Solid closure to the series

Rating: 7/10 (15 March 2010)

Marty and Doc are now in the Old West and must figure out a way to return to 1985.
The first one was perfect. One couldn't figure out how they were going to follow it up with any degree of real success and in the end they didn't. Part II was miles behind the quality of the original and, while it was pretty solid in it's own right, left most viewers dissatisfied. To my utmost surprise (in 1989 at least) the second chapter ended with a brief trailer promising a third, and final, installment. This time in the Old West and then this long story would come to an end.
First of all, "Back to the Future, Part III" is an improvement over Part II. It's more pure fun than the second one and the climax on board the train is quite spectacular. Everything concerning special effects is outstanding but that was also the case with Part II.
Director Zemeckis's fetish with having actors play opposite themselves isn't taken to the extremes here as in Part II but the story is still somewhat confusing. I'll never get that part with Clayton Ravine and how on earth Doc managed to build this Super Duper time machine in the end but it's not like the first one was crystal clear either.
Fox is always a hoot as Marty and Lloyd is still perfect as Doc. Steenburgen is barely passable as the love interest (something about her always bugs me) but the real star here is Thomas F. Wilson, this time (mostly) playing "Mad Dog" Tannen, a crazy and quite stupid gunman who's ultimately as unfortunate as his great great grandson Biff. Like in Part II, he completely steals the show and here he has most of the great lines ("Forfeit...what's that mean?", Priceless).