Saturday, April 23, 2011

Back to the Future, Part IV?


I have been rewatching the "Back to the Future" trilogy that I've recently purchased on DVDs. Although flawed in its logic somewhat, it's still a vastly entertaining set of movies. I like every one of them. The first one was and is still probably the best, but the second and third ones aren't too bad, either.

When the first movie came out in 1985, I did not want to see it. Not because I don't like time travel movies or science-fiction movies or comedies, but because of Michael J. Fox. Fox at the time to me consistently played a series of assholes and jerks and I just didn't particularly care for his personality. For examples of this personality, check out the movie "Midnight Madness" or the episode of "Night Court" where he plays a teenage hoodlum. Even his role in "Family Ties" was somewhat jerky and I was not a fan of the series at the time.

My friend Bob from high school had seen "Back to the Future" upon the first day of release in 1985 and absolutely loved it, and insisted that I see it. I resisted at first, but then agreed, figuring that I liked Christopher Lloyd from "Taxi", so I'd focus on him. We saw it together (he for the second time) in 1985, and of course, the rest is history. I wouldn't be owning the DVDs or writing about it now if I didn't love these movies.

Leonard Maltin proclaims the second movie the weakest of the trilogy, but I still love it. What's interesting about this film is that it's speculative future, set in the year 2015. Amazingly, some of the futuristic gimmicks actually exist now! There is a version of the flat-screen TV, and a 3-D hologram.

Some things didn't come true, like we still don't have hoverboards, nor did they make 19 "Jaws" films, but since the films established that the past and the future could be altered, it doesn't really matter.

Now, since this film is set in 2015 (and you probably already know where I'm going with this), they should do a fourth film to be released in 2015!!! I know Michael J. Fox is not in optimum health these days, but I think he could do it (or at least peripherally, and then hand it off to a younger actor), and of course Christopher Lloyd and virtually everyone else from the original cast is still around. Unfortunately, Wendie Jo Sperber is no longer with us.

If they don't make it, it's no great loss, especially if they have a lousy story, but with the advancements of special effects since 1990 (the year of the third film), think of the things they could do. They could go even farther into the future or just really jump around to the 60s, 70s, 90s or whenever...

I found this "Part IV" logo online because I know I am not original in thinking of a fourth movie, but the 2015 thing is an intriguing reason to finally do one....we shall see....

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