Back to the Future Part III

So, it’s time for the third and final instalment of the trilogy, one which followed hot on the heels of Back to the Future II by virtue of the fact that it was shot concurrently. Hey, you’ve got the actors handy, why not be organised?

For fear of spoiling things for that infinitesimal number of deprived folk unacquainted with the story, let’s try to keep this recap as obscure as possible. Marty is stuck somewhere and Doc Brown is stranded somewhere else, although not necessarily as unhappily as his younger friend. Marty gets an opportunity to leave where he is, however the discovery of certain information leads him to take a detour to the place where Doc Brown is, where much of the film’s action takes place. Look, it’s the US west in the 1850s, dagnabbit! It’s hardly a secret if you’ve seen even a second of the trailer, or in fact have been the proud owner of a pulse for the past however many years.

This locale offers up much for the writers to have fun with, and have fun they do, with our hero Marty, or Clint Eastwood as he likes to be known here, getting involved in all manner of mishaps whilst working with the Doc to find his way back to a time more his own – for this is a bitch of a place to be stuck if you’re out of gas, as the fuel kind of hasn’t been discovered yet. While Marty has his adventures, for as with other periods in time there’s a certain Biff-ness to Hill Valley and not surprisingly his descendents and our hero just don’t quite get along, Doc Brown has his own with a love interest – the lovely school ma’am Miss Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen) – the result of one of those once in a googolplex meetings where it’s love at first sight.

Don’t think for a second that this is a schmaltz-fest, however, as it isn’t – the whole lurve thing is handled in a sweet and engaging way, and takes no time away from the general Back to the Future vibe that by now we have all grown to know and love. As we’ve come to expect there’s much in the way of knowing in-jokes, as well as many of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them gags for the more alert. In all the series is wrapped up beautifully and in a reasonably final fashion, although in typical studio style a slight opening is left for a possible fourth instalment. Thankfully this has never eventuated, even though in theory Marty, Doc Brown and friends could bounce around time like flubber ad infinitum.

"The future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one."

Just when you thought things couldn’t look better in the Back to the Future universe, along comes the third instalment to give our jaws gravel rash from hitting the ground. Yes, if it’s at all possible the best has been saved until last, with another stunning 1.85:1, anamorphically enhanced transfer.

Basically it doesn’t get much better than this, and when you consider that the film is over a decade old this is even more of an amazing feat. Colour surely couldn’t be improved upon, with everything from the browns of the old west (that’s the hues, not the Docs) to the brighter vistas of other times coming up beautifully. The transfer is phenomenally detailed, the trade off for which is a little in the way of aliasing on occasions, but none which is particularly intrusive. The layer change is much better placed then the one in the second instalment, occurring in a scene change and slipping by scarcely noticed.

It seems pointless saying any more; basically anybody capable of finding fault with this transfer would most likely become manically depressed at the news that they’ve just won millions in lotto.

Not surprisingly we are treated to another choice between Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 mixes, rather than the film’s original stereo soundtrack. Believe it when it’s said that this is no cause for alarm, as the remixes have been handled superbly, exhibiting none of the usually obvious signs of their somewhat flat origins. As is most often the case, there is little to distinguish the two mixes, both of them present us with fabulous front of stage separation and some wonderful use of the rears and subwoofwoof when appropriate, serving up a cinema at home experience to delight in. As we’ve come to expect, all is synched perfectly, and all elements of the soundtrack are balanced particularly well, never leaving you struggling to work out what’s been said.

As with the other two episodes in the trilogy, scoring comes from Alan Silvestri, and this time he gets to let loose on some vast orchestral panoramas which fit the theme of the film to a tee. There’s also an appearance from ZZ Top, getting all 1800s on our asses within the film, and reverting to their usual boogie rock stylings for the credits, with the track Double Back. Incidentally, did you know that one member of the band is actually named Frank Beard? He’s the one who doesn’t have a massive mop of hair hanging off his chin...

Once again the clock tower returns to the menu, keeping a nice thematic connection through the three discs. Much akin to the second disc, there isn’t a huge collection of extras – certainly not the array of treats the first disc offers up, but there is still enough to keep fans entertained for a while, all of which have standard 2.0 sound...

Documentary - Making the Trilogy – Chapter III: The completion of Laurent Bouzereau’s fabulous documentary series, this 16:20 presentation continues the fascinating work set up in the first two instalments, and is a fan’s dream.

Outtakes: This time we’re in for 1:36 of full frame random acts of silliness from on-set.

Deleted Scenes: Hmm, make it singular and it’s more accurate. There’s just the one deletion, in non-enhanced 1.85, running for 1:11, and featuring old Mad Dog Tannen.

Storyboards: Three are on offer here, all continuing the format of sketches up top, and finished film down below. First up is The Indians (2:10), followed by Showdown at Hill Valley (2:36) and lastly Final Train Scene (a whopping 7:40).

Production Archives: As with the other two discs in the set, we are served up four different photo galleries here. The Marty McFly Photo Album continues as on the others, with 33 stills and promotional snaps; Behind the Scenes gives us 19 shots this time, most of which are in black and white; Production Designs has just 14 pictures and the rather self-explanatory The Trilogy Poster Concepts has 24 related pieces of art, plus a fun bonus for fans of Jaws.

Music Video - Double Back – ZZ Top: Clocking in at 4:08, this full frame clip offers some fabulous effects and superimposition work, which makes up somewhat for the rather pedestrian song.

Theatrical Trailer: With no music or voiceover, this 2:12 teaser trailer has a somewhat unfinished mood about it.

E.T. DVD Trailer: A 49 second, un-enhanced 1.85:1 tease for the upcoming release of Spielberg’s film about a rodent from space...

After the not quite as riveting second feature, Back to the Future III sees a return to the scintillating form of the first film, adding other elements to the mix which serve only to enhance proceedings greatly. When it comes to vision this is easily the pick of an already mighty fine crop, audio is as good as the other two episodes, and the extras – well, there’s a decent selection to play about with.

Unavailable as single releases, it’s no cause for alarm – with all three films packaged together for the bargain basement price of $59.95, it won’t break the bank to reacquaint yourself with one of the most successful, and one of the most entertaining, trilogies in the history of filmdom.