Fun, fast-paced sequel

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2014)

Picking up right where the original movie left off, Robert Zemeckis' sequel to the 1985 hit is a blast from start to finish.
Considering the original was meant to be a stand alone movie and the ending where Marty and Doc flew off to the future was meant as a joke, the writers did wonders with the script here. They backed themselves into a corner where they were forced to start the movie in the future with Jennifer (now played by Elisabeth Shue) joining them but with a clever plot full of twists, it works perfectly.
Marty and Doc arrive in 2015 to try and prevent an event which threatens to destroy Marty's entire family's future and things look very different from 1985.
Rather than portraying a realistic version of what they predicted the future would be like, the writers and director wisely played it for laughs. That said it's amazing how many technological things in the movie have actually happened since it was made. The special effects, in particular the flying cars and hover boards still hold up well 25 years later.
The script plays around with it's ideas and makes some funny references to the first movie without looking tired, instead it's more like a wink to the audience that adds to the enjoyment.
The only time the movie really slows down is when it shows older Marty at home with his family but the point is to show the similarities between Marty's family and his own before he changed things for the better. Having been injured in a drag race, Marty is now just as much a loser as his dad was and his family are just as dysfunctional. It might seem like a bit of a pointless sequence on first viewing but it's setting up an important plot point for the third movie.
Once Marty and Doc have taken care of Marty's future family problem the main plot kicks in when Biff steals the Delorean to change history for the worst and this is where the movie really takes off. Marty and Doc's only hope to salvage everything is to get back to 1955, in order to save the future.
It's an original and entertaining scenario to see the events of the original movie from a different perspective, and amazingly it avoids becoming dull by doing so.
Fox and Lloyd once again show off great chemistry together and put a lot of energy into their roles. Fox is funny playing his older self, his son and even his daughter! And Thomas F.Wilson is even better than he was in the original. Now he's playing different ages and versions of Biff in different time lines, as well as the grandson Griff, and he pulls it off very well.
From 2015 to a nightmarish 1985 and all the way back to 1955, it's a fun, fast-paced sequel full of wit and imagination.