The Back to the Future Trilogy Could Find a New Audience on Netflix

Summary

• Part III
  of the
  Back to the Future
  trilogy offers a character-driven story not seen in the first two films.
• The final installment takes on the Western genre first and sci-fi second, rounding out the franchise.
• Viewers may find
  Back to the Future Part III
  is an unexpected but satisfying conclusion to the beloved trilogy.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the Back to the Future trilogy has made its way to Netflix, and those who haven’t seen the films should definitely add them to their watch lists. The first film takes place in 1985 and follows a 17-year-old Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who is accidentally transported to 1955 via a modified DeLorean thanks to his friend and rogue scientist, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). While in the past, Marty encounters his teenage parents, both of whom are nothing like he expected, as he does his best to navigate his bizarre circumstances. Along with Doc from 30 years prior, the pair devise a plan to fix the time machine and send Marty back to the future.

The second film in the franchise picks up right where the first film leaves off and finds Marty traveling 30 years into the future to prevent his children from making some major mistakes. However, plans go awry when an elderly Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), the old high school bully of Marty’s father, muddies the waters with his own time-traveling endeavors. However, the final movie in the trilogy takes a slightly different approach than its predecessors and unfolds with Marty and Doc in the year 1885. After discovering Doc traveled to the Wild West only to be shot and killed by Biff’s great-grandfather, Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), Marty sets out to warn him of his fate and bring him back to 1985.

Released nearly 35 years ago, Back to the Future Part III is often overlooked and underrated compared to the other films in the franchise. Given its recent addition to Netflix, it’s likely to find a new audience with a younger crowd who have likely never seen the film. Arguably one of the greatest trilogies in film history, Back to the Future wouldn’t be complete without its final installment. It might strike a different tone than the first two films, given its setting, but it remains a film worth watching, along with the rest of the trilogy. For a myriad of reasons, the third installment in the franchise deserves to find a fresh, new audience thanks to Netflix.

Back to the Future Part III Is More Character Driven Than Its Predecessors

Picking up exactly where Part II left off, Back to the Future Part III has often been viewed as the lesser of the three films in the franchise. However, it’s certainly still a film worth watching. Unlike the first two films, Part III is rife with character-driven storytelling. The first two films don’t necessarily put such an aspect at the forefront. That isn’t to say the initial films lack proper character development. Instead, it simply means those films include a level of novelty and nostalgia at the onset that makes them so entertaining in the first place. In many ways, the characters throughout the first films are exaggerated caricatures of themselves, which is kind of the point.

While Part III is certainly similar to the earlier films, it aims to tell a slightly different story that strikes a somewhat divergent tone than the others. Marty traveling back to a time in which he and his parents were the same age offers a very different type of situational humor than Marty traveling back to when his immigrant ancestors were building their new life in America with their young children. One sets the stage for a level of hilarity nearly every viewer can imagine, while the other evokes a sentiment of connection to the past that the audience might have never contemplated before.

Back to the Future Part III Is a Western Film First and a Sci-Fi Film Second

Unlike the first two films in the trilogy, Part III aims to be a Western before it seeks to be a sci-fi film, often making it feel out of place when juxtaposed with its predecessors. However, by existing within such a different setting, the final installment rounds out the franchise in an unexpectedly satisfying way. Given the trajectory of every character throughout the course of the films, where they ultimately end up makes sense to who they have grown to become since the franchise’s inception.

On its surface, the final film could easily appear like an unnecessary deviation from the heart of the original Back to the Future story. However, when audiences set their preconceived notions aside and realize Part III is meant to be a Western film with a bit of sci-fi instead of the other way around, they can see the movie for the necessary and thoughtful final installment it is. Now that the film is available to stream, it deserves to find a new and younger audience who have yet to enjoy its delightful storytelling. Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, and Back to the Future Part III are all currently streaming on Netflix.