Back to the Future Part II – Ignore the plot holes (and enjoy!)

I know that the original ‘Back to the Future’ film was ‘lightning in a bottle’ (or should that be a ‘Flex Capacitor in a bottle?’) and its sheer charm and mass appeal could never truly be recaptured.  Therefore ‘Part II’ was always going to have a hard job when it came to competing.  I was only twelve when it was released and, in short, I loved it.  However, even back then long before the days of internet message boards and Twitter, I remember picking up on the mutterings from film critics about how it wasn’t a patch on the original.  Now, I’m not about to commit blasphemy and tell you that it is.  I’m just saying that it’s a great, fun film and it continues the story just perfectly.

Sequels that outdo their original are few and far between, but this one does have enough memorable moments to really hold their own over time and remain in the public's consciousness, even today (Marty's 'self-lacing' Nike trainers and - of course - the 'hover board,' anyone?).  If ever a story picked off where the last one left off, it was 'Back to the Future Part II.' Who among us wasn't dying to know where Marty and Doc were going to next and the sight of our favourite time-travelling car flying off into our faces only filled us with intrigue.  And, when they arrive in the 'future,' or at least 2015 as was depicted back in the 80s, it's filled with weird and wonderful gadgets (which - naturally - are still waaay off where we are today, technologically).  Marty has to prevent an incident in his son's future that will bring down his family-life to come.  Naturally, not everything goes to plan and he and Doc are forced to zip back and forth through time in order to correct things.  And, like I say, I loved it then and I still do.

However, that's just my opinion and I think it's fair to address some of the criticisms it picked up then and now.  Some people resent a few casting changes that occurred between films, others say that the future is too over-the-top, plus it retreads old ground (sometimes remaking scenes deliberately in homage to its own predecessor), but without any of the charm.  While others resent the way it ends (I should warn you that it's designed to be a 'middle film,' therefore I'm guessing the film-makers had no plans to end the story with 'Part II.'

Personally, I didn't mind any of that.  If I could nit-pick one single thing it would be something I note now about the story-telling 'suspension of disbelief' which seems to go hand in hand with all time travel movies.  Namely something happens which causes 'time' to spew off in a different direction, but, due to the paradox this would actually cause, the plot falls apart on a plot hole.  However, I didn't notice that when I was younger and I'm sure not going to let it ruin my enjoyment of the film now.

There are few movies nowadays that the whole family can sit down and enjoy (okay, maybe 'Ready Player One' will be one day), but, right now, all three 'Back to the Future' movies deserve their place in cinematic history.  Watch it now before it gets remade!

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather