The Back to the Future Trilogy: The Beloved Classic Celebrates 40 Years with an Incredible New Set (4K/Blu-ray)

The Films:

There have already been so many incredible films celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, but out of all of those, one that is truly considered an absolute classic is Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future," a film that remains one of the most beloved pieces of cinema to come out of the '80s and continues to resonate with audiences even four decades later. To celebrate this special milestone, Universal Pictures is re-releasing the entire trilogy of films in a new 4K/Blu-ray set packed with over nine hours of special features both new and old, so now its time to go back to the past and see why these films have continued to have such an amazing impact on audiences after so many decades.

Most people probably don't need to be reminded of the original classic's plot, but just as a refresher, the film revolves around Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), an ordinary teenager who has ordinary interests, which include his girlfriend Jennifer (Claudia Wells) and being in a band. His eccentric family includes his alcoholic mother Lorraine (Lea Thompson), his geeky father George (Crispin Glover), who is constantly bullied by his supervisor Biff (Thomas S. Wilson), and his siblings, who haven't gotten anywhere in life.

He also enjoys hanging out with his scientist friend Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd), who asks Marty to meet him in the mall parking lot to show him a new invention. The invention just happens to be a time machine made out of a DeLorean, which Marty ends up having to use to escape after Libyan terrorists show up to enact revenge on Doc Brown for stealing their plutonium to power the machine. Marty ends up back in 1955, where he inadvertently prevents the moment where his parents first got together, forcing him to try and rectify the situation by getting George to invite Lorraine to the school dance, a goal he must accomplish before he and his siblings are erased from history.

The original "Back to the Future" is another case of having to ask what else can possibly be said about such a classic. Screenwriters Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale hit upon such an incredible premise, and filled it with such memorable & intriguing characters, that it just becomes a delightfully fun & entertaining experience filled with laughs, thrills, and heart. It takes quite a bit of skill to successfully incorporate comedy, science-fiction, drama, romance, and a little action all into one film, but they miraculously did it, resulting in one of the most beloved films to come out of the '80s. Even the Academy had to recognize that they had accomplished something rather special, rewarding them with a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, with the film also receiving nods for Best Sound, Best Original Song ("The Power of Love"), and a win for Best Sound Effects Editing. Overall, it's simply a masterfully-made classic that still holds up beautifully after 40 years, one that will always feel fresh & original, no matter what decade you watch it in.

"Back to the Future: Part II" picks up right where the first film left off, with Marty, Jennifer (now played by Elisabeth Shue), and Doc Brown traveling to the future (2015) to deal with a problem involving Marty's kids. We learn that Marty's son, Marty Jr., will be arrested for a theft he participates in with Biff's grandson, Griff. After incapacitating Jennifer to prevent her from learning too much about her future, Marty & Doc go about stopping Marty Jr. from getting involved, but before going back, Marty purchases a sports almanac with the intention of profiting from it back in his own time.

Doc discovers it and tries to warn him about the repercussions, but they are interrupted before he can get rid of it, causing it to wind up in older Biff's possession. When Marty, Doc, and Jennifer finally return to 1985, they find that it's quite different from the way they left it, eventually discovering that older Biff used the time machine to give the almanac to his younger self, thus drastically changing the future. Will they be able to fix the situation and restore the present as they knew it?

"Part II" is where opinions on the trilogy start to vary just a little. Most people seem to really enjoy or at least like the second film, and indeed, it's a pretty good follow-up to the classic original. It takes a little while for it to really dig into its true premise, but even as it's setting it up, it remains a mostly entertaining outing that has Marty & Doc carefully treading in a rather strange future where things haven't turned out particularly well. However, the film truly starts churning when the duo have to go back and tread even more carefully in 1955, where they have to avoid themselves from the first film.

From there, it becomes a fascinating balancing act of trying to fix the future in a very precise manner, while trying not to make things worse, one that has the filmmakers skillfully blending moments from the previous story into its successor. It was always going to be an impossible task to come up with a second outing that would match the original, but what Zemeckis & Gale came up with here comes packed with plenty of amusing moments and a rather compelling situation that once again has the audience very much engaged, ultimately making for a fine sequel that stands as a worthy follow-up to the beloved classic.

"Back to the Future: Part III" once again picks up right where the last film left off, with Marty getting Doc's help to fix the DeLorean in 1955 so he can return to 1985. However, while doing this, Marty discovers a gravestone for Doc that tells of how he was shot by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Biff's great-grandfather) back in 1885, just days after writing the letter. Naturally, this causes him to go back 70 years to try and save him, which he ultimately does, but unfortunately he accidentally damages the DeLorean's fuel line during his hectic arrival, forcing him & Doc to come up with a radical plan to get it up to the required 88 MPH, one that involves a locomotive and some desperate engineering. Meanwhile, Doc finds himself quite infatuated with the new local teacher, Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen), who takes an equal interest in him, causing him to question his original intention to return home. Will our time-traveling duo be able to make their bold plan work, and will Doc decide to leave the love of his life behind?

This final entry in the trilogy is where opinions start to diverge even more so than the second film. Neither were received well by critics, but "Part III" is generally considered the weakest of the three by far by regular viewers as well, which is not to say that there aren't a fair amount of people who like it, just that it's usually not held in the same regard as the first two films. Indeed, it's rather fair to say that it's not nearly as good as the previous outings, and the reason is most likely because the storyline isn't nearly as interesting due to the fact that it's primarily about Marty & Doc simply trying to get home instead of trying to preserve or fix the future, with a little romantic entanglement thrown in for the latter. It's hardly a terrible entry, it's just that the narrative isn't quite as strong as the first two, making it feel a little over-extended at about two hours. Overall, it was an intriguing idea to delve further back into the past, but you'll likely end up wishing that they had been able to come up with something a little more compelling to do once they got there.

Video/Audio:

The 40th Anniversary "Back to the Future" Trilogy Set features all three films on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 1.85:1 transfers of marvelous quality. Each film has been cleaned up beautifully, perfectly highlighting their incredible designs & multitude of special effects. Likewise, the various Dolby Atmos (4K) and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (Blu-ray) tracks are outstanding, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and Alan Silvestri's unforgettable music in outstanding quality. Overall, Universal has done a wonderful job in both departments for this new release of the classic trilogy.

Special Features:

Back to the Future

Q&A Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale

Feature Commentary with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton

Tales from the Future: In the Beginning... (27 Minutes)

Tales from the Future: Time to Go (30 Minutes)

Tales from the Future: Keeping Time (6 Minutes)

The Making of Back to the Future (14 Minutes)

Making the Trilogy: Chapter One (16 Minutes)

Back to the Future Night (27 Minutes)

Michael J. Fox Q&A (10 Minutes)

Behind the Scenes (3 Featurettes, 9 Minutes)

Huey Lewis and the News "The Power of Love" Music Video (6 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (8 Sequences, 11 Minutes)

Bonus Disc:

40 Years Later: Reflecting on the Future (25 Minutes)

Back to Hill Valley (17 Minutes)

Untold Stores of Back to the Future (37 Minutes)

TCM Classic Film Festival Panel (16 Minutes)

A Mystery in History (10 Minutes)

Back to the Future: Part II

Q&A Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale

Feature Commentary with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton

Tales from the Future: Time Flies (29 Minutes)

The Physics of Back to the Future with Dr. Michio Kaku (8 Minutes)

The Making of Back to the Future: Part II (7 Minutes)

Making the Trilogy: Chapter Two (16 Minutes)

Behind the Scenes (7 Featurettes, 20 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (7 Sequences, 6 Minutes)

Back to the Future: Part III

Q&A Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale

Feature Commentary with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton

Tales from the Future: Third Time's the Charm (17 Minutes)

Tales from the Future: The Test of Time (17 Minutes)

The Making of Back to the Future: Part III (8 Minutes)

Making the Trilogy: Chapter Three (16 Minutes)

The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy (21 Minutes)

Behind the Scenes (3 Featurettes, 4 Minutes)

ZZ Top "Doubleback" Music Video (4 Minutes)

Deleted Scene (1 Minute)

FAQs About the Trilogy

Bonus Disc:

The Hollywood Museum Goes Back to the Future (10 Minutes)

Back to the Future: The Musical Behind the Scenes (3 Featurettes, 34 Minutes)

An Alternate Future: Lost Audition Tapes (4 Minutes)

Could You Survive the Movies? Back to the Future (20 Minutes)

2015 Message from Doc Brown (1 Minute)

Doc Brown Saves the World! (10 Minutes)

Outatime: Restoring the DeLorean (22 Minutes)

Looking Back to the Future (9 Featurettes, 46 Minutes)

Back to the Future: The Animated Series (2 Episodes, 46 Minutes)

As you can clearly see, the 40th anniversary set comes with a ton of extras, both old and new, with the latter being contained on two bonus discs. All three films come with filmmakers' commentaries featuring director Robert Zemeckis and producers Bob Gale & Neil Canton, as well as multitudes of featurettes that go behind the scenes of each film, while others discuss its long-lasting legacy. All combined, there's over nine hours of bonus materials that will most definitely make any fan of the trilogy extremely happy.

Conclusion:

Even though the third film may not quite live up to the first two, the "Back to the Future" Trilogy still remains an absolute classic set of films that continues to captivate viewers with their intriguing stories, beloved characters, and incredible special effects decades after their original release. This new 4K/Blu-ray set has the films looking stunningly gorgeous, with a ton of bonus materials that are sure to please any fan, ultimately making it an easy recommendation to add to your personal collection.

Score: 4/5

Now Available on 40th Anniversary 4K/Blu-ray.

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