Back to the Future: Part II

An exciting, captivating sequel, Back to the Future: Part II follows Marty (Michael J. Fox) and Doc (Christopher Lloyd) as they head to the future to help save Marty’s kids but are eventually forced to return to 1955 after an alternate present is created. Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, armed with Bob Gale’s screenplay, does a superb job of immediately drawing the viewer into the briskly-paced proceedings, as the movie, which picks up exactly where the original left off, kicks off with an engrossing first act revolving around Marty and Doc’s exploits within an appealing, larger-than-life futuristic landscape – with the impact of this stretch heightened by the irresistible chemistry between Fox and Lloyd’s respective characters and an ongoing emphasis on compelling (and often hilarious) set-pieces (including Marty’s lively encounter with Thomas F. Wilson’s Griff and his gang). The fun and agreeably lighthearted bent of this portion of the proceedings gives way to a fairly spellbinding midsection devoted to the protagonists’ exploits within an almost impressively dark alternate 1985, and it’s clear, certainly, that the enthralling atmosphere continues into a rollicking, mesmerizing finale detailing Marty’s frantic efforts to ensure that the first film’s climax goes off without a hitch – which ultimately cements Back to the Future: Part II‘s place as a top-notch followup that miraculously lives up to the exceedingly high bar set by its flawless predecessor.

**** out of ****