Back to the Future Part II (1989)
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Marty McFly and Doc Brown must navigate the complexities of the future and the consequences of altering the past.
The story
On October 26, 1985, Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown arrives in the DeLorean time machine, persuading Marty McFly and his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, to travel to the future to help their future children. Upon arriving in 2015, they discover that Marty's son is in danger of being arrested for a crime involving Biff Tannen's grandson. To prevent a catastrophic chain of events that would destroy the McFly family, Doc instructs Marty to switch places with his future son. However, when Biff Tannen steals the time machine and uses it to alter history for his own benefit, the duo must travel back to 1955 to set things right.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1985, Doc Brown takes Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker to 2015. To protect the family's future, Marty must swap places with his son, Marty Jr. After a confrontation with Biff Tannen's grandson, Marty secures an almanac of sports results. However, Biff steals the DeLorean and takes the almanac back to 1955, creating an alternate 1985 where Biff is a wealthy, corrupt man and the McFly family's life is ruined. Marty and Doc travel to 1955 to retrieve the almanac and burn it, undoing the changes. During the escape, the DeLorean is struck by lightning, leaving Marty stranded in 1955. He eventually receives a letter from Doc and must navigate the timeline to reunite with him, ultimately ensuring the correct history is preserved.
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Zemeckis
- Writers
- Bob Gale · screenplay; Robert Zemeckis · story; Bob Gale · story
- Cast and characters
- Michael J. Fox · Marty McFly; Christopher Lloyd · Doctor Emmett "Doc" Brown; Lea Thompson · Jennifer Parker; Thomas F. Wilson · Biff Tannen; Elisabeth Shue · Jennifer Parker; Jeffrey Weissman · George McFly
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy
- Themes
- time travel; consequences of altering the past
- Tone and mood
- high-energy; zaniness
- Premise and plot tags
- sequel; alternate history
- Franchise connections
- Back to the Future
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews, though it was considered inferior to its predecessor by some critics at the time of release.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 17
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Special Effects · win; BAFTA Award · Best Special Visual Effects · win; Blimp Awards · Favorite Movie Actor · 1990 · win; Blimp Awards · Favorite Movie Actress · 1990 · win; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · 1990 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was shot back-to-back with its sequel, Part III.; The hoverboards were not released to the public due to parental concerns about safety.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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