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Back to the Future 2, 1989
Moments after the events of the first film, Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) and his girlfriend Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue) are scooped up by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and carried off to the year 2015 where Marty’s children are in a lot of trouble. But Doc’s attempt at benevolent intervention backfires when old nemesis Biff (Tom Wilson) learns about the time machine and uses it to craft a very different past and future.
Plenty of imagination on screen and engaging performances add fun to this film, though it ultimately ends up pulling itself in far too many directions.
There is a lot of enjoyment to be had in this movie, and particularly in the first act that takes place largely in the future. Of course there are always a few moments of snickering at the way that a movie envisions a future that is, as of viewing the film, in the past. The 2015 of this movie is all self-lacing sneakers, hologram waiters, instant faxes, and fingerprint-activated doors. I thought that it hit a good sweet spot of not feeling like it was trying too hard to predict the future, while still having some fun with imagining it. (And also poking some fun at the perpetual nostalgia grind with an 80s themed cafe).
There’s also, as you’d expect, some nifty machinations with the time travel element. The events of the film take place in the present of the 1980s, the past of the 1950s, and the future of the 2010s. And this includes overlap with the events of the first film, so that Marty and Doc Brown must dance around their previous adventures. It all comes across pretty well in terms of keeping the causality fun and light.
But as the film went on, I have to admit to finding it less fun. There’s almost no character work, which is a shame because Fox and Lloyd are very likable in their roles. Heck, Fox plays Marty, Marty’s future self, and Marty’s future son. There are some brief moments where Doc expresses regret about having meddled in the past and future, but those moments aren’t well developed.
I also found that the antagonism between Marty and the various incarnations of Biff started to wear thin. Really thin. As with the first film, Biff’s aggression toward Marty’s mother (Lea Thompson) is the centerpiece of things. (Though in this go around we get a Marty who is fixated on his mother’s breasts and even feels the need to remark on them!).
The inclusion of the character of Jennifer is even more baffling. Within about 5 minutes, Doc knocks her out because she’s “asking too many questions”. He and Marty then leave her unattended and unconscious in an alley near where future-Biff’s gang of no-goods roams around. You know, the character whose defining characteristic is bullying and sexual aggression? The character isn’t really used in any capacity, and it feels like a waste of a performance.
So there’s good stuff here, but in emphasizing the twists and turns of the plot, the characters really slip away, especially leading into the last act.
Back to the Future 2, 1989
Moments after the events of the first film, Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) and his girlfriend Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue) are scooped up by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and carried off to the year 2015 where Marty’s children are in a lot of trouble. But Doc’s attempt at benevolent intervention backfires when old nemesis Biff (Tom Wilson) learns about the time machine and uses it to craft a very different past and future.
Plenty of imagination on screen and engaging performances add fun to this film, though it ultimately ends up pulling itself in far too many directions.
There is a lot of enjoyment to be had in this movie, and particularly in the first act that takes place largely in the future. Of course there are always a few moments of snickering at the way that a movie envisions a future that is, as of viewing the film, in the past. The 2015 of this movie is all self-lacing sneakers, hologram waiters, instant faxes, and fingerprint-activated doors. I thought that it hit a good sweet spot of not feeling like it was trying too hard to predict the future, while still having some fun with imagining it. (And also poking some fun at the perpetual nostalgia grind with an 80s themed cafe).
There’s also, as you’d expect, some nifty machinations with the time travel element. The events of the film take place in the present of the 1980s, the past of the 1950s, and the future of the 2010s. And this includes overlap with the events of the first film, so that Marty and Doc Brown must dance around their previous adventures. It all comes across pretty well in terms of keeping the causality fun and light.
But as the film went on, I have to admit to finding it less fun. There’s almost no character work, which is a shame because Fox and Lloyd are very likable in their roles. Heck, Fox plays Marty, Marty’s future self, and Marty’s future son. There are some brief moments where Doc expresses regret about having meddled in the past and future, but those moments aren’t well developed.
I also found that the antagonism between Marty and the various incarnations of Biff started to wear thin. Really thin. As with the first film, Biff’s aggression toward Marty’s mother (Lea Thompson) is the centerpiece of things. (Though in this go around we get a Marty who is fixated on his mother’s breasts and even feels the need to remark on them!).
The inclusion of the character of Jennifer is even more baffling. Within about 5 minutes, Doc knocks her out because she’s “asking too many questions”. He and Marty then leave her unattended and unconscious in an alley near where future-Biff’s gang of no-goods roams around. You know, the character whose defining characteristic is bullying and sexual aggression? The character isn’t really used in any capacity, and it feels like a waste of a performance.
So there’s good stuff here, but in emphasizing the twists and turns of the plot, the characters really slip away, especially leading into the last act.