Awesome! As good as the original!

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2004)

9/10
This film is up there with T2 and Aliens as a sequel that is every bit as good as - if not better than - the original.
Sure it isn't as fresh or as comedic as BTTF but seeing the characters' reactions to what happened 30 years ago in the original movie (as well as seeing them re enact them in both 1955 and 2015) is a joy to behold!
And the alternate 1985? Genius. A masterstroke!
Those who claim it is too confusing are either 5 years old or are in need of a lobotomy. There is no helping these people. They should be put down. For their own good.
Those who try to argue the facts of time travel - it's a film, boneheads! Zemeckis and co weren't delivering a thesis on time travel so expect inconsistencies. As to actually debating whether the film is right or wrong - this is flawed anyway - as no one has travelled through time to prove their case.
Though shot back to back with part III, I believe it is BTTF part I and II that should be viewed as such. In fact, they SHOULD be watched back to back - such is the close link between the two. And if you do so, the original will be fresh in your mind and you can sit stunned in awe how they recreate the exact scenes and replicate them in the various eras. As well as laugh at the continuation/reoccurence/of themes and dialogue.
If you do, you can only marvel at how they recreated the same scenes, such as the 'Enchantment Under the Sea' dance and created deja vu (when Marty gets chased by Biff's gang in 2015, Biff hits the manure truck again, another Mayor Goldie Wilson etc).
The recurrence of these same actions - in both 1955/2015 and BTTF and BTTF II - as well as the the repeated character interactions (teh camera looking over Biff's shoulder as he stands up to tower over Marty, "butthead!", "McFly!", "what's the matter? Chicken?", Marty trying to hit Biff sneakily by distracting him etc) not only create a sense that history will always repeat, which is novel anyway, but more importantly binds these two films closer together and for me, make one movie split in half, rather than an original and a sequel.
As stated, II and III were shot back to back but you'd swear it was part I and II - despite the 4 year gap!
For me, one of the highlights was the filling in of what happened offscreen in the original (like the high jinks that Biff and co were up to at the dance before George decked him, Biff arguing with the repair man over the cost of the treatment, further hints at Biff's obsession with Elaine when he swears that he will marry her etc).
This film is genius!