A Bit Flat, But Still A Good Ending To A Masterpiece Trilogy

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2017)

The first two films in the "Back To The Future" trilogy explore the concept of time like never before. Viewers are taken to two different versions of 1985, twice propelled back to 1955, and even catapulted into 2015 for a short time. The character continuity is incredible, the acting is inspired, and so many different genres are incorporated that the films are nearly rendered perfectly genre-less. Obviously, it would be tough to beat the energy of those two incredible films, and (while this film gives a valiant effort) it just doesn't quite make it.
Basically, the plot of BTTF 3 is set in the Old West (1885, to be exact), where Doc Brown was transported to at the end of the second film. Ignoring the Doc's instructions, young Marty McFly instead repairs the time machine and goes back to bring Doc back home. The three obstacles in his way: Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (the most hated gunslinger in the West), Clara (Doc's new love), and an empty tank of gas in the DeLorean.
Though this movie won't leave you feeling utterly disappointed or anything like that, as it has its moments of greatness, it just falls a bit short of the magic created by the first two efforts. Perhaps the biggest culprit is the flatness of the jokes that were funny in parts one and two, like the "wake up" scene and the Tannen family "manure curse", but became somewhat stale the third time around.
Another shortcoming, oddly enough, was the fact that the film has more to do with character- development than its two previous successors. The Marty-Doc friendship is on center stage, while Doc's new-found infatuation with Clara is a major part of the storyline. While usually that kind of character-building is essentially in films, it is kind of wasted in this case, as fans knew the end of the trilogy was at hand and thus the relationships would go no further.
However, though I have touched on a few of the reasons why this film doesn't match the sheer brilliance of the first two, please do not hesitate to watch it and complete the most inventive film trilogy in history. It is not a dud by any means, and certain viewers may even find it more enjoyable than "Part Two", as it isn't as complicated and the jokes are a bit more obvious.