Sometimes Good, Often a Mess

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2002)

The first "Back to the Future" was a whimsical fantasy adventure that managed to blend silliness, cleverness, action, and science-fiction into a delightful "what-if" scenario. "Part 2" picks up at the moment the original left off, with Marty and the Doc heading into the future to prevent a family disaster. Once again, the movie attempts to blend silliness, cleverness, action, and science-fiction, but this time the total is less than the sum of the parts.
In the future, Marty tries to keep his son from getting arrested for robbery, which he does, but in the process his now aged nemesis Biff steals the DeLorean and changes the his future, which, of course, changes Marty's as well. Marty and the Doc are unaware of Biff's actions until they return to the past--er, present--and discover a world they no longer know. Their only choice is to go back in time and prevent Biff from changing history.
When stated in the form of a paragraph, the plot seems basic and flowing, but the movie is anything but. The film has all the necessary ingredients to create a worthy sequel to the original, but none of the pieces fit together. All the scenes feel like one-act plays, none really relating to the other until the third act, which does manage to tie a couple of threads together, but even then, many of the early parts fell like so much filler.
Gone is the wry humor of the original ("You are my density"), and the cleverness of the plot, the fun of exploring the possibilities of a time paradox. What we get in return is a chance to watch the original movie from a different angle (literally)--a treat, to be sure--but that doesn't come until the third act. At that point we're reminded of the fun of the original "Future", something this sequel can't manage to recreate.
In some ways, the sketchiness of the film makes sense. The fact that "Part 2" doesn't end (the plot is resolved, but not everyone is where they should be) and the hints to "Part 3" littered throughout this installment indicate that the two films were meant to be a single story. Together, I guess they do form a complete whole, but when compared to another "bridge" sequel, "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back", even that excuse fails to satisfy. I think what we really have is filmmakers with a deadline that forced them to cut short the rewriting phase. Pity.
7/10
**1/2
C