What kind of stupid name is that?

Rating: 7/10 (20 January 2016)

This is basically the western version of the original film and hits the same beats, which I think is what makes it a more enjoyable experience. With a time machine there are absolutely no limits and the western is such a distinct and easily immersive setting that can be tweaked depending on your level of seriousness. Yes, it hits all the usual clichÃ©s but I think it does it well with a sort of light hearted humour about it. We chuckle when Marty dubs himself Clint Eastwood and thumbs his gun, holster and belt as he parades around the town spouting classic one liners (I know this is what I would do if I found myself transported back in time).
It was admittedly cool to see Hilly Valley futurised but it quickly got old fast when we were confronted with the same scenarios; Biff, this time with three cronies, and even more villainous to the point of ridiculous. The western version of Biff feels more naturally fitting; he still is the one dimensional bully figure, he still has his cronies, he still thuggishly calls out Marty for being a chicken (yellow belly, this time) but these are the sorts of characters that pop up in westerns to be dispatched by our wandering hero. His natural animosity and nefariousness is just perfect for the rogue gunslinger who turns up and troubles the small townfolk. Likewise, Strickland had a rather random cameo in Part II that made little sense but his authoritative characterisation is very fitting for the role of the town sheriff. And in the McFly ancestors you have Lea Thompson is a subdued but effective role, accent and all, and Fox in the same disguise but not trying to draw attention to themselves. They are simply played straight, part of the landscape and don't have some crazy dilemma that must be fixed to assure the McFly lineage. It's with much more ease than that storyline which was developed and then tossed in Part II.
And at the root of all we have the romance between Doc Brown and the lovely Clara Clayton. It's not hugely complex, but it's simply and sincere enough, something that seemed to be lacking in part II, and comparable to the situation of young Lorraine's crush on her time travelling son. This breeds a rather interesting conflict between the duties of the Doc to fix up all his mess and his first real relationship - previously he was just the crazy scientist who made the adventure all possible. Loyd's first heroic appearance and his verbal sparring is just great. And it all concludes in a action sequence of rip-roaring suspense - and in the end, we can imagine all the crazy stories they have with their kids.
Fox is great again, and particularly goofy in his bright pink shirt and red pants against the dusty brown settlement, evoking again the same sort of alien feeling that his life preserver jacket did in the original. And he makes the goofs very funny too; the comedic timing of the Indians mural turning into real Indians on the backdrop of a chase in Monument Valley, the original of his shooting skills, his modern catchphrases, and the bar fight which he turns into a smooth dance routine. And in the ending, Zemeckis neatly ties up the trilogy by giving us closure for all the little haphazard moments in the future that were hinted at, and suggests fittingly, with the Delorean now destroyed, that it is now in their own hands.