Nobody calls me chicken!

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2016)

It seems pretty clear that there never was a sequel planned for Back to the Future, but as many hit films do, the money rolled in and the executives demanded more. Zemeckis was then left with the awkward situation of having to live up to the fantastic teased ending of the original, which hampers the plot of this one significantly. The most telling sign of this is the fact that they had to somehow write Jennifer into the plot again (and recast and reshoot too) - so we have a sort of introduction to the McFly family of the future, with gags and tricks and all, and then what could've been a promising storyline dissolves into yet another Biff v Marty battle again. early on, Jennifer is literally put to sleep and dumped onto the street because she is merely an accessory for the plot.
Nevertheless, the future does bring some awe-inspiring new visuals that shows that Zemeckis is clearly in his element regarding this area. Four years on and with more financial freedom meant a lot more than just the quick hovercar hint we had previously been wowed with. Again he uses that dramatic crane reveal, and inserts the same little clues that we saw back in 1955 in Hill Valley; a bionic Mayor Goldie, sleek cars on road and flying high in the skies, lifelike holographic sharks, the same café now as a vintage novelty etc. Everything is composited so smoothly and seamlessly - there's a rather excellent bit of visual effects in the background of the café window, as Biff and his gang land their car down from the air and stroll in. Another director might have just shot them walking in through the door, but this little bit of magic makes it all the more immersive - aside bizarre futuristic fashion designs and video games that need hands to operate (Just one of the correct predictions of our times).
It is a pity that the ingenuity of the visual effects does not match the characters that it serves. In BTTF, Biff was a minor character, a bully but not a prominent case study in himself. Here, we have 4 Biffs in the café, dressed ludicrously, and all spitting the same insults and wanting to exact the same physical punishments. Later on, the entire timeline is altered because of a rogue elderly Biff and suddenly his character is much more present. Sure, the image of the towering and immense Pleasure Paradise is stunning, but the overall changes to this alternate timelines become almost mean spirited, something that the original film did not represent. If the future bully Biffy was spastic and thuggish, this one is cartoonishly evil - at one point he even descends to broadcasting his entire origins of success to our hero before attempting to finish him. And to open it all, we have not a bizarrely humorous situation where Marty is mistaken for an alien and his ufo, but an angry man with a bat who destroys everything in an over-the-top manner. And why is Mr Strickland the target of drive by shootings? It is a mystery; he is simply another errant cameo.
The Marty of the past was a hero, short in stature and quick to know when he was outmatched. This time, Fox is the same, but there are some weird moments of characterisation that seem to go against everything established in the sequel. Twice, Biff calls him a chicken, and twice, Marty freezes in his stance and dramatically turns around and gives this glare to a rather inane schoolboy insult. And the older Marty is in on it too. Since when is Marty highly strung and reactive to those who question his bravery, nevertheless being questioned by the worst of bullies? And why is Fox the one playing his future daughter? The makeup in this series has always been of a high quality, but it seems this is just showing off rather than creating a substantial character. There are snippets of a meaningful storyline in the conversations about how Marty lost his ability and passion to play music and descended into the corporate world, but it seems Biff has a high priority. This is a rather disappointing sequel. For the all the great gags like the power laces (Alright!), the hydrating pizza (Who's going to eat all that?), the split-screen TV and the ever desired hoverboard that continues to elude us well after October 21 2015, there's not much to really enjoy.