Busy, beleaguered sequel

Rating: 4/10 (13 May 2007)

Gloppy-looking follow-up to "Back to the Future", a 1985 hit where time-traveling Marty McFly visits the past; here he finds himself in the year 2015, attempting to retrieve a book of statistics that could change the course of history. The goofy charm of the original has been replaced by brittle satire (why are all movies set in the future so sour and cynical--as if technology itself sucks the joy out of living?). The pacing is fast, but somebody forgot to add in the jokes, and Michael J. Fox looks weary. The dark, dreary production is another obstacle. Filmed back-to-back with "Back to the Future Part III" (released in 1990), which explains the silly cliffhanger conclusion. ** from ****