "Making of" features and interviews were also nice.
37 Best trilogy ever!
I would recommend this trilogy to anyone that was alive in the 80s. Even if you were born on Dec 31st of 1989, buy this set!! Actually everyone should buy this set! You can watch each of the movies over and over and over and they get funnier each time as you notice little niches throughout the movies with the commentary and the Back to the Future trivia. You especially have to love "The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy" from 1990, which is included, hosted by Kirk Cameron. Yes folks, Mike Seaver himself. That alone is worth the price!
38 An Excellent Deal for an Excellent Trilogy!!!
When I first heard that the Back to the Future Trilogy was going to be released all together, I was thinking it would cost a fortune. I've always been a "buy the first and wait until I can afford the second" kind of guy. But when I saw how affordable it was, I was blown away. I wasn't going to go broke after all. This is a heck of a deal. The DVDs are great too. Lots of great featurettes and deleted scenes for each of the three movies. It also includes Huey Lewis and ZZ Top music videos. This is a terrific purchase for anyone.
39 An Excellent Deal for an Excellent Trilogy!!!!
When I first heard that the Back to the Future Trilogy was going to be released all together, I was thinking it would cost a fortune. I've always been a "buy the first and wait until I can afford the second" kind of guy. But when I saw how affordable it was, I was blown away. I wasn't going to go broke after all. This is a heck of a deal. The DVDs are great too. Lots of great featurettes and deleted scenes for each of the three movies. It also includes Huey Lewis and ZZ Top music videos. This is a terrific purchase for anyone.
40 All 3 on dvd!!!, I dont believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally all 3 back to the futures on one amazing collection. All three movies are great. They are one of the best movies of the 80's. And even of all time. Back to the Future Part 1 is about a boy named "Mardy" who travels back in time to 1955. He runs into his mother, which screws his mother and father relation ships. He needs help from his scientist friend named "Dock". If you have the collection without the V2 on the back. The first film is not out of the frame. Only on the 2nd and 3rd movie. 8 deleted scences, behind the scense, outtakes and much more!
Back to the Future part 2 takes place where Back to the Future left off. Mardy and his girlfriend Jennifer need to visit the future to help their children. Then Biff (Mardys Bully) old self, becuase you see when Mardy and Dock went to the future, Mardy picked up a magizine about 50 years of sports of who wins, which Mardy can then make a few extra bucks. Dock throws away the magazine then old Biff gets the magizine and travels back to give it to his young self. Which Biff then becomes a billionare. There are 7 deleted scences with optional commentary. Behind the scenes and outtakes and much more.
The third and final installment of the saga takes place in the old west. You see Dock travels back in time to be left alone, but then Mardy discovers his grave, and then travels back into time to save Dock. Dock then saves a scientist who was suppose to
die jumping off a cliff. It is a great and final ending for the saga. It includes only 2 deleted scences, outtakes, behind the scenes and more. Make sure when you buy this dvd it has a V2 on the back. If it doesnt you can call the company and they'll ship you new dvds. If you dont know what I'm talking is about is because they mest up on the framing on Back to the Future part 2 and 3. A must to buy if your a huge fan of the movies!!!
41 The Ultimate Time travel movie
Back to the future is a combination of every time travel movie ever made. This movie contains "kick butt" extras and amazing facts straight from Universal. They take you behind the scenes so well that it makes you want to watch it over and over and over again. I also learned some facts I did not even notice like at the beginning there is a clock that has an old man hanging from the hands. This signifies the ending. Einstein's clock reads 1:21 am and the car needs 1.21 "jigawatts" of electricity. Marty runs over 1 of the twin pine tree when he meets old man Pebody and this changes the name, Twin Pines Mall to Lone Pines Mall! Also Old Man Pebody's son is named Sherman. If you have seen Rocky and Bullwinkle than you know Mr. Pebody (a dog) and Sherman (a boy) were time travelers. Pretty cool huh? I also found out that in an early script the Time Machine was going to be a refrigerator but the director thought that kids might get stuck in the fridge so it did not work out. This DVD colletion is truely amazing and is a "have to have" set. And Im sorry for my lack of spelling.
42 The Best On DVD!!!
This is definitly value for money! Its a great price for the three discs and well worth it, not only is it the greatest trilogy to come to DVD they have packed it full of extra goodies well worth a look at! Everything from behind the scenes, to outtakes that are actually funny!!!!! and deleted scenes that dont bore you to death!!!!!
The picture quality is excellent. The 5.1 surround sound is absolutly terrific, everything is crystal clear and never sounded better. All packed with great bonus features on each disc. No body has yet to beat this trilogy for presentation and satasfaction when bringing them onto DVD.
If you're wondering if it's worth replacing those old VHS's for the DVD's of BTTF, then the anser is a great big definent, "YES"
I garentee you will not be disapointed by the presentation and extras of these 3 great films.
43 A Great Movie, question about DVD Re-Release
To everyone, here is the latest update about re-relase of corrected version !!!!
==============================
Dear MovieWatcher,
Thank you for contacting the Universal Studios Home Video-Online Store.
We are not currently shipping out the Version 2 (V2) of the 'Back to the Future' Trilogy,for online orders placed on the Universal Studios Home Video Website.
The online store is currently shipping item #22121,which is the original version.
This is the information we have from Universal regarding this issue:
-When the Back To The Future Trilogy was originally released in Dec. 2002, it became evident that the image on the widesceen versions of Parts 2 & 3 was misframed. It was not noticeable to the casual viewer, however, corrected versions were created. Consumers who wish to exchange their original versions are able to mail in their discs and have replacements shipped back to them.
*If you have already purchased and received the original widescreen version, please call 1-888-703-0010 for information on how to receive a pre-paid envelope to return the original version for exchange.
Since the original versions were not recalled, the corrected DVDs will gradually be sent into retail locations.
The only way to identify the corrected versions is that the new packaging has a "V2" printed near the bottom of the screen format/bar code sticker. This will indicate that the set contains the remastered versions of BTTF 2 and BTTF 3.
Please reply back to us,or e-mail Universal Studios-Customer Service
==============================
Good Luck..
By the way.. GREAT MOVIE! :) I am sure everyone of any age will enjoy this great adventure.. ;)
44 Back to the Future Trilogy is Awesome
It took forever for these films to come to DVD but the wait was worth it. The box is decent looking, and the films are even better. My fave was the second one. This set is a must have for the serious collector.
45 You hardly can notice the problem
I did not even know there was a problem w/ disc 2 & 3 until the other reviews said so! AND GUESS WHAT? i STILL CANT TELL. BACK TO THE FUTURE IS A MUST OWN ON DVD AND DONT LET FANATIC REVIEWESTS TELL YOU OTHERWISE!
46 The greatest movies ever made!
Words alone can't describe how much I love this movie! Back to the future is so exciting and action packed I could watch it over and over. Each movie is different from the rest but what's not to love? Time travel, adventure, family history, these movies have it all!
47 I love this set!
Since I have already reviewed each of the movies separately, this will be more of a review of the DVD set than the films. But, to give a little bit of background: The "Back to the Future" trilogy are action/adventure/comedy/science fiction movies that deal with time travel. The films started with the premise of going back into time and seeing what your parents were like in high school, but they became more involved than just that. The films also touch on what happens if you go back in time and how your actions can affect the future. These are not serious movies. They are fast paced, and are a lot of fun to watch. These were some of my favorite movies when I was growing up.
This is a three disc set with each movie being on a DVD. Each film has multiple commentary tracks (a Q&A session serves as a commentary), and a pop-up trivia feature so that when you are watching the movie little tidbits of information about the scene or the making of the scene. There are also deleted scenes, outtakes, and two "making of" documentaries for each film.
There has been some controversy about framing issues for discs two and three, and this held me up from purchasing the movies for more than a year. On the widescreen set (which I am reviewing) for several minutes in each movie the movie is mis-framed. Specifically the frame is raised higher than it should be so that in one particular scene it cuts off the bottom of Marty's body and his hand and shows more of the empty air above his head. Knowing about the mis-framing bothered me quite a bit, but when I was watching the movies this time I forgot all about it and didn't notice it at all. If you see a screen capture of a scene it is noticeable, but not so much when you're enjoying the movie. If this is a concern, Universal will replace your discs with corrected DVDs, but I still haven't been able to find one in the store. As it stands I am perfectly happy with my set and will not be sending the discs in for replacement (despite the framing issue bothering me on principle).
This is a great DVD set, and though I may not be watching the special features over and over again, I am so glad to own these movies on DVD. The movies still hold up well years later (even the first movie). If you like the Back to the Future movies then you should get this set.
48 One of the greatest trilogies ever made....
Let's face it. Practically everyone has seen the Back to the Future films. They have become known around the world as being part of one of the greatest trilogies ever made. The films combine superior acting, action, humor, first rate special effects, an amazing overall soundtrack and an extremely interesting look at time travel. The entire cast is filled with amazing actors that include Michael J Fox, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, and Thomas F Wilson. The only dissapointment cast wise was Crispin Glover. The reason is not because of a bad performance. In fact, he was quite good as George McFly. However, he only signed on to be in the first film, which was quite a dissapointment to the fans of the trilogy. The main reason the cast did such a great job, is because they were assigned the difficult task of playing more than one character. Over the course of the three films, Michael J Fox, Lea Thompson and Thomas F Wilson played 8 different characters between the three of them.
The extras included in the DVD set are outstanding. There are featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and much more. This really lets you see the films in a whole new light. I did have a few complaints however. As you have probably already read, the widescreen format on the second and third films is absolutely horrible. My other complaint, is that they took the "To Be Continued" out of the first film for some reason. While this may be a very small flaw, I was still upset because the film should be shown in its intirety. Overall, this is one of the greatest trilogies ever made in my opinion. The set is worth buying just for the films themselves. The DVD extras only make the set that much more attractive. Now despite the flaws the set has, it is definately worthy of being added to anyone's DVD collection.
Just in case there is anyone out there who has not seen the Back to the Future films, I will include a short synopsis of each film:
Back to the Future
The first chapter of the trilogy introduces us to Marty McFly(Michael J Fox) and his friend Emmet "Doc" Brown ( Christopher Lloyd)who is perceived by the town of Hill Valley as a crazy old mad scientist. Doc has discovered a way to travel through time, by building a time machine into a Delorian. Marty is accidentally sent back into the year 1955, where he must find the 1955 version of Doc to help him get home. Along the way, he meets and becomes friends with his parents(who don't know his true identity), and he also has to deal with the town bully named Biff ( Thomas F Wilson). To make matters worse, Marty's mother ( Lea Thompson)has the hots for him, and he must find a way to make her fall for his father(Crispin Glover), to insure that he is born.
Back to the Future II
The second chapter of the trilogy takes us 40 years into the future, where Marty and Doc travel to the year 2015 to insure that Marty's kids turn out alright. Along the way Marty picks up an alminac that contains the outcome of every major sporting event from 1980 to the year 2000. Unfortunately, the elderly 2015 version of Biff manages to get his hands on the alminac as well as the time machine, and delivers the alminac to himself in 1955. When Marty returns to his own time, everything is turned around, and Biff is the most powerful man in town. Now, Marty and Doc must travel back to 1955 to put things right without running into their other selves.
Back to the Future III
The third and final chapter of the trilogy takes us to the year 1885 in the Old West. Doc is accidentally sent back to the year 1885 after the Delorian is struck by lightning, which leaves Marty stranded in 1955. Once again, Marty must find the 1955 version of Doc to help him with the time machine. When Marty discovers through old records that Doc is going to be killed by a psychotic gunslinger named Mad Dog Tannen, he travels back to 1885 to prevent the tragic death from occuring. Unfortunately, back in 1885, Doc manages to meet a woman named Clara ( Mary Steenburgen) whom he falls for at first sight. This makes Doc want to stay in 1885, regardless of what happens to him.
49 Three 80's Classics
The "Back to the Future" Trilogy is one of the greatest DVD sets out there. Yes, we are all aware of the framing issues in the initial widescreen versions of BTTF 2 & 3. They have supposedly been fixed now though? Anyway, the quality of this set overall is excellent. Besides three excellent movies, also included are "hoverboard" tests, director commentaries, pop up trivia, outtakes and deleted scenes, music videos, behind the scenes features, special effects segments, and more. As a complete box, I couldn't have asked for a better set. It's a great bargain considering all that's included. The 5 total minutes of "bad framing" is disappointing, but in no way does it take away from the whole of the story. You are still aware of what's going on whether you're seeing it for the first time, or if you've seen it a hundred times. I rank these movies in order of release. 1 is great, 2 is the best, and 3 is good. If you don't already own this set, I suggest you add it to your DVD collection. Others have said it, and I will too...you won't be disappointed!
50 Based on content...
Based on content, this box set is really good. The original movie digitally remastered along with some pretty good extras make this a must buy. However, fair warning: until Amazon has properly rid themselves of all the badly framed, version 1 of this trilogy, don't buy it here. I have received two copies from Amazon, both of them version 1 (has the error of incorrectly framed widescreen, disc 1 has a pause during the movie). I say- find it someplace else or buy it straight from Universal. For those who ordered V1, call: 888-703-0010. That's the number Universal gave me in order to get a pre-paid envelop for the exchange.
51 A five star collection!!!
This 3 DVD set containing all three Back To The Future movies is a real treat!!! Oodles of special features(Audio commentaries,featurettes,trailers,and more!!!) and great widescreen presentations of the movies!!! A top notch package!!! Great for fans of the series!!!
52 Who the h*** is John F. Kennedy?!
This trilogy is the definitive classic (for all 3) comedy, complete with great plots, mind-blowing scenarios, acting, and the best comedy someone 99 or 19 can get. Although the DVD's could've done better with the menus, they still are loaded with great featurettes, behind and deleted scenes, and outtakes. The Q & A could be better, since you have to watch all 3 movies to hear it all on a different audio setting on all 3DVD's, yet it is still interesting (for a one-time viewing). The other features are also on a different audio setting and I haven't listened to them yet, because i dont want to get tired of the movies. Other than that, this is a must for any fan old or new!
53 Are there yet?
These Dvd's were great! The Quality was amazing and the special features kicked ass!Get this if you saw the first one and loved it, The Whole Trilogy RULES! They did good by getting Micheal J. Fox as Marty McFly and I loved the fact that he got to see his parents at his own age 30 years back.
I love these movies. The second was even better, I loved how they could mess up the past,...by going to the future? Thats's awsome, The third one was awsome. That's all im gonna say believe me buy this it's great!!!!!!
54 A Help Call for the previous reviewers
I live in Egypt, My father just got back from the states and he got me the BTTF widescreen box set and I enjoyed the first DVD then discovered the flaw on the 2nd & 3rd ones.
It's happy news for bttf fans in America that they can just send the two dvds with flaws and get sent the corrected versions back but i need to know if i send from here if univeral will respond to me or will i be losing the bad versions too and end up with nothing at all!
i couldn't find a way or a contact method with universal to tell them about my problem.
Please help me :(
55 HEY MCFLY!!!!!!!
these movies are one of my all time favorite movies. i remembered watching these movies when i was a little kid. the dvd special features are great to. the thing is i herd they mest up the picture somehow so i did the smart thing, wait for the fixed version to come out. there was something wrong with the picture or something but now its safe to buy it. get this dvd. the cool thing is, directors commentary is cool and all but most of the time i'd like commentary from the director and the star. and in this dvd they have commentary by michael J. fox and the other dudes. dock i think.this is the movie u need to by. you could watch this with a cousin and not get bored. you need to get this dvd and where your going with it, you dont need roads...........!.
56 Version 2 Now Available in Store!
Well, it only took a year, but the corrected version 2 of BACK TO THE FUTURE the complete trilogy on DVD (widescreen) is now available in store! I gave up waiting and decided to buy the widescreen version (which was mis-framed on parts II and III) and buy it thinking that I would have to mail back discs II and III for a replacement. To my surprise, it is now available in stores! I bought my copy and there was an oval shaped, half green and white sticker on the front that read "Widescreen Remastered" and both disc 2 & 3 had the tiny print of "V2" on the disc right next to the copyright on the bottom of the front! Well, this is great news that I wanted to share with everyone who was waiting for this DVD to show up in stores! Now I have a full "version 2" BTTF DVD set without having to go through buying the DVD set and exchanging it through the mail!
57 Great to see these films again after all these years
The DVD is an ideal medium for box sets of this type. The films look great, sound great, and there's the nice bonus features to keep the fans of the film entertained for many additional hours. There are two commentaries per DVD, and luckily the participants in the commentaries (Zemeckis, Gale, et al.) are interesting and have some good stories/insights. There are also a number of little documentaries, on a variety of topics.
Clearly, the first Back to the Future is the jewel of the series - fun, fresh (at the time), with outstanding performances that catch just the right spirit. Both Michael J. Fox (as Marty McFly) and Christopher Lloyd (as Doc Brown) get right into their characters and we have fun because they are having fun. The time travel is pretty simplistic and follows the one timeline rule - if you change something in the past, the future you know will be altered by it (see the Terminator films, Star Trek, etc.). However, the filmakers wisely avoid explaining time travel in detail, which is a smart move because it isn't really a science fiction film, but a comedy.
Back to the Future II is much more a polished exercise in filmaking, and it feels somewhat like a technical exercise. Because the timeline winds back and forth between 4 time periods (including two different versions of the year 1985), it certainly benefits from a second or third viewing. Watch it to admire the technical skill, and the deft juggling of the time travel - Marty gets to watch himself play at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, for example - and try to avoid the cynical thought that the filmakers are just trying to repackage the 1st film to make more money.
I was very disappointed in the third film when I saw it in the theatres, but it's growing on me since then. It is still the weakest of the three - it's a little thin on plot and the dialogue is definitely below the standard of the first two. However, it comes together with a fitting if artificially cheerful conclusion at the end.
58 Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy
This set is perfect for spending most of a day (into the evening hours) being entertained. My personal observation is that 2 and 3 were MORE entertaining with more special effects and "cliff hanger" moments - the train reaching maximum mass as the doctor and then the female climb along the side of the train trying to catch up to the DeLorean Time Machine and finally resorting to the skate board from the future to hop in at the last second!
As far as the blacked out faux paux on Discs 2 and 3 I didn't notice it. I had borrowed this set. So I'm not too upset by it and will wait until after the date mentioned to buy my set.
The extra disc is full of information on the making of the movies, that most will find enjoyable.
Overall, an entertaining set of movies with very few shortcomings. I anticipate viewing these movies over and over.
John Row
59 Superb!
I found none of the format problems mentioned by other reviewers. However, if you are ordering from Europe, you must have a zone-free DVD player AND a TV that's NTSC compatible. If the TV isn't compatible, everything will be in black and white.
60 For sale separately?
The first Back to the Future is a classic 80s movie. One of my alltime favorites. Unfortunatley, the two sequels aren't anywhere near as good. I don't want to blow forty bucks to get just the first one on DVD. Sell them separately for crying out loud. This is just a marketing scheme to force everyone to buy all three.
61 Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.
Its been a long while since I've seen the Back to the Future movies, so I decided to rent all of them on VHS. Soonafter, I found out that all three films were on DVD(and in WIDESCREEN), I HAD to buy the box set. Luckily for me, I wasn't disappointed. The video quality was MUCH better that the VHS versions, and there were so much special features(Making of's, commentaries, etc.) that you could spend hours just watching them. Of course, there are a few problems with the discs, like the infamous widescreen 'glitch' on Part II and Part III. And the Q & A sessions end early on the last two movies for some reason. Either than that, there are no other problems I could find. Since most everybody else explained the plot of the three BttF films, I'll spare you the same ol' same ol'.
Personally, my favorite of the three films is Part III, and I'm really glad that they didn't leave the ending too open. The whole trilogy feels complete, and even though Zemeckis and Gale didn't originally plan to make a sequel to Back to the Future, it was great of them to create the last two movies in a way that they would seem like they were intentionally tied to the first film from the beginning. It's also a good thing that the quality of the sequels aren't so bad that they're unwatchable, like so many other movie sequels.
62 Flawless
This is the best movie trilogy of all time on dvd for a reasonable price! Back to the Future follows Marty McFly and Doc Brown through time in their adventures that change the past and future. You should all know the plot line for all the movies by now and if your a fan this set is for you!
Buy it and send in disks 2 and 3 to universal if they're not version 2 (There's a V2 on the disks indicating if they are or not). They'll return to you in 2-4 weeks and then your trilogy will be FLAWLESS.
Some people complain about Eric Stolts footage not being included and I don't know the reasdoning to this but I do know everything that's included on these disks more than make up for anything that wasn't included. I mean once Michawl came in he has nothing to do with the movie so I don't see the big deal, and Bob Gale talks about it too. But anyway here's the extra's...
First you have a Q and A commentary with Zemeckis and Gale for all 3 disks which gives you a real insight into the trilogy and answers fun questions and lets you know little facts that the original name for Back to the Future was space man from pluto. Next Bob Gale talks about all three films in his own commentary track for all three films with a "cameo" by Neil Canton. He seems to know the real story behind back to the future and how everything was really developed ext. Then michawl j. fox has a picture in picture commentary on the original back to the future for about a half hour and he talks slightly about what it was like for him, it would have worked better as just a regular interview but still fun to watch.
The deleted scenes from all three films are interesting to see, and the outtakes are pretty funny. The documentaries explain a lot and the animated notes give non repetative facts about the trilogy. The trailers rock espically the original teaser trailer for the first film. Glad to see the music video's included too!
After having all these features I was disappointed to see some other recent sets like say the Indiana Jones trilogy which have such a lack of features. No commentaries on those and BTTF has 6!
The picture and sound are better than ever and the widescreen looks amazing with the improved sound, back to the future never looked so good. And like I said if you have the V1'S of disks 2 and 3 send them into universal and they'll replace them without charge and you can tell the difference, parts 2 and 3 look awesome in V2.
So in conclusion imo this is one of the best dvd sets out there and if you're a bttf fan there's no doubt that you'll want this!
63 A Classic
While some of the movies in the trilogy were better than others (the 2nd one seems to be many people's favorite, while the third doesn't seem to have a lot of fans), the movies themselves (especially the first) are still a classic.
Even though the subject and jokes might seem like a big cliches nowadays, the movies themselves were a little bit deeper than the surface, and contained a few pseudo - philosophical questions regarding time travel (if someone in he present changes the past, what will the effects be?). The movies also contained qyute a few period jokes, even though this became less evident throughout the trilogy.
With an outstanding cast, this may as well be a classic for people like me, who grew up watching this series.
64 IT'S ABOUT..........TIME
(Instead of reviewing a film you probably already know, I focus on the DVD special features)
Those extras:
Commentary: PERFECT. Bob Gale's portion covers pretty much every imaginable thing a fan would want to know. His track with Zemeckis is good, but unfortunately it's not scene specific. It also ends before the last ten mintues of part one, in the middle of part 2, and about 45 minutes into part 3. Producer Canton was totally needless on the scene specific one with Gale, but so much ground is covered that you don't care.
Deleted Scenes: Treasure trove. Parts 1 and 2 feature about six a piece, but part 3 only one, and it's quite a disturbing one.
Behind the Scenes: Very impressive. All three original on-set featurettes are here, plus the dopey "Secrets" tv special hosted by MJFox clone Kirk Cameron. Crazy to see Fox in '85 (he looks like Frankie Muniz!!).
New Interviews: Decent job. Most of it is spent with Gale and Zemeckis, and Fox for just a bit. This is the only real lacking thing about the tri-pack, no Lloyd, no Wilson, no Thompson, and of course no Glover. But the stories and recollections that you get are still plenty fun.
Outtakes: Fair collection of screw-ups, though there's a particularly racist one involving Fox as a Hispanic greaser, and part 2's offerings are extremely weak. The gut-buster for me is from part 3 involving Fox, Lloyd and a horse.
Misc: This is the most packed category actually. On screen pop-up factoids; music videos for part 1 and 3; screenplays; Delorean designs; hoverboard tests; make-up tests; poster designs; storyboards; start to finish development of special effects shots. The DVD box is splitting at the seams!
Overall: Masterful job after a looooong wait for us fans (DVD release date pushed back over ten times since 1997!!!), and though it's probably a bit unfair, the lack of the infamous Eric Stolz footage plays a major part in this falling short of a perfect 10. Plus an absent Zemeckis on commentary and actors from interviews nags at you, but very small prices to pay for an awesome DVD package to rival most other films.
65 Great but not perfect
This review is for those who are already fans of these movies. This boxed set is great. Full with extras. It has the ZZ-Top movie MTV videos, interviews, making of and much, much more. The only flaw will be the pop-up video feature does not work on every DVD-player. Which means if you have an incompatible DVD player in your house you will miss this. And the outtakes are TERRIBLE!!!. Watching them will only make you want to smash the DVD on the floor. But anywho, if you are a fan and are wondering if you should invest your hard earnd mula on this set the answer is YES. You will not feel sorry.
66 "BACK TO THE FUTURE ROCKS"
I remember watching the back to the future trilogy on eather USA or SCIFI at least seven years ago and I enjoyed it. I remember watching back to the future part two almost ten years ago and I really enjoyed. Part one is obisly a classic, part two was o.k., but I love part three. Get the DVD and listen the directers comentary on all of them and you will find some interresting facts about the trilogy and when its played on TV. For example according to Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale notticed (I also noticed this while watching it on NBC) that in february of 2002 when it was shown in the first time sence september 11 they notticed when the terrorist kill doc Brown they completely skip the part were he is cornerd at the back end of his truck, throws his gun underneath the terrorist volkswagon and is shot by the terrorist and when marty is cought but the terrorist cannot shot him because their AK-47 does not work and jumps into the Delorin and the only thing you see of doc is his dead body on the floor. there is more stuff on the DVD but I should not give it all away. I hope you enjoy this movie like the way I have enjoyed it for the last few years
67 Excellent 80s flicks
All three of the movies are good, however, how do u know which is the corrected set of widescreen aspect ratio discs, so that you dont purchase the ones that have the error in them. If anyone knows please post it. As for the movies, i love them i watch them all the time, and i highly recommend them, as for the aspect ratio, i have the fullscreen version which seems to be error free.
68 Don't hesitate, buy this set!
You are asking yourself if these films warrant multiple viewings over years. Will they get dull after a while? No, they wont. Every now and then films that don't seem like they should amount to much somehow capture a bit of magic. All three of these movies are in that category. For starters,you combine nostalgia from the 80's with nostalgia from the 50's. Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox have great chemistry, comic timing and the ability to sell the most absurd scenarios. What are movies for if not to escape reality for a while? These films let you do just that.
69 An Intellectual Masterpiece
This is not your typical sci-fi movie. It is based on the notion that time, just like a geographical location, is fixed in some abstract, though concrete, unit held in our universe. We can travel to the past, with everything from the past held in tact; we may alter the future through our actions in the past, and we can even change both the future and the past by going to both and radically reshaping events by passing along important information from these different periods in time. Yes, abstract. I know. This movie is an intellectual masterpiece, focused on one of one of human kind's largest question: Is it possible?
Now watch the film, and ask yourself, Maybe? Can this be done? But then again, maybe I've influenced the future.
70 I guess its 15 stars for 3 great movies
these movies are some of the best movies of all time I lvoed them as a kid and I love them now Michael J Fox is one of the greatest actors of all times and these movies are very interesting and cool
71 You know you love it!
You know you love it!
This has all the extras, and the classic films!
I really do not need to write this review--you know you love it!
72 One of the greatest DVD boxes out there!
Everyone knows and loves the Back to the Future trilogy, so I won't waste time telling you how great these movies are. They're classic! The DVD box set is just as good. Tons of extras and bonus features, including commentary, trailers, interviews, deleted scenes, outtakes, plus much more. I was thrilled to get this box set, and would recommend it to everyone! Worth every cent!
73 WAIT!!! Order the NEW VERSION on SEPT. 2nd!!!
By now I'm sure most of you have heard that Discs two and three of the first release of the WIDESCREEN VERSION are defective. If not, then guess what? It's true! The studio was in such a hurry to release this series that it messed up the widescreen formatting on BTTF 2 and BTTF 3 (The first disc is apperantly alright). Anyway, The complete set is being released AGAIN on SEPTEMBER 2ND, which can only be the VERSION 2 that was announced a few months ago.
74 A reflection of the past
I bought the trilogy for 40 bucks. Back to the Future epitomizes youthful vision of future possiblities; classic science fiction humor of spaceman from mars; a bridging of two generations where the younger generation realized the older generation had their own standards of hip and fair play; a friendship between a wacky wild eyed scientist and a protoge; a comic strip injection of sci -fi fun; a cramed schedule of events not to be distrubed or changed; the protrayal that the past as more clean, stylish, and exciting; a fair amount of crudity and surprising range of liberty allowing Biff freedom to swear; a mean social statement of rape or molestation by Biff as a betrayal of the social purity of the fifties; Biffs desire to take possession of Loren in all time periods; rule breaking convert undertakings yielding to smoking and drinking; a reoccurring center focus on the year 1955; a emotionally charged music sound track; tons of historical memorabila, names (Hepburn and Reagan), cars, songs (Mr Sandman); a insecure, ackward, greasy hair father who complancy and ackwardness is unsettling; a smashingly cool Toyota 4x4; a Jimmy Hendrix rendition of "Johnny be Good"; a lettermans jacket, sneakers, and a skate board; a truck load of cow manure in Biffs car; a chess game with time; a clock tower that needs funding in all times; three love stories: Marty, Doc, and Parents; and an ice cold Deloran.
The fifties introduced the beginnings of social rebellion by the youth. Under the tight tumb of their parents teenages sought to break the rules: make out in the back of the convertible, sneaking the old womans liquor, and smoking in the park lot.
The future include cyborg implants, social interactive computers, flying cars, and virtual reality interactions. The past was neatly packaged and put on museum display.
The wild west was rugged individualism, bandits and outlaws, and hangings over 80 dollars.
75 Probably the best Trilogy Ever
The back to the Future Trilogy is probably one of the best, most well written and entertaining few movies ever. I have watched each of them many times and probably will watch them many more.
76 Great Trilogy
If you grew up with this movie and others like it (like I did), you will love this DVD collection.
77 I expected nothing less
Like the title says, I expected nothing less from one of my personal best sci-fi enterprises as Universal finally put BTTF on DVD. By the way the DVD is presented with all of it's features, like the Micheal J. Fox commentary that gives you an idea of how making the movie was to him, and my personal favorite, the lost behind the scene footage from original taping, it's everything that the Back to the Future fan ever wanted and it's finally here on clear DVD remastering!
78 never bought the pack but seen all 3 and they are the best
I liked the 2nd movie best. although the story line was emensily compilicated and confusing.
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
In back to the future Marty McFly goes to the past to see what it was like in his parents time. Back in the 60's. He acedently prevents his parents from meeting and they dont fall in love which means he wouldnt exsit. I really enjoyed this movie.
BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART 2:
In the 2nd instaqllment of Back to the Future, Marty goes to the future and prevents his future son from getting sent to jail. but on the way he buys a sports almanaic so he can bet on sports and become a multi-milloinare. but a 60 year old biff tannen gets the almanaic 1st. He goes back to the 60's aqnd gives it to teenager biff. this creates an alternate time zone. so they go to the present but biff is in power. if they went to the future it would be a alterante future so the go back to martys parents time to prevent old biff from giving the almanaic to young biff. this is by far the best back to the future. i have it.
BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART 3:
I havent seen this movie in a long time so bear with me if the dispitions not that good. Marty finds the Doc in the wild wild west.
All in ALL I reaky injoyed this movie ...
79 The Shizzle
I admit, I do not have the DVD, but:
A. All three movies kick [butt].
B. How can you go wrong with all of this commentary providing additional information on the trilogy.
Back to the Future is one of the greatest trilogies of all time. It is high concept, high energy and high adventure. It is also made worthwhile by the talents of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. As much as it deals with the concept of time travel, it also deals with adverse situations and coming from a point of having very little at the beginning of part I to having everything at the end of part III. It was extremely well written and well executed and it doesn't get much better than this.
80 MJF fans get this!!
THis was the movie series of my generation. I cannot belive that it has been 18 years since I sat in a theater in Columbia, TN and laughed my butt off! The subseqnt fils were just a funny, but I saw each from a different perspective and found different but similar things in II and III. Definetly a MUST have in the DVD collection.
Now if me can get The Day After and Threads on DVD we would be kickin it plutonium style!
81 Excellent
This was hell of a movie (trilogy), and to see it on DVD is like seeing it at the theatre once again. The picture quality is gorgeous. The extra materials are really fun to watch even though most of them are video quality visually. I could watch this film over and over.
82 Has the defected widescreen DVD set been replaced?
The widescreen DVD set(parts 2 & 3)was considered by Universal Studios to be defective in format. Universal Studios had an exchange program on the way in late february where you could mail in discs II and III for replacements. Also, does anyone know if the current DVDs in stock now are corrected, would like to know cause it would be awful for anyone to go through the hassle of having to replace defective DVDs. Thank you all for any info and i wish you all a great and beautiful day into the future.
83 Analysis of Marty and time travel
Back to the Future is my all-time favorite movie. What follows is my analysis of the time-travel themes used in Part I.
In BTTF I, when Marty comes back to 1985, he should not have seen his old, original self in the Twin Pines parking lot being pursued by the terrorists because
1). His actions in 1955 had significantly altered events and
2). He was now in a new, alternate universe.
However, when returning to 1985, he should have come across his new, alternate self upon arriving at home. We know this because in the original universe, Marty's family is awkward and miserable, while in the new, alternate universe, Marty's family is cool and confident. The only people who don't seem to be affected by the new alternate universe are Marty and Emmett Brown. Biff, Marty's brother, sister and parents undergo personality changes because of Marty's actions while in 1955, but one glaring question remains: where is the new, alternate Marty? The old, original Marty is now living with his new, alternate family, sans the new, alternate Marty.
Brown had known all along that he would be shot by terrorists and was wearing a bullet-proof vest in both Twin Pines scenes. In fact, the Twin Pines scene is a paradox because it happened only once, but takes place in both the original universe and the new, alternate universe. Brown's prior knowledge of the event coupled with his exact replication of the Twin Pines scene seems curious to say the least. If Brown had known of the terrorist plot, he could have staged the demonstration for a day earlier, or gone into hiding, to avoid risking his time machine to terrorist damage. Additionally, his surprise at seeing the terrorists in the first Twin Pines scene was not surprise at all, for he knew in advance they were coming. This leads one to wonder why a grown man would knowingly bring himself into a situation where he would be shot and subject this attempted murder to the eyes of a minor person. His not revealing any of this to Marty prior to the Twin Pines scene probably stemmed from his notion that telling people about the future could have "severe consequences" on events. "A man should not know too much about his own destiny." Ha. This coming from a man who knew 30 years in advance how, when, where and why he would be shot.
Contrary to the themes exhibited in Back to the Future I, time travel does not predicate dual universes. This leads one to think: which 1955 is the true 1955 -- The one without the time traveler or the one *with* the time traveler? Since they happened at the same time and at the same place, how is this possible? If time can be considered a straight line, only one instance of 1955 took place, and it included the time traveler. The old, original universe (with Marty's family growing up awkward and miserable) never even existed because of Marty's intervention. I'm going to argue myself into a hole if I continue doing this, so I'll stop. But I think the answer can be found if one applies Einstein's relativity theory. Or something like that.
84 Always Worth Watching
Wow, we just received the DVD set off Amazon this week, and they are dynamite!
Essentially one of the best series of films ever made, they look awesome on the DVD. The crispness of the images, excellent surround sound, beautiful.
You'll really enjoy the bonus features including the interviews with Bob Gale along with the original theatrical trailors. C'mon, even a Huey Lewis music video. :)
85 A Comedy Classic Must for your Library
Rarely are the sequals as good as the pilot in this great trilogy. An unequalled 10 star in my library!
86 Hello! Is anyone home?
This is one of the cleverest, family friendly movies ever made. I give the first movie 5 stars, the second 3 stars due to confusion in the story and 4 stars to the third movie, which was more tightly written.
warning. i bought the trilogy on vcd and it is a major disappointment due to quality. Pay the extra for the DVD.
87 Terrific entertainment!
"Back To The Future" has rightly attained classic status as one of the most entertaining films from the 1980's. It was an unexpected smash the summer of it's release, and one of those movies where images and phrases become part of popular culture within a weekend.
I feel the most impressive achievement by the filmmakers is the perfectly balanced tone of the movie. After all, upon going back in time, Marty (Michael J. Fox) finds his own mother has "the hots" for him. High potential for creepiness, but it's handled so deftly and sweetly it works wonderfully.
The underlying theme, echoed often by the filmmakers on the supplements, is the realization that your parents were once teenagers. Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover draw crisp portraits of Marty's folks, filled with delightful little details.
Zemeckis and company also balance the "period piece" nature of the film with the "sci-fi" elements in a way that neither one overwhelms the other. They also simultaneously remember the 50's with a rosy, reverent glow while tweaking it's nose a bit.
Watching it again after all these years, I was amazed at how everything works, and at how well it has aged. The funny thing, is that the movie is so well done, the 80's is presented as sweetly as the 50's, now seen from the 21st century. In a goofy way, the movie is its' own time machine. It takes you right back. It's a wonderful film.
Now for the sequels. Reductio ad absurdum, "Number 2" is the dark, twisted flip side to the first film. It's a Gordian knot of time travel complications. There is a level of genius in having a sequel that revisits the original from a different perspective, from tone to script to even camera angles...the "perspective" is skewed.
"Number 3" gives Doc (Christopher Lloyd) a chance to be the center of the film, and by going further back in time, the film offers more simple, less serious options to wrapping up the three films. It's a Western, giving Fox and friends a chance to play on horses, shoot guns and lasso things.
While the first film is perfect on it's own, the other two are infinitely better taken as a whole rather than as separate films. They're not totally necessary, but nicely fill out a sort of "BTTF" universe.
Smartly packaged as an affordable three-disc set, with nifty extras and outtakes that'll leave you begging for more (there's a great "appearance" by Roger Rabbit), this is one of the safest purchases you'll make!
88 Good but not the same as original release
Is the DVD version the same as the original? I don't think so. There seems to be some changes that are different. For example I thought that the background music of 'Mr.Sandman' was sung by female voices on the original. On the DVD version, it is sung by male voices. Has anyone noticed any other discrepancies?
89 Fact: Sequels are horrible!
The first movie in the trilogy is awesome: An 80's classic. Unfortunately the sequels aren't anywhere near as good as the original, especially the second film. Too bad you can only buy them all together. They should sell the first one ...and give you the [se]quels for free.
90 Truly one of the best comedies ever...
Time travel films have had some major impacts on the film industry over the years, but even more so on American culture. You can look back to some of the earliest films and detect a hint of sci-fi / time travel in them; just take a look at H.G. Well's "The Time Machine." However, I think the biggest and best time travel film ever made is the 1985 hit "Back to the Future." Here is the plot summary:
It is 1985. Marty McFly (a young Michael J. Fox) lives in the small town Hill Valley, located in the middle of nowhere, and is friends with the town eccentric, Professor Emmet Brown (Christopher Lloyd) who, unknown to Marty, has just built a time machine after thirty years of ideas. A time machine that runs off plutonium.
After some unfortunate incidents occur, Marty accidentally travels thirty years back in time using the time machine, which is made "out of a Delorean!" - to 1955! Now, his only hope of getting "back to the future" is to hunt down the inventor of the machine: Doc Brown. Only a few problems; not only has Professor Brown not invented the time machine at this point in time, but Marty has also interfered with the past - by accidentally keeping his parents (Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover) from meeting, therefore disrupting the space-time continuum and keeping Marty from being born! (Also, keep in mind that his parents are his age in 1955.)
"Back to the Future" could be called a very controversial film. After all, after traveling to 1955, Marty's mother develops a crush on him. I would call that pretty controversial. However, unlike some other films, the controversy is not the only thing "Back to the Future" has going for it. There are many things that make this movie great. I'll analyze the plot first; not only does it have fun with the notion of time travel, but it sets a character that we care about in situations that we want him to be in. Let me expand on this...
I get tired when time travel films have a great premise, but get mixed up in boring subplots and fail to play with ideas they could have. A lot of people love "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." I'll admit that was a good time travel film, but "Back to the Future" plays with the actual notion of time travel much, much more, and by doing so creates some major laughs and "thinking" moments.
"Back to the Future" also has a great sense of direction. [...].
Produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, "Back to the Future" gets 5/5 stars from me - it has originality, humor, great actors, an excellent plot, and mind-boggling "what ifs." it has to be one of my favorite movies, and if you see it, it might become one of your favorites, also.
91 The Best Movie of All Time
I have only owned this DVD collection for a month, but, man, I have seen each of them about 5 times! These movies have the greatest plots ever! The Back to the Future collection is three different movies, but you won't want to stop seeing them until you have finally finished the third one. This collection has one continuous plot that makes you keep wanting more. The plot, however, is seperate enough so that they are able to have three different movies, insted of one long (5 hours 40 minutes) one.
The first movie starts out with Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) at Doc's (Christafor Floyd) house. Marty McFly is part of a poor family who is bullied by Biff Tannen. Marty then finds out he is late for school, and then the actual story begins. As a summerized plot, Marty accidentally gets sent back to the past, in 1955. Then Marty must find out a way to get back to the future without disrupting the past. When Marty gets back, he finds his family is changed in a good way.
In the second movie, Marty firsts goes to the future to save his kids from getting landed in jail. He encounters Biff's grandson, Griff and the old Biff. His sweetheart, Jennifer, gets caught in her future house- and sees the older Marty get fired! All the while, Marty gets a sovenier- a hoverboard. After that, Marty must find a way to correct the disruptions that he has caused by going back to the past in 1955. While in the past, Marty sees himself when he was in the first movie, and must avoid apperences with himself and save himself from Biff's gang. After he corrected his mistakes, Marty tries to go back to the future, but finds that Doc accidentally goes to the past! This movie has great gimmicks, including the part where Michael J. Fox plays three parts- Marty, Marty Jr., and his daughter (who is nameless).
In the thrid movie, Marty finds out that Doc got sent back to 1885! Now Marty must find a way to resue Doc and himself from "Mad Dog" Tannen (an ancestor of Biff), find a way back to the future, and get Doc away from his sweetheart Clara Clayton. This part is the longest, but is more action-packed then the first two combined.
In order to find out more about the movies, how about buy them? I bet if you will, you'll see them again and again.
92 I would give it 10 stars if I could
These movies, especially 1 and 2, have been , my favorite since I can remmber and they will continue to be my favorite for a long time to come.
93 Why haven't you bought this yet?
Everybody already knows that these are some of the best movies ever. So why not have them all on DVD? They look great the sound is great. It blew my old VHS version away. Plus it has great outakes and behind the scenes in the special features. You can spend hours watching the making of the trilogy. I'm incredibly happy that I bought this item. I think you will be too.
94 Riding in the Dolorean
This is a must have for anyone who found themselves wishing they had a friend like Doc who let them travel through time in the Dolorean. These movies are a staple of the 80's. Every time I watch them, I fall in love with them all over again. The extra features are great too. On each DVD, there is a making of the movie feature. There is so much about this film that you can learn from the extras. The out takes are great too. If you were a child of the 80's then this is the trilogy for you!
95 Learn about matted Super 35
I was reading through the reviews and felt compelled to point out some misconceptions, especially in the review by the "Viewer from Wilmington". These movies were shot in Super 35, as some directors (Cameron) perfer to do. This method shoots a large, square area, with the idea that it will be matted when shown at a theatre. The director frames out what is SUPPOSED to be shown in each shot, whether it be 1.85:1 or 2:35.1. The point of widescreen is not to have more image shown, but to present the movie as it was shown at the theatre. The error for parts 2 and 3 is not that they are presenting a fake and deceptive letterbox image, but that when the engineer was matting a few scenes, the matted image was placed too high in the picture, therefore ommitting important information at the bottom.
So to sum up, the full frame version is all the actual visual information shot by the camera, while the widescreen version is the matted information that was intended by the director as all you should be seeing and is what was shown originally at the theatre. You can certainly prefer and buy whichever version you want, but you should at least have a correct understanding of what the choices are.
96 back to the fun
great movie, great acting, great script, great special effects (for the time it was filmed), overall great, i give this movie a 5+++ = very good
97 people, please pay close attention.
Alot of people try to look for problems with these movies. In part three, people who think Marty could have gone back to 1985 because he had Mr. Fusion must not have been listening. Mr. Fusion only powers the flux capaciter, not the engine. Also the reason Doc didn't use the time machine he put in the cave in part three to get marty back to 1985 was because he didn't wan't to risk damaging the time machine and creating a paradox. IT IS EXPLAINED IN THE FAQ'S on part three. People should really stop trying to find problems with these movies because the film makers intended to make movies, not documentaries. These three films are the most origional and entertaining films I know of and people who want to mock them should watch all the movies without interuption and they will see that pretty much everything that happens in the movies is explained in the movies, and things that aren't are explained in the extras on the DVD's! These movies will keep anyone up nights thinking about all the possibilities which I think is what makes these movies so great. If you haven't seen these movies on DVD you should because it clears up most of the misunderstandings you may have.
98 Just as much fun as when it original was released.
I first saw these movies when I was a kid and they're still just as much fun to watch now. Even though special effects have come along way since these movies were made, the effects in Back to the Future look just as good as the effects of today.
Loads of laugh, and tons of neat extras. This is a definite must have for everyone.
99 BACK TO THE FUTURE... IS BACK TO THE PLASURE !
This movie declined in three DVD (complete trilogy) is a colossal work with very much goods actors which are funny, amusing and however we can reflect to the consequences with a temporals times voyages suggested ! Cristopher LLOYD is entertaining ant Samuel J Fox complementary for this huge and good adventure ! It's needfull to possess these 3 DVD for look at any time still and again this marvellous FILM that i've seen in VHS Support and after with better quality in DVD support !
Mister Steven SPIELBERG is a genious of the cinematography after the first worrisome movie " DUEL " in 1978 ( 25 years ago ) I've a high respect for this humble man with many creativeness !
100 Hopeless, part III of "Widescreen, we e are cheated "
This is the third review I wrote about this set. At the end of April 2003, even the war in Iraq is already over, there's no sign that Universal is going to correct it's mistake over the widescreen edition of this set. My first review dated back to 25 Sept., 2002, I warned BTTF fans to beware of the widescreen edition of this set and advised them to have the full screen edition instead, still many of them ignored me and wrote many opposite reviews without even seeing the DVD (this set was released in Asia in Sept, 3 months ahead of the US release). Up to now I still see many reviews praising this set, I doubt whether you people knew what is the right of consumer, you can tolerate being cheated and still said it's the best set ever, all I can say is, uh HOPEEEELESSS to you all.
