Back to the Future Part III is a science fiction western comedy film starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd that opened on May 25, 1990. It is the third and final part of the Back to the Future trilogy, following Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II. The film's events begin in 1955 and then take place in the year 1885 for the majority of the film.
Picking up where Part II left off, Marty McFly is now stranded in 1955. The 1985 Doc Brown is trapped in 1885, and has written a letter to Marty with the explicit instructions that he not attempt a rescue. The letter explains where the De Lorean is and tells Marty to immediately return to 1985, where he is to destroy the time machine to prevent further disruption of the space-time continuum.
With the help of the 1955 version of Doc, Marty uncovers the De Lorean from a mine. Nearby they discover a tombstone that reveals the Doc died just six days after writing Marty the letter, having been murdered by Biff Tannen's great-grandfather Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen "over a matter of $80". With the De Lorean restored to working order, Marty and the 1955 Doc agree that Marty will go back to 1885 and bring the 1985 Doc back to his own time.
After arriving in 1885, and surviving brushes with Indians, the cavalry, and a bear, Marty finds refuge for the night with his great-great-grandfather Seamus McFly (also played by Fox). Marty introduces himself as Clint Eastwood to forestall questioning. Marty goes into Hill Valley to try to find Doc, who has taken refuge there as a blacksmith. He quickly has a run-in with Buford Tannen, who Marty inadvertently angers. Buford attempts to hang Marty, but he is saved when Doc arrives and shoots the rope. Buford demands $80 from Doc to compensate him for an incident in which his horse, which Doc shod, threw one of its shoes. Doc refuses, since Buford never paid for his services in the first place, to which Buford replies with a death threat.
Doc takes Marty back to his workshop, both eager to return home, only to discover that the De Lorean's fuel line is broken, and Unleaded Gasoline will not be available for years. Doc makes several futile attempts to get the car to the required speed of 88 miles per hour until he devises a plan to push the De Lorean with a train locomotive. The only portion of track which is straight and level enough for the plan ends at Shonash Ravine. Doc explains that in 1985, there is a bridge over the ravine; and as long as the De Lorean attains a speed of 88 miles per hour before reaching the ravine, the car will arrive in 1985 where it will safely cross the bridge. However, while surveying the track, Marty and the Doc see the town's new schoolteacher Clara Clayton on a runaway carriage. Doc saves her just before the carriage plummets into the ravine. The two fall instantly in love before Marty and Doc realize that the Clara was intended to fall to her death, resulting in the ravine being renamed Clayton Ravine in her memory.
Buford attempts to kill Doc at the festival dedicating the town's new clocktower, only to have Marty disrupt the attempt. Buford goads Marty to a gunfight, which Marty schedules for the morning he and Doc plan to leave for 1985. Marty realizes that he, and not Doc, is now intended to die. As Marty and Doc camp out the night before they leave, Doc sneaks off to say goodbye to Clara. He tells her the truth about his time travel, but she believes he is making up the story just to avoid seeing her again; both are crushed. Clara buys a train ticket to San Francisco, but overhears a comment by a man who spoke to Doc about his love for her.
The next day, Marty attempts to find with Doc, only to be confronted by Buford Tannen. Buford shoots Marty, but Marty, inspired by a Clint Eastwood film he had seen earlier (Biff was watching it in the hot tub with his two mistresses in Back To The Future Part II), is wearing armor made from the door of an iron stove. Marty beats up Buford and gets him arrested, then him and Doc head to meet the train. They steal the locomotive and push the De Lorean down the tracks with Marty in the car, and Doc in the locomotive. As Doc climbs along the outside of the train to board the De Lorean, he sees that Clara has boarded the locomotive. He goes back for her, making the decision to take her with him to the future. However, he runs out of time, saving Clara and escaping the locomotive just before the De Lorean sends Marty back to 1985.
Upon arriving back to 1985 over what is now named Eastwood Ravine, Marty dives from the De Lorean just before it is destroyed by a diesel freight train. Marty reunites with his girlfriend Jennifer and his family at home, to find that the history shown in Back to the Future Part II has ceased to exist, and that things have returned to how they were at the end of Part I. Marty and Jennifer drive to the ravine so that Jennifer can learn the truth of Marty's adventures. On the way, Marty is challenged to a street race by Douglas J. Needles. Marty seems to accept the challenge, but puts the car in reverse instead of forward gear, proving that he has learned a lesson about not being provoked into shows of bravery. As Needles' truck pulls away, it avoids a Rolls Royce which Marty would surely have hit. Jennifer, remembering what occurred in Part II, pulls out a fax she took from the future whose text, "you're fired", suddenly disappears.
As the two look over the wreckage of the De Lorean, reminiscing about Doc, Marty and Jennifer are thrown to the ground as a steam-powered locomotive appears out of nowhere. The door opens to reveal Doc, Clara, and their two sons aboard Doc's newest time machine. Doc gives Marty a memento of 1885, says farewell and takes off on another trip through time.
The movie grossed US$23 million in its first weekend of US release and $87.6 million altogether in US box office receipts – $243 million worldwide. On 17 December 2002, Universal Studios released Back to the Future Part III in a boxed set with the first two films on DVD and VHS which did extremely well. In the DVD widescreen edition there was a minor framing flaw that Universal has since corrected, available in sets manufactured after February 21, 2003.
In 1990, the movie won a Saturn Award for Best Music for Alan Silvestri and a Best Supporting Actor award for Thomas F. Wilson. In 2003, it received AOL Movies DVD Premiere Award for Best Special Edition of the Year, an award based on consumer online voting.
Many critics consider this installment "warmer" than the others because of its emphasis on the relationship with Marty and Doc Brown.
The film received a Thumbs Up from Gene Siskel and a very marginal Thumbs Down from Roger Ebert on Siskel & Ebert. |
