Back to the Future 3 Review
So, my last review of my back to back to back reviews for the Back to the Future trilogy. Better buckle up! Because this is also going to be a long one.
First things first. Is it just me or is Marty kind of...quiet in this film? To me, he doesn’t have his usual spark. I mean, it’s still there, but it also seems a lot more silent. I don’t know. Maybe he’s finally gotten tired of the time travel shenanigans. Maybe he just wants to save the Doc and bring him home. Maybe he’s just tired of it all.
Whatever it is, he’s definitely a lot quieter in this film, so it seems okay that Doc takes the spotlight. I’m glad the Doc gets the spotlight thrown on him. It’s great to see him fall in love, and be the bad-ass he truly is, but at the same time, I wish Marty had a little more to do in this movie. He seems more like a sidekick than the main character throughout the movie, and I think the film suffers for it.
So, I don’t usually like Westerns. I’m usually bored by them and can’t really get into them. This is probably one of the only Westerns I really like, and the characters make that so. The Doc is a bad-ass in this one! From literally saving Marty’s neck to falling in love to jumping on trains from running horses, he really makes the movie. I think this movie might have my favorite Doc moments in it. I absolutely love when he saves Marty from his would-be hanging and the big hug that ensues. It’s friendship at its best. I love the ending where he tells Marty and Jennifer the future is what you make it. I just think he’s a total bad-ass in this movie and it shows!
The only problem is they didn’t seem to know what to do with Marty in this film. He’s put at the side and stays there for most of the film. In the beginning, he has a big part, but it slowly lessens and I’m sad about that. I’m kind of partial but Marty is my favorite character in the trilogy. No matter how much I love the Doc, George, Lorraine and Biff, I don’t want to see Marty sidelined by these characters.
Still, he has some pretty cool scenes in this, including the fight scene with Buford Tannen. That scene goes down as one of the best in the trilogy in my book! And, of course, we need to talk about that bright pink cowboy outfit Marty wears in the beginning of the film. Talk about needing a new style! (I kid.) I do love the outfit, and it brings out some good humor in the film, especially when Marty first gets to old Hill Valley.
And, of course, I need to talk about Clara. She is a great love interest. In some ways, I love her more than Jennifer, because we get to see more of her personality. She’s one of my favorite characters in the whole trilogy. And I’m glad the Doc finds her and they get to live happily ever after.
Still, even though I love this movie and it’s one of the better ends to a trilogy, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed by it. I wish we could see more of Marty in this film, and at times it seems like it doesn’t know what it wants to be or what it’s trying to say.
It’s a much more quiet, personal film than the other two, and I really love that about it, though. Unlike the other two, I don’t feel as stressed and my mind gets to rest a little bit. And, of course, the friendship between Doc and Marty is still going strong. They save each other plenty of times in the movie, and I really love that that is showcased. Again, personal film here.
And of course I need to talk about the ending. Seeing the Doc get a family and another time machine is breathtaking. That last shot of the train flying away is absolutely stunning.
So, this may be my least favorite of the trilogy, but it’s still one of my all-time favorite films, and just like the other two, it’s like comfort food for me. There are so many parts of this movie I love: Marty’s pink cowboy outfit, the train sequence at the end, the fight with Buford Tannen, etc. But it also doesn’t have as many highs as the other two. Still, I’d take it any day over most of the movies coming out now.
It may have sounded like I don’t like this film in this review, but I really do love it. I’m just a tough critic is all. And when “The End” finally flashes onscreen, I can’t help but feel a little sad that the adventures are over. This really is one damn good trilogy from beginning to end.