Back
In Time
(2015 Back
To The Future
documentary/MVD Visual DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: D Film: B+
Filmmaker
Robert Zemeckis' 1985 Sci-Fi/Comedy Back
to the Future
is in my top ten favorite films of all time and I'm even in love with
the two inferior (but fun) sequels that follow teenager Marty McFly
(Michael J. Fox) and Doctor Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) on time
traveling adventures that take them into the past, future, and
alternate realities as well. Partly inspired by Buckaroo
Banzai
(reviewed elsewhere on this site), the sequels struggled at the box
office, but many have caught up with them since.
At
this point, I have owned the trilogy so many times over the years on
different formats from VHS to DVD to Blu-ray to Ultra HD 4K disc, and
with all of the countless bonus features that have been done on the
films, it seemed to me when assigned this disc that there wasn't much
more to be said. And while Back
in Time
isn't exactly full of too much new information to the diehard fanbase
like myself, it's still a charming little documentary on the love of
the franchise and features an impressive line-up of interviews from
the original cast and filmmakers, on top of interviews with other big
names in Hollywood now that have been inspired and look fondly upon
the franchise.
Starting
out with a beautiful wide aerial shot of a decked out DeLorean
automobile driving down a lone backwoods country terrain, along with
a montage of fans from all over dressing up like their favorite
characters, it quickly becomes apparent that this documentary is
something more than your traditional electronic press kit promoting
the new sale of the film, but by fans that actually care. Interviews
with producer Steven Spielberg, stars Michael J. Fox and Christopher
Lloyd along with Lea Thompson, even James Tolkan, director Robert
Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale are intercut between clips of the film
and others to give a full backstory of the progression of the
franchise from initial idea to execution. Hailed in an early act of
the doc as a ''perfect screenplay'', it is also noted that the story
isn't exactly traditional in a Hollywood writing sense either, which
goes to show that a little bit of originally can go a long way.
The
editing and production value here is pretty top notch and definitely
a step above your normal fan made documentary. While at first I was
a bit skeptical about how good this would be, I am proud to say that
this is the ultimate documentary on Back
to the Future
and a must see for fans.
Presented
in standard definition with a anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of
1.85:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, the film looks
and sounds fine on DVD but has been issued on Blu-ray and those with
a player might want to get that edition.
Sadly,
no extras, but you can read more about the Trilogy,
starting at this review of the 40th Anniversary that also offers a
link to the 30th
Anniversary
Blu-ray-only set:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16711/Back+To+The+Future+4K:+40th+Anniversary+Trilogy
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
