Some Blu-ray announcements come with plenty of bluster.
Take the news that the “Back to the Future” trilogy is coming to the high-def format in October with two hours of bonus features.
It’s timed with the original film’s 25th anniversary, of course.
That’s a long time to wait for a Blu-ray release, but the folks behind the repackaging think the public won’t mind. I’m not chomping at the bit just yet, even if the sight of Marty McFly quaffing down a Tab still makes me smile.
As franchises go, this film critic always found the “Future” films wanting.
No offense, Huey Lewis.
Sure, the original was a slice of pop culture heaven, the perfect showcase for Michael J. Fox’s ageless teen humor – and the ultimate proof that a dud car line can always be reborn.
But the second film upped the darkness quotient, something the fizzy first film didn’t need. And the rootin’ tootin’ trilogy capper left me wanting. It certainly didn’t help revive the western genre.
Apparently, I’m in the minority, since the third film was embraced by critics of the era as a return to form for Marty and co.
The beauty of Blu-ray is the chance to revisit older films and see them with fresh eyes.
And the “Future” films are so ripe for the Remake Machine it’ll help me prep for the unavoidable reboot.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always thought that in order for a film series to be good, it has to have an element to it’s story which may allow the viewer to watch each film as if they were their own stand alone films.
For example, I can watch The Empire Strikes Back without having first watched Star Wars and come away having been entertained. Granted when I first saw the films I saw Star Wars first but when you watch Empire I think it can stand on it’s own merits.
I’ve never thought that BTTF 2 or even 3 had this quality of story telling. I enjoy them, but the trilogy needs to be watched as a whole piece and not individual. And I think thats where it suffers.
Bob Gale admitted as much in the first DVD release. When you write a story and later the powers that be come to you and say we need a sequel, you may have some problems. I would bet that Gale would have ended the first film differently if he figured it would be as big of a hit as it was.
Well said … some sequels seem like a logical extension of the original story – like Caddyshack II
I concur with WWTW. The BttF trilogy really was one good film and story followed by two films divided by one not-so-good story.
Like “The Matrix,” and too many other “sequels,” the successive films are not logical story-telling extensions, but rather cobbled-together plots meant to justify the sequel’s creation.
BttF 2 and 3 were entertaining, but hardly necessary.
D.