From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri May 30 20:48:24 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lejonet.se!linkoping.trab.se!malmo.trab.se!newsfeed2.luth.se!news.luth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!news.kth.se!nntp.uio.no!newsfeeds.sol.net!europa.clark.net!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: ChadPolenz@aol.com (Chad Polenz) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.past-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 29 May 1997 21:27:47 GMT Organization: America Online Lines: 54 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5mkscj$a3c@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: ChadPolenz@aol.com (Chad Polenz) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07718 Keywords: author=Polenz Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7117 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1321 BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III A film review by Chad Polenz Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz *** (out of 4 = good) 1990, PG, 120 minutes [2 hours] [adventure/western/sci-fi] starring: Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly, Seamus McFly), Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett Brown), Thomas F. Wilson (Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, Biff Tannen), Mary Steenburgen (Clara Clayton), produced by Bob Gale, Neil Canton, written by Bob Gale, directed by Robert Zemeckis. "Back To The Future III" was a sequel that didn't have to me made, but as far as unnecessary sequels go, this is one of the best. It doesn't have the originality of the first two films, but it is still a good, decent movie. Just like "Part II," this one picks up right where the last one left off. Marty (Fox) gets a letter from Doc (Lloyd) from the year 1885 and learns he is happy and not to rescue him. But Marty is still stuck in 1955 (again) and needs the help of the 1955 Doc to get back to the future. But when the two realize the Doc of 1885 gets killed, the 1955 Doc wants Marty to rescue him (after all, that's going to be him someday). So Marty goes back in time and hilarity and adventure ensues. It seems that every time Marty travels through time he gets stuck somewhere. This time he becomes stuck in 1885 when he rips the fuel tank of the DeLorean, thus the car cannot run without gasoline, unless they can get a train to push it up to 88 m.p.h. (ah ha!). There's a lot of the standard time traveling confusion and conflicts, almost exactly like the situations that occurred in the first two, but surprisingly enough it doesn't wear itself out. And for the first time, Doc gets the girl. Mary Steenburgen co-stars as Clara Clayton, a school teacher who was supposed to fall into a ravine but Doc saves her at the last minute. And so a romantic affair develops between the two, and this is a nice little surprise. It's nothing too sappy and it's nothing too implied either, and it also affects the plot of the story. The chemistry between Lloyd and Steenburgen is pretty convincing, they have a cartoonish charm of sorts. Meanwhile Marty is having a problem with the "Biff" of this time period - Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Wilson). When he continues to insult and provoke Tannen they decide to settle it once and for all at a shootout, except that it's scheduled at the time when Marty and Doc are supposed to hijack a train to go back to the future. The grand finale of this film is not unlike that of the original movie. It involves being in the right place at the right time and of course little obstacles crop up to get in their way. Overall, "Back To The Future Part III" has a lighthearted adventurous tone to it. I hope next time Doc will build a time machine that is impossible to damage, or have it run out of fuel or power. What good is traveling through time if you keep getting stuck somewhere? visit Chad'z Movie Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz/index.html From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sat Jan 5 15:56:01 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!newsfeed01.nntp.se.dataphone.net!nntp.se.dataphone.net!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!171.64.14.106!newsfeed.stanford.edu!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Jerry Saravia Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Back to the Future Part III (1990) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.past-films Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 20:12:39 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30610 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 275734 X-RT-TitleID: 1028630 X-RT-SourceID: 875 X-RT-AuthorID: 1314 X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4 Summary: r.a.m.r. #30610 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 78 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2561 rec.arts.sf.reviews:189 BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III (1990) Reviewed by Jerry Saravia RATING: 3 stars and 1/2 After the dark overtones of "Back to the Future Part II," "Part III" (filmed back-to-back with the first sequel) returns to the lightness and simplicity of the original. It settles on the Old West as its setting and dwells on relationships rather than complicated paradoxes. No, it is not superior to the original but it is vastly entertaining and funnier than the second film. "Part III" begins precisely where the last film left off. If you recall, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) went back to 1955, encountered his double, and tried to convince Doc Brown (the 1955 counterpart) that he needs to get back to the future. Doc faints and Marty tries to revive him. After some nifty explanations, Marty decides to go back to the Old West but he needs his time-traveling DeLorean, which of course proves unavailable. Apparently, Marty and Doc discover that Doc's 1885 counterpart died at the hands of a gunslinger over a matter of some money owed. We see the tombstone and they eventually find the Delorean left in some mine, nicely preserved. Thanks to Doc's help, Marty manages to go back to 1885, meets his Irish grandparents (played by Fox and Lea Thompson), gets shot at at a bar where he does the "moonwalk," gets nearly hanged, and meets up finally with Doc Brown who saves Marty from evil cowpokes. Lo and behold, Marty is ready to take Doc back (or forward rather) to 1985 when he sees that the DeLorean has a ruptured fuel line and thus lacks the ability to go 88 miles per hour - the necessary mileage to travel through time. Doc comes up with a brilliant plan - have the DeLorean pushed by a train going at the requisite speed. There are some funny complications such as the bridge where the train will be passing through has not been completed, the trains of that era did not necessarily go so fast, there are the gunslingers, particularly one who wants Doc's hide, and a more novel complication: Clara (Mary Steenburgen), a schoolteacher, has taken a g ander at Doc and finds that they share the same love for Jules Verne. Love at first sight, indeed, and it will cause problems for those who travel from one time period to another. If "Part III" has a major star performance, it is Christopher Lloyd who succeeds in finding all the right notes of lunacy and lovestruck innocence in Doc Brown. He is a madman who has found his inner peace in the good Old West, a place to spend his retirement years as he indicated in "Part II." The sweet love scenes between Lloyd and Steenburgen also have the right balance of chemistry and comedy ("I've never, ever, met a man like you before," says Steenburgen). Lloyd clearly steals the show from Michael J. Fox, who is left in the desert winds in practically a supporting role. Interestingly, McFly was lectured about life by Doc in the first two films whereas here, he helps Doc understand that love can be lost when meddling with the future and the past. I still wish the filmmakers gave Fox more to do rather playing second banana to Doc. And the final scenes involving Marty's wandering girlfriend, Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue), and some business about playing "chicken" will only serve to confuse those who are not fans of the original two films. As directed once again by Robert Zemeckis and co-written by Bob Gale, "Back to the Future Part III" is still loads of fun, a high-powered comic adventure that utilizes the Old West setting for several, blink-and-you'll-miss, in-jokes and some desperate gags (like Marty stepping on some horse dung or mimicking the "You talkin' to me" line in front of a mirror). But the silliness and momentum keep one's interest and never flags. The performances all hit the right notes and the ending is a stunning surprise with a wonderful visual gag that echoes the original. Not as rich or as weighty as the original, or as frenetic as the sequel, but it is a deft bled of comedy and adventure overall guaranteed to leave you in high spirits. For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://moviething.com/ members/movies/faust/JATMindex.shtml E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at faustus_08520@yahoo.com or at Faust668@aol.com ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30610 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 275734 X-RT-TitleID: 1028630 X-RT-SourceID: 875 X-RT-AuthorID: 1314 X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4