Not as Much Fun as Part I but Quite Good

Rating: 8/10 (4 March 2009)

The working title of the film was "Paradox" and both this sequel and Part I of this film confirm this. The film was changed because George Mcfly's actor from Part I did not sign on for Part II. He held out for more money so they wrote the story around him. George appears upside-down in an anti-gravity suit in and looks like "Pappy Yokum" from Li'l Abner. Anyone could be in that makeup! So the story becomes simply about a sports book that lists all the winning scores from several previous decades. Biff is given this book by his "future" self who steals the time machine to go back to 1955. This completely screws up the time-space continuum and George McFly ends up dead! I like the futuristic 1st half of the movie, but the scenes set in revised 1955 and 1985 seem a bit more cruel and mean-spirited, and not in tone with the rest of the series. The 1955 redux is very confusing, though very well-done and not as much much fun as the original Part I. The producers suggest watching Parts I and II back-to-back to understand the differences better. The optical process shots with multiple personalities (like "The Parent Trap") are amazing and flawless. Michael (in drag) as his own daughter! The futuristic (2015) is a lot of fun. Biff as a casino boss and Marty's "pumped up" big-breasted Mom are both hilarious and disastrous to see. It all serves as a set-up for Part III, which is is actually the best movie of the Trilogy.