Back to the Future Part II (1989)
9/10
Back to the Future Part II is a wild ride that manages to be both amazing and messy at the same time. If the first film was a perfect milkshake of nostalgia, humor, and heart, this hits you like someone dumped extra toppings on it—fun at first, but overwhelming in the end. Robert Zemeckis is back on the director's seat, and the iconic duo of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are back as Marty and Doc. The film picks up right where the original movie ends.
The plot starts back in 1985, when Doc arrives unexpectedly in the DeLorean time machine, and tells Marty and his girlfriend, Jennifer, that they must travel with him to the future to help their future children. They time travel to the future on the DeLorean, and Biff (who was just nearby) saw them leave. Doc explains that their son Marty Jr. will be arrested for participating in a robbery, the impact of which will destroy the McFly family.
When we get to 2015, it was a sight. You have to remember I saw this back in the 90s, so I too was hoping that by 2015, we should have hoverboards, self-lacing sneakers, and holographic images that jump at you. Of the three, we have the holographic images that jump at you. Here in 2025, we still haven’t gotten to hoverboards and self-lacing sneakers.
The film’s creativity here is amazing, and the 2015 visuals were a feast, but the movie does not just remain in 2015. We went back to the past, then back again to the future, and this is where the cracks start to show. The movie juggles too many timelines: 2015, a dystopian 1985, and even a revisit to 1955. By the third act, the narrative feels like a time-traveling DeLorean with the flux capacitor glitching.
Let’s talk about what works. Michael J. Fox remains effortlessly charismatic, pulling double duty as Marty and his own nerdy child. Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown is as delightfully unhinged as ever, spouting technobabble with the urgency of a mad scientist who’s had one too many Red Bulls. Even today, the practical effects hold up surprisingly well, though the CGI, not so much.
But one minute, we’re laughing at Marty’s dad getting fired via fax machine, (which, I can tell you, fax machines did not become a common means of communication in 2015), then the next, we’re thrust into an alternate 1985 where Biff rules like a mob boss. The darker themes feel jarring against the franchise’s usual lightheartedness. Worse, Jennifer’s character is reduced to a literal sleeping prop for most of the film. I wondered, why didn't they just leave her out? And while the time-loop climax is clever, it leans too heavily on rehashing scenes from the original, making the finale feel less like a tribute and more like a recycled script.
The movie’s obsession with paradoxes also borders on self-indulgent. Doc’s chalkboard rant about timelines would give Einstein a migraine, and by the end, you’re left wondering if the writers were more focused on outsmarting the audience than telling a story.
Yet, for all its flaws, Back to the Future Part II is an easy 9/10. It has a quirky charm that’s hard to dismiss. It’s ambitious, and the film’s vision of 2015 is hilarious, (where are our flying cars, Hollywood?). The dynamic between Marty and Doc remains the franchise’s beating heart. Lloyd and Fox share a chemistry that’s both heartfelt and absurd, anchoring the chaos with genuine warmth.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely YES!
If you’re here for the
hoverboards and nostalgia, you’ll leave satisfied. If you crave the tight
storytelling of the original, you might feel shortchanged. But if, like me, you
just want to enjoy the idea of what this movie has to offer, and be thrilled by
the dynamic duo, then you are in for one of the best sequels ever done. Part II
doesn’t quite stick the landing, but hey, neither does Marty’s first skateboard
ride. And isn’t that part of the fun?
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