STARS : Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, Mary Steenburgen and Elizabeth Shue

BTTF 3 was made directly after the conclusion of the filming of BTTF 2 and released just 7 months later barely allowing anyone to forget the events of the previous film. If only other films followed that formula (ie Star Wars, Matrix etc).

Anyway, at the end of part 2 we saw that Marty (Fox) was again stuck in 1955, as a lightning strike sent the time travelling DeLorean, which Doc (Lloyd), was in, back to 1885. from a letter delivered to Marty by Western Union we find that Doc has been happily living in the old west for the past 2 months and is now posing as a blacksmith.

Being stuck in 1955 again, Marty runs back to the only person who can help him get back to 1985, Doc Brown. After the initial shock of seeing Marty again, Doc is thrilled to know that his future self has gone to 1855 and agrees to help Marty go back to 1985. Whilst retrieving the Delorean from its hiding place however, Marty discovers that Doc died just a week after writing the letter that Marty has and even though Doc expressly forbids it, decides to rescue Doc from his untimely fate.

Never one to listen to good advice, Marty goes back and on his arrival damages the DeLorean’s fuel line thereby draining all the fuel in the tank and the Delorean’s only source of power : condemming Marty and Doc to remaining in 1885. Whilst seeking out Doc in what is now the small western town of Hill Valley, Marty runs into Mad Dog Tannen (Wilson), an ancestor of Biff, and just as mean. And of course, Marty makes an enemy of Mad Dog and his gang which it turns out were responsible for the death of the Doc.

When Marty finds Doc and advises him of his impending doom, Doc and Marty have limited time in which to find a way to get the DeLorean to run above 88 miles per hour, which enable the car and its occupants to time travel. As they are making their plans, Doc becomes enamoured of Clara (Steenburgen), who distracts him in his goal of going back to 1985.

Verdict : A highly satisfactory conclusion to one of the favourite trilogies of all time

THE EXTRAS

* Making The Trilogy - Part 3 (16:15) : This is the 3rd part of the 2002 documentary which has been created especially for this DVD box set. Bob Gale is again the prominent interviewee here and provides the majority of the information about what went on during the making of BTTF 3. Bob Zemeckis and Michael J. Fox also provide some thoughts as well about what the actors had to do in ORDER to prepare such as riding horses, shooting etc.

After HAVING watched all 3 sections of this highly enjoyable documentary, I believe that it would have been better served by HAVING one large 45 minute piece rather than the 3 splits.

* Outtakes (1:34) : A very funny, albeit brief look at mistakes committed and ad-libs by the cast during filming.

* Deleted Scenes (1:11) : To call it deleted scenes as it is on the DVD is not really accurate as there’s only one scene here. This is a scene involving Buford Tannen shooting Marshall Strickland which I suggest was cut as it brought dark overtones to the film which really just don’t fit.

* Storyboards to Final Feature Comparisons : 3 sections are included on this DVD and presented in the same manner as the other DVD’s in a splot screen comparison with the drawings on top and actual film footage at the bottom. First up is “The Indians” (2:10) which is a look at when Marty first arrives back in 1885. Next up is Showdown at Hill Valley (2:46) which is a look at the Marty Vs Biff duel. Finally we have the film’s climatic “Final Train Scene” (7:40) which is pretty self explanatory really.

* Production Archives : Presented in the same manner as the previous 2 dvd’s with there being 4 sections of photos with each shot being on screen for about 10 seconds before moving onto the next. “Marty McFly Photo Album” (5:30) - 33 shots from the film as well as some poses as well. “Behind-The-Scenes Photographs” (3:10) : Another 21 shots including the case as well as the crew. “Production Designs” (2:20) : 14 shots that of storyboards showing scenes that ended up in the final cut of the film. “The Trilogy : Poster Concepts” (4:10) 25 shots of poster ideas for the 3 films, the majority of which never saw the light of day. There is also a bonus shot of Jaws 19.

* Music Video : ZZ Top - Doubleback. The theme from the 3rd movie just doesn’t compare the the Huey Lewis theme as, to put it franky, it’s a crap song.

* Theatrical Trailer : This is a particularly sloppy trailer that has been edited poorly, has no real music and is one of the worst looking trailers I’ve seen. Highly doubtful that this was the theatrical trailer.

* Bonus Trailer : Here we are granted a sneak peek at the upcoming ET DVD which is scheduled for release in October.