The "Back to the Future" Trilogy

I wonder if Zemeckis knew what he was doing when he wrote these movies. They are pure fun - not out to prove anything other than movies are entertaining. That's exactly what this trilogy is: entertaining. For some reason my "Back to the Future Part II" will not work in my Xbox, so we weren't able to watch it. I've seen it a million times, though.

The trilogy moves seamlessly from one to the next, each picking up where the last left off. "Back to the Future" is about a punky kind of a loser teenager (who will do whatever he's dared to do) named Marty McFly (played by Michael J Fox) who is friends with a local mad scientist named Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd [I never noticed how much Christopher Lloyd I have in my collection]) in the year 1985. Doc has established a way to travel through time, and creates a time machine out of a DeLorean. Upon testing his equipment, Doc is killed by Libyan terrorists, and while trying to escape them Marty accidentally travels back in time to 1955. Here he needs to get his parents to meet each other, and avoid Biff Tannen  (his father's bully in 1985 and 1955).

At the end of "Back to the Future", Marty returns to a changed-for-the-better 1985. Doc Brown returns to him in the DeLorean, and gives the immortal line "Where we're going we don't need roads", and they take off flying into 2015 with Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer (played by Claudia Wells). "Back to the Future Part II" picks up here. Marty is told that his son is going to be used by a local punk named Griff (Biff's descendant), and will be imprisoned because of it. Marty is able to stop it, but not before losing Jennifer (Now played by Elisabeth Shue) somewhere in the future, and Biff Tannen gets his hands on the DeLorean and is able to change the timeline for his own gain.

By the end Marty and Doc Brown are able to return things to normal, but the flying DeLorean is struck by lightning while Doc is in it and disappears into the time stream. Moments later a Western Union delivery comes for him (played by the "Jack-ass" guy from "Happy Gilmore", by the way) where 1985 Doc has sent Marty a telegram from the year 1885. "Back to the Future Part III" picks up here, with Marty explaining the situation to 1955 Doc Brown. They discover that mere days after 1985 Doc sends the telegram, he is shot and killed by Buford Tannen over a matter of $80. Instead of going back to 1985, Marty and 1955 Doc decide Marty needs to go to 1885 to save 1985 Doc from being killed. Marty does not blend well into life in 1885 California. Doc creates so many Steampunk devices in this movie, you'd think this was "Wild Wild West".

Now if you actually needed to read the last three paragraphs I wrote because you have never seen this trilogy, you need to fix that as soon as possible. If you like comedies, this is funny. If you like sci-fi's, there's plenty of time-shopping. If you like action, there's some (mostly in the second and third). Part I was produced in 1985, Part II in 1989, and Part III in 1991.

For some reason, the third movie is regarded as not being very good. I never quite understood why people believe that. It is the weakest of the trilogy, but is still highly entertaining and finishes the story nicely. Don't let others bring it down for you! Just enjoy it! Also, ZZ Top are in it!

By the way, a few years ago I got to meet Christopher Lloyd at a local convention. He was really cool and shook my hand, even though I didn't have money to get his autograph. I thanked him for all the work he's done, and he seemed genuinely happy by my thanks. At the same convention they had one of the DeLoreans used in Part III, I believe. I also encountered the same DeLorean a few months earlier at a different con. The owners of the DeLorean make a bunch of money off it by bringing it through the convention circuit. We have pictures of it somewhere, I just can't find them.

Now I leave you with one of my favorite bits from the movie. Which may or may not be what it's like when I drink