Back to the Future: The Trilogy

Reviews

“Robert Zemeckis scored a huge hit with 1985's BACK TO THE FUTURE, a film that became a genuine 1980s classic and began a successful trilogy. Taking the teen comedy a place it had never been before, on a trip to the 1950s via the 1980s, and fusing it with a time travel adventure, the film quickly became a blockbuster and established itself as a high point of 1980s pop culture"
(Rotten Tomatoes, The Complete Trilogy Synopsis).*

Back to the Future	Back to the Future Part II	Back to the Future Part III

Back to the Future was the biggest box-office hit of 1985, and unarguably the most popular film of the trilogy. Nearly all reviews for the first Back to the Future film are positive. Rotten Tomatoes critics give it a 94%, and users give the film a 98%.	Although the second film in the trilogy was not an overwhelming success like the first, it is well-liked by its viewers: Rotten Tomatoes users rate the film at 90%. Even though the critics’ reviews are not as favorable as those for the first film, the second film is rated at 67%, which is still considered “fresh” (good).	The third film of the trilogy, like the second film, is rated 67% by Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has a higher user rating: 94%. Interestingly, even though it has the same average as the second film, the third film seems to have more negative reviews by critics.

The critics say:

“Shows not only a fine comic touch but also some of the lighthearted humanism of a Frank Capra.”	“The movie is fun, mostly because it's so screwy.”	“Makes a few bows in the direction of time-travel complexities, and then settles down to be a routine Western comedy.”
-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES	-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES	-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

“Great performances, clever concept, deft direction, lotsa laughs, and some real heart & soul.”	“Doesn't surpass the original, but tosses a whole lot of gee-whiz gizmos and concepts at the screen. It's a whole lot of fun.”	“The wheels were just starting to come off a bit, but the old-fashioned Western gimmick provides just enough spark. The actors, as always, are effortlessly appealing.”
-- Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM	-- Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM	-- Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM

“It's undeniably formulaic but so outstandingly executed that it vindicates the formula.”	“The idea and the execution is so good that you could applaud.”	“Not as tremendous as the first movie but it is thrilling, funny and very exciting.” – William
-- William Gallagher, BBC	-- William Gallagher, BBC	-- William Gallagher, BBC

"Equal parts hilarity, nostalgia, science fiction, screwball comedy, and white-knuckle suspense in a complex storyline wound tighter than a yo-yo in a centrifuge."

-- Steven D. Greydanus, DECENT FILMS GUIDE

“Part II was better, but that's just me.”

-- Shawn Bowers, KANSAS CITY STAR

"The bad news may be that it's all quite predictable, but the good news is that it doesn't matter."

-- Chris Hicks, DESERT NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY

“This is one of those movies that folds in on itself, and reveals perfect symmetry."

-- Shay Casey, FILM WRITTEN MAGAZINE

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* All of the information on this page has been gathered from Rotten Tomatoes, a reputable and famous website that “offers a fun and informative way to discover the critical reaction on movies from the nation's top print and online film critics, neatly summarized via the Tomatometer™” (RT “About”). “The Tomatometer measures the percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who recommend a certain movie -- or the number of good reviews divided by the total number of reviews. In order for a movie to receive an overall rating of FRESH, the reading on the Tomatometer for that movie must be at least 60%. Otherwise, it is ROTTEN” (RT “FAQ”). Please feel free to click the button below to learn more about Rotten Tomatoes.