What else can one say about the Back to the Future trilogy that hasn’t been said already? It is still one of the most wildly inventive and popular trilogies in the history of film, inspiring so many filmmakers, imitations, and some realistic depictions of the future. There is spirit, humor, and just the right amount of danger to fully win over even the most unimpressed film lover, or people who aren’t into these types of movies.
The original classic stars Michael J. Fox as iconic character Marty McFly, who gets sent back in time to 30 years earlier to 1955 in the DeLorean machine created by his good friend, the likeably eccentric and equally iconic Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). If Marty doesn’t get his future parents (Lea Thompson and Crispin Clover) to meet and fall in love, then that could destroy his future and get him trapped in the past forever. The 1989 second film has Marty and Doc springing themselves to the year 2015, which happens to be a dark and bleak wasteland, to fine tune it and disrupt the space time continuum. Their only chance to fix the present is to go back to 1955 all over again before its too late. The third and final film has Marty stranded in 1955 after an unexpected accident, where must travel all the way back to 1885 to rescue Doc before he falls in love with lovely school teacher Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen). It’s up to Marty to keep Doc out of harm’s way, get the DeLorean running, and put the past, present, and future on track so they can make it back to where (and when) they belong.
The entire trilogy has been released many times before, but now it’s coming to 4K for the first time and a hour of new bonus features available exclusively to this release: The Hollywood Museum Goes Back to the Future – producer Bob Gale gives a tour of the film’s props and memorabilia; Back to the Future: The Musical Behind the Scenes – a sneak peek at the all-new musical show including a Q&A with the cast and creative team plus two new song recordings; An Alternate Future: Lost Audition Tapes – including rare audition footage featuring now-famous celebrities; and Could You Survive the Movies? Back to the Future – exploring the laws of physics that were actually violated in the special episode of the popular YouTube series. There are also vintage special features including a six-part documentary; deleted scenes; Michael J. Fox Q&A; eight archival featurettes; behind-the-scenes footage; music videos; audio commentaries; Back to the Future: The Ride; Doc Brown Saves the World! short film; Outatime: Restoring the DeLorean; and much more!
If you happen to have a 4K player, or none of the earlier releases, or just want to do an upgrade, then this set is definitely a must-have.
Other releases:
The Gunfighter (Criterion): The great Gregory Peck plays Jimmy Ringo, an infamous gunslinger looking to start a new life, but his reputation and persona brings a new cycle of violence and menace from which he may not escape.
The Hit (Criterion): An often overlooked crime thriller with Terence Stamp as a stool pigeon who is trying to a live a peaceful existence in a remote Spanish village. However, that peace comes to an end when two sadistic hit men (John Hurt and Tim Roth) find and try to bring him to execution.
Adaptation. (Shout Select): Nicholas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman, the legendary screenwriter who is hired to adapt The Orchid Thief, a nonfiction book by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) about a very quirky orchid breeder, John Larcohe (Chris Cooper, who an Oscar for his performance), but becomes blocked, especially when Donald (also played by Cage), his twin brother comes into the mix. This eventually leads to some serious and darkly hilarious results for everyone involved.
The Ape (Kino): Horror icon Boris Karloff stars as Dr. Bernard Adrian, a kindly mad scientist who seeks to cure a young woman’s polio. He needs some spinal fluid from a human to complete his serum. During this, a vicious ape escape from his cage to wreak havoc on people in town, which complicated everything.
