Back to the past... via the future

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2009)

At the end of Back to the Future we were told that the story was to be continued, in 1989 that continuation hit the screens. This time things would get much darker as Marty and the Doc travel to the future and do things that have serious repercussions in the present so they have to go back to the past to set things right... it sounds confusing but makes sense when you watch it.
The film starts just before the end of the previous film so we see Marty, the Doc and Jennifer take off for the future, this time however we see that Biff has witnessed their departure. Once in the future Marty must intervene to prevent his son from getting involved with a robbery being planned by Biff's grandson. Things might have gone well if that was all that he did however he has an idea to make a bit of money on his return by taking a book of future sports results back with him. Doc tells him to destroy the book but he leaves it it the DeLorean. Having overheard this conversation Biff steals the car while they are picking up Jennifer and returns it before they notice it had gone.
When they return home to 1985 everything has changed, the town of more like a war zone, somebody else is living in Marty's house and Biff is a millionaire living in a casino with Marty's mother. Marty confronts him and finds out that Biff had been given the future sports book by somebody claiming to be a relative back in 1955, using the results inside he had amassed a fortune. The only way to set things right is to go back to 1955 once more and retrieve the book before Biff can use it.
I enjoyed the darker tone of this film although some of the special effects in the future scenes looked a bit ropey by today's standards they didn't detract too much. The film is full of references to the original, in the future we have a hover-board chase around the town square similar to the skateboard chase in the original and when he is back in 1955 we see several scenes from the original film but from a different angle often with both versions of Marty in the same frame. Michael J, Fox and Christopher Lloyd were great once more in the leading roles and Thomas F. Wilson did a good job as Biff and his grandson Griff. If you enjoyed the first film I'm sure you will love this one too.