Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Robert Zemeckis (characters) &
Bob Gale (characters) ...

Release Date:

25 May 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi | Western

Tagline:

They've saved the best trip for last... But this time they may have gone too far.

Plot:

Enjoying a peaceable existence in 1885, Doctor Emmet Brown is about to be killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. Marty McFly travels back in time to save his friend.

Plot Keywords:

Time Machine | Dog | Outlaw | Band | Teacher

Awards:

4 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Michael J. Fox	...	Marty McFly / Seamus McFly
Christopher Lloyd	...	Dr. Emmett Brown
Mary Steenburgen	...	Clara Clayton
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen / Biff Tannen
Lea Thompson	...	Maggie McFly / Lorraine McFly
Elisabeth Shue	...	Jennifer Parker
James Tolkan	...	Chief Marshal James Strickland
Matt Clark	...	Chester the Bartender
Dub Taylor	...	Saloon Old-Timer #1
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Saloon Old-Timer #2
Pat Buttram	...	Saloon Old-Timer #3
Christopher Wynne	...	Buford's Gang Member #1 / Needles' Gang Member #1
Sean Sullivan	...	Buford's Gang Member #2 (as Sean Gregory Sullivan)
Mike Watson	...	Buford's Gang Member #3
Marc McClure	...	Dave McFly

Also Known As:

Three (USA) (fake working title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 (DVD rating) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Ireland:G | Spain:T | Canada:G (Quebec) | Portugal:M/6 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10/7 | Iceland:L | Italy:T | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

161 N. Magnolia Avenue, Monrovia, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The clock in the clock tower started running at 8:00 p.m. on September 5, 1885. The date is provided by the caption on the photograph Doc gives Marty at the end of the movie. The lightning strikes the clock tower at 10:04 p.m. on November 12, 1955. This means that the clock tower operated for exactly 70 years, 2 months, 7 days, 2 hours, and 4 minutes.

Goofs:

Continuity: It's strange how a single 1885 Indian arrow head can puncture the gas line of a DeLorean, when a barrage of Libyan machine gun bullets (from the first movie) leaves no holes in the car.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Marty McFly: Doc! Doc! Doc!
Doc: [not paying attention] What?
Marty McFly: Doc!
Doc: What?
Marty McFly: Doc!
Doc: [finally seeing him] Aaaah!
Marty McFly: Okay, relax, Doc, it's me! It's me! It's Marty!
Doc: No, it can't be! I just sent you back to the future!
Marty McFly: Oh, I know you did send me back to the future. But I'm back! I'm back from the future.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Knocked Up (2007)

Soundtrack:

Battle Cry of Freedom

The most fun of the three.

Part III, the wild west entry, is probably the most fun. The original has just such a fantastic premise that creates a sense of urgency about seeing it out till the end, but there is something uncomfortable about your mother having a crush on you that leaves a bad taste in the mouth during Part I. The premise of Part III is this: in 1955, Doc learns that he will eventually travel back to 1885 to live out his days as a blacksmith, but then Copernicus, Doc's 1955 dog, stumbles upon a gravestone that tells Doc and Marty that Doc will be shot to death by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars. Naturally, Marty says he will travel back to 1885 and get Doc and bring him back to the future with him (though it couldn't be 1955, because there's already one Doc there).

There are time-jumping laws that are not obeyed by the scriptwriters here, and much worse than in the second film, but this one's so well concentrated and so much the better movie that they hardly matter. It has a climax involving a train that rivals the clocktower climax of the first one. A fantastic scene.

Thomas F Wilson, the perennial bad guy of these movies, who started off as Biff Tannen in the original, played Griff Tannen in the second one, throws himself into a Yosemite Sam part as Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen in the third. Mary Steenbergen, in one of her few leading roles, is a nice addition to the cast. She fits right into the wild west world, as the dainty schoolteacher who plays "his beloved Clara" to the Doc.

Like the others, its larger-than-life tone, with the over-blown time-travel dialogue and melodramatic highs and lows, render it into a kind of live-action cartoon. Kids will enjoy Part III the most, but it is so good-natured that adults should have fun with it too. Out of the three, this is the one that you'll be able to put on any time and feel good. Great, harmless fun.