A great end to a great trilogy.

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2014)

The third and final part in the Sci-Fi Comedy trilogy picks up directly from the second movie with Marty stranded in 1955, after Doc was accidentally sent back to 1885. Instead of going back home to 1985, Marty decides to go back to the old West when he discovers Doc's fate in 1885 is that he will be shot dead by Biff Tannen's ruthless grandfather Buford "Mad Dog".
The second and third movies in the trilogy seem to divide opinion. Some prefer the more special effects and plot driven 2, and some prefer the more relaxed, character driven nature of this one. I personally love both and I'm glad they offer different things. As much as I like 2 for fully taking advantage of the Time Travel concept, I'm glad that the film-makers didn't try to go further with the special effects and ideas. The first movie despite it's premise was more about character and heart than it was action and special effects and it was good to see a return to that here.
Third time around, Michael J.Fox and Christopher Lloyd are still on great form and playing off each other well. And it's good to see Marty and Doc interact with each other more here, the plot really gets to flesh out their friendship, and even Doc's character when he meets and falls in love with a schoolteacher (Mary Steenburgen).
The movie looks fantastic. Director Robert Zemeckis said he wanted to make a western and his affection for them is on full display. There's some desert scenery and photography here that was shot at Monument Valley which instantly reminds you of The Searchers. With Marty using Clint Eastwood as his alias and after the brief clip of Fistful Of Dollars in the second movie it's no surprise that the spaghetti westerns come in for the spoof treatment, but with Marty been a civilized "fish out of water" and Buford a nasty bully, the movie mainly pays homage to the classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. And just in case you don't get the instant reference Tannen even calls him dude. But despite all the amusing in-jokes and send-ups at play, the film thankfully still has it's own originality and carries that distinctive charm the previous BTTF movies had.
It's a good-natured sequel that builds up to an entertaining showdown in the street, and then a well staged sequence with a speeding train that's just as exciting as the climax of the first movie involving the clock tower.
I'm just glad they ended the series like this before the ideas became tired and repetitive. Many franchises are ruined by too many sequels and thankfully this wasn't one of them.