DVD Review: Back in Time

Back in Time
[DVD 791.437 Bac]

I absolutely love Back to the Future. The first tilm in that trilogy is what I consider to be a “perfect” film, and although the second and third aren’t quite as flawless, they’re still highly entertaining and form a marvelous story arc. 2015 saw multiple celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the original film, including this charming 95-minute documentary about the impact the trilogy has had.

The first half of this documentary is about the making of the movie, with the writers, director (Robert Zemeckis), producers (including Steven Spielberg), cast members (Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and more), score composer (Alan Silvestri), special effects supervisors and more all reminiscing about how the movies were created. The second half then looks at the fervent fan base this series of films has generated — including the many people who’ve purchased Delorean cars and modified them into the film’s iconic time machine, individuals who’ve dedicated themselves to sharing the word about Fox’s Parkinson’s organization, collectors, convention attendees, and so much more.

Producer/Director Jason Aaron has assembled dozens of interviews, creating a very “personal” feel to this documentary. Interspersed with the interviews are rare pieces of behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the trilogy (including a few clips of “original” Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz, in scenes that had to be jettisoned after the role was recast 6 weeks into filming).

Anyone who’s a Back to the Future fan will enjoy this, but it should also appeal to any fan of moving-making and general pop culture. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that the pacing of this film is very slow and laconic, almost like a slow Ken Burns documentary — an odd choice considering how peppy and fast-paced the movies are. None-the-less, I highly enjoyed this and strongly recommend it to fellow BTTF aficionados.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Back to the Future movie trilogy, Back to the Future Animate Series or We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Back in Time Facebook feed ]

Read Kristen A.’s review of the Back to the Future film trilogy, from October 2013
Read Scott C.’s review of We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines, from November 2015

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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