"Back To The Future Part III"

Title: "Back To The Future Part III"

MPAA Rating: PG

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Producers: S. Spielberg, K. Kennedy, F. Marshall

Editing: Harry Keramidas and Arthur Schmidt

Composer: Alan Silvestri

Starring:

- Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Seamus McFly
- Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown

- Mary Steenburgen as Clara Clayton
- Lea Thompson as Lorraine McFly and Maggie McFly
- Thomas F. Wilson as Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen and Biff Tannen
- Jeffrey Weissman as George McFly
- James Tolken as Mr. Strickland
- Elisabeth Shue as Jennifer Parker

- ZZ Top as the band at the Hill Valley Town Festival

Plot and Critical Review: On November 12, 1955, Marty McFly discovers that his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown had become trapped in the year 1885. Marty, with Doc's 1955 self, uses the information in Doc’s 1885 letter to locate and repair the DeLorean. While retrieving the car, Marty spots a tombstone with Doc's name; the date of death a mere six days after the writing of the letter. Learning that Doc was killed by Biff Tannen's great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, Marty decides to go back to 1885 to save him.

Marty arrives on September 2, 1885, in the middle of a United States Cavalry pursuit of Indians. While evading the pursuit, the DeLorean's fuel line is torn, forcing Marty to hide the car in a cave and walk to Hill Valley. Marty meets his Irish great-great-grandparents, Seamus and Maggie. In Hill Valley, Marty runs afoul of Buford and his gang. Buford tries to hang Marty but Doc saves him at the last minute. Doc agrees to leave 1885, but with the DeLorean out of gasoline and none available there is no way to accelerate the car to 88 mph. Doc devises a scheme to use a locomotive to push the DeLorean up to speed. As Doc and Marty explore the rail spur they intend to use, they spot an out-of-control horse-drawn wagon. Doc saves Clara Clayton and the two quickly fall in love. Buford tries killing Doc at a town festival, but Marty intervenes. Buford then goads Marty into a showdown in two days' time. Consulting the photograph of Doc's tombstone, they note that Doc's name has disappeared, but the tombstone is otherwise unchanged. Doc tells Marty that the tombstone represents the events of the future, and warns Marty that he, not Doc, might be killed by Buford.

The night before their departure, Marty and Doc place the DeLorean (now with railroad-type wheels) onto the rail spur for its trip to the future. At Clara's house, Doc tells Clara that he is from the future, but Clara believes it is an excuse to end their relationship. Doc goes to the saloon to get drunk but Marty rides to the saloon and convinces Doc to leave with him. Doc agrees and, without thinking, drinks a single shot of whiskey and passes out. Buford arrives and calls out Marty who has finally realized his reputation is unimportant and refuses to fight. Doc is revived by the bartender's special "Wake-Up Juice" and tries fleeing with Marty, but Buford's gang captures Doc, forcing Marty to duel. Marty uses a firebox door from a stove as a bullet-proof vest, and then hits Buford in the face with it. During the fistfight that follows, Buford destroys the tombstone (which vanishes from the photograph), is knocked unconscious, and is then arrested for an earlier robbery. Marty and Doc depart to "borrow" a locomotive to complete their jump through time to 1985.

Clara is leaving on the train when she overhears a salesman discussing a man he met in the saloon, despondent about his lost love. Realizing the man is Doc and that he truly loves her, Clara triggers the emergency brake and runs back to town. She discovers Doc's model of the time machine and rides after him. Meanwhile, Doc and Marty, having "borrowed" a train at gunpoint, begin to push the DeLorean along the spur line, attempting to get it up to 88 miles per hour. Clara boards the speeding locomotive while Doc is climbing towards the DeLorean. Doc encourages Clara to join him, intending to bring her to 1985. As she climbs to Doc, the overheated locomotive boiler explodes. Clara falls and is left hanging by her dress. Marty passes the hoverboard to Doc, who uses it to save Clara. They coast away from the train as the DeLorean disappears through time and while the locomotive roars over the edge of the incomplete bridge.

Marty arrives in 1985 and escapes the DeLorean before it is destroyed by a freight train. Marty returns home and discovers that everything has returned to the improved timeline. He finds Jennifer sleeping on her front porch. He wakes Jennifer up and takes her to the time machine wreckage. As they survey the remains a steam-powered locomotive equipped with a flux capacitor appears manned by Doc, Clara, and their children. Doc gives Marty a photo of the two of them by the clockworks at the 1885 festival. Jennifer inquires about the fax, and Doc tells them it means that the future has not been written yet.
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"Part III" is something of an enigma in that it is generally considered (and has been rated as being) more enjoyable than "Part II", but it grossed almost $100 million less than its predecessor. What happened?! While fans and critics felt it a more faithful return to the style that made "Part I" so enjoyable, it just couldn't keep up at the box office. Keep in mind that there was even a preview for "Part III" at the end of "Part II". How often do you see that in theatres?! And yet, even though it might have faltered in revenue, "Part III" proved itself a true capstone to a true trilogy; even leaving us with a bit of a tease at the end as Doc blasted off in his time-locomotive with his wife and children. "Back To The Future" continues to be a favorite among fans of all ages; the spin-offs are testimony enough to its appeal and popularity. Some examples:

- 5 Soundtracks (3 original to the films and 2 re-releases of bonus songs, etc.)
- 6 Video Games
- 16 Home Media Releases (CED, VHS, Laser Disc, VCD, DVD, Blu-Ray, Digital Media)

"Back To The Future" is the 13th highest grossing trilogy series of all time.

My Rating: 7/10

Content To Caution:
V-2 - It's the Wild West...what do you expect?
L-2 - Cowboys...you know how it goes.
DU-1.5 - No comment.
RT-.5 - No comment.
H/S-1.5 - "Great Scott!"
CH-1 - No comment.
S/N-1 - No comment.

The "Reel Revelation": "An Ignatian Adventure Through Time - Part III"

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was a pioneer in the discipline of creative spiritual meditation. In founding the Jesuits he, among other things, desired to develop a method of prayer and discernment by which both laity (regular folk) and religious (priests, monks, nuns, etc.) might seek the will of God through solitude and deep prayer. One of his chief "inventions" (and one of my favorites) is the Imagination Prayer. In this method of prayer one reads a scene or set of scenes from the Bible and places themselves "in the moment", observing and even interacting with those in the scene. I'd like to propose we utilize this special method of prayer in the three reviews for the "Back to the Future" films. For the final film of the series i'd like to propose something a bit different and simpler than the normal Imagination Prayer process. It's only three steps...how bad can that be? Here's the outline:

1) A situation is proposed. Read the "prompt" several times.

2) A series of questions are offered. Reflect openly and honestly upon them.

3) A prayer is spoken.

Let's enter into God's presence together and meditate upon His Word.

1) Read the following scenario several times, silently or aloud.

Close your eyes and clear your mind as best you can. Let the thoughts of the day fall away. Push aside your worries, cares, anxieties, and concerns. Lay down your internal calendars, planners, and alarm clocks. Find the silence in the space you're in. In your mind's eye see yourself sitting in the very space you're sitting in right now. See and feel all of the details around you; the furniture, the temperature, the people; all the details. Imagine a knock at the door (if there isn't one, you'll figure something out). You rise to answer the door. You open the door and find yourself face to face with Jesus. Jesus stands right in front of you.

2) Keep silence for a while. As you reflect upon the scene in your mind, ask yourself the following questions. Seek to answer them as openly and honestly as possible. Pause between each question to give adequate time for meditation. Don't rush.

- What does Jesus look like? What sort of clothing is He wearing? Does He look the way you've seen Him in pieces of art or does He appear differently?

- How do you respond to Jesus's knock?

- Do you slam the door in His face? Do you ask Him to come inside?

- Do you fall to your knees? Do you hug Him?

- What is the first thing you ask or say to Him?

- What is the first thing He asks or says to you?

- Does Jesus ask you for anything? A drink of water? Something to eat? A place to sit?

- What does it feel like to have Jesus right on front of you?

- Are you afraid? Are you happy? Are you ashamed? Are you in awe?

- What do you talk about with Jesus? What questions do you ask Him?

- How does He respond? What does His voice sound like?

- If Jesus asked you to leave with Him, what would you say?

- Would you want to be seen with Him in public?

- Where would Jesus take you?

- To church? Out for coffee? To a friend's house? To an enemy's house?

- If you could take Him somewhere, where would you go?

- What part of your life do you want Jesus to see?

- Where would you not want to take Him?

- Jesus tells you that He has to go. How do you feel?

- What do you say to Him as He leaves? Do you hug Him? Do you ask Him to stay longer?

- How do you feel once Jesus is gone?

- Can you still feel Him with you?

3) We pray together: "Jesus, You are in our midst. Each and every day You knock upon the doors of our hearts and ask us to let You in. Some days we're glad to welcome You! Other days we're stubborn and unwilling to let You inside. We know that we're afraid and ashamed of what you'll see; we want you to see only the best parts of us and not the messes we desperately try to hide. We know that we are in need of Your presence and Your healing touch. We know that we need You to walk through our homes, hearts, and to walk with us each day in this life. Grant us humility to welcome You and the gift of faith to trust in You as You work in our lives. Grant that we be honest with You as we pray and seek Your help. Grant that we honest with ourselves when You respond and lead us in the ways of righteousness, that we would truly respond to your Word and your will for our lives. Jesus, we know You are truly in our midst. Blessed be Your most precious name. Amen."

See you tomorrow - E.T.