The movie starts where its
predecessor left off: with Doc Brown (time travel expert and resident mad
scientist complete with Einstein-esque hair), Marty McFly (the fumbling teenage
protagonist with a penchant for knee-jerk reactions), and Jennifer Parker (Marty’s
girlfriend who, up until this point, hasn’t had much of a role) adventuring off
to the future to save Marty and Jennifer’s children from an unknown but
supposedly disastrous fate.
Released in 1895, the “future” for
the characters takes place in 2015, a year we are coming upon quickly. The depicted setting is more fantastic than
our current reality in some ways, yet behind in others. A thorough study of the movie has picked up
on several technologies and trends as well as where they stand at the moment.
Mr. Fusion: A device that takes trash
and can apparently generate 1.21 gigawatts of electricity from it. Let’s put it this way: the average nuclear
power plant, which is the size of a large neighborhood, puts out about one gigawatt
(http://en.allexperts.com/q/Nuclear-Power-2462/2008/10/energy-nuclear-plant-generate.htm). It would take a gigantic nuclear power plant
to put out the amount of electricity needed to power the time-traveling
DeLorean.
Flying cars: They are not the commodity
predicted. What we have right now is this.
Sleep-inducing alpha-rhythm generator: The
equivalent of knock-out gas, but with lights.
We do not have this, either.
A weather service that can actually control
the weather: No. Not even close.
“The justice system works quickly in the
future now that they’ve abolished all lawyers”: It is highly unlikely that,
in the next two years, all lawyers will cease to exist. In America’s current economic state, we need
more jobs, not less.
Power laces: Shoes that tie themselves. We have the
technology for this, just not the need.
At the moment, though, the idea makes for a great gag because 80s Marty
wears converse and, almost thirty years later, we still wear converse.
Ridiculously colorful and patterned pants
and shirts: Check.
Doc’s invisible tie: Not yet, but
maybe. I know a few people who would
wear this.
The double tie: Numerous characters
wear two ties around their neck rather than one. Both ties are the same pattern and assumed to
be part of the same mechanism. I have
not seen anyone wear this in public and hope that is not something that will
change within the next two years.
Hologram movies: In Back to the Future II, there’s a holographic
Jaws shark preying on pedestrians
from the front of the theater. Believe
it or not, this is actually something we do have, though not in theaters. In Japan, a
concert was held in which an animated holographic image was set on
stage. The concert was for Miku, who is
not a real person, only a collection of computer generated sounds.
Videogames that don’t involve hands: I
describe it as this because the device is not actually seen, only mentioned by
two children who complain about an arcade game that does involve the use of hands.
This could take on two different approaches. Either it could be like the Kinect, which is motion-sensitive
and now widely spread across the game-playing culture, or it could be more
similar to the Emotiv
EPOC, which is an interface that uses the brain as its controller.
Sound effects vest: One of the
antagonistic minor characters wears a vest that looks to be made out of metal
and is covered in buttons that emit different sounds, one of which is a
chicken, used to goad Marty into a fight.
In present day 2013, these
do exist (and are sleeker), although are more often worn by preteen boys
than young adult thugs.
Hoverboard: We don’t specifically have
a board, but we have created hovercrafts.
Still, they are a long way off of what’s in the movie.
Digital camera: We have this!
On-the-spot DNA identification: We…do
not have this. Labs are still necessary.
Dehydrated food: This kind is not the strange substance given to astronauts. Rather, it’s a mini-pizza that can be stuck
in a hydrator and transformed into a full-size pizza. We’re behind on this one.
Media glasses: In the movie, Marty’s
kids both use visors that can intercept phone calls and are possibly connected
to other media outlets. The devices
accurately represent the kind of dinner table distraction that can be seen
today with teens and texting. Other than
this, their role isn’t very clearly defined, and thus it can’t be said whether
they are more archaic or advanced compared to our current technology. Google
Glass may trump even the more advanced assumptions, though. Set to be released in 2014, it is a computer
that can be worn on the eyes, inputting information into
our visual field.
When the movie first came out, these
gadgets were probably seen as more “cool” than “funny.” It’s the recent comparisons that add the
humor. Even without this, though, the
movie is still hilarious for three main reasons.
Reason #1: The expressions. Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown) and Michael J.
Fox (Marty) have, arguably, some of the best reactions in movie history. Their faces contort to cartoonish degrees.
Reason #2: Michael J. Fox playing both of his children. The first, his son, Marty Jr., is a complete
wimp with a whiny voice and a snarky attitude.
His hair is greasier and usually worn under a hat to make him look
different. What’s funnier, however, is
that Fox also plays Marty’s daughter, Marlene.
Yes, that’s right—he slaps on a wig, adds some dark eye make-up, fills
out a curvy figure, and pitches his voice higher. After realizing that it is the same person
playing Marty, Marty Jr., and Marlene, this becomes one of the best things
ever.
Reason #3: Miscellaneous humor. This is going to be a category all on its
own. Slapstick comedy receives the most
frequent usage. The bad guys are always
slamming into solid objects. Add to this
a few comedic sound effects and you have yourself a laugh. Next up is situational humor. There are some things that are just
inherently funny, such as having two Martys.
One is sassy enough. Then,
there’s the ironic humor, presented from the contrast between two events. Specific examples can’t be given here for
fear of real spoilers. Lastly, there is the verbal humor, carrying
all of the snappy lines and exclamations of “Great Scott!” My only protest here is that Marty’s “Hey,
what’s that?!” gag starts getting a little stale.
That joke in particular has been
carried over from the first movie. There’s
true benefit in watching both within close proximity of each other. If nothing else, doing so lets you understand
the truly ridiculous proportions of continuity.
The second movie makes many references to the first, but uses different
angles to attain another viewpoint on the situation.
Due to involvement of past-selves
and future-selves at the same time, there are numerous moments of “double
acting”: two versions of the actor on screen, talking to each other. The timing is impeccable. All of the reactions are spot-on and the
result makes it highly believable. One
case of “triple acting” is evident, too, when Fox had to play those three
characters simultaneously. Despite the
complication of the filming for this kind of effect, it wasn’t reduced by any large
amount. If anything, it was flaunted.
That’s another thing: this movie
flaunts what it’s got. Aside from a few
exceptions, like awkward stunts, the special effects are magnificent. There were very few moments where I thought,
“That is so fake.” Considering how many futuristic devices are
involved, such as the flying cars and other levitating objects, that is a
matter of serious importance. Bad
special effects certainly could have damaged half the movie. I only say “damaged,” though, and not
“ruined” because the storyline is still very strong.
Everything speeds forward—ban g, bang, bang—twisting consecutive
complications together in a raging stream so that there’s no time to get bored. Once one problem is resolved, another one
rises, and there’s never nothing
going on. When people are talking, it’s
active, it’s relevant, and it’s revealing.
As a result of this non-stop, machine-gun tempo, Back to the Future II tends to juggle a few plot lines, almost
making it seem like it was meant as two or three movies. The first half hour seems like its own
storyline at first, then works almost as prologue for the rest of the movie,
making it difficult to summarize in brief what the main point is. Regardless, things stay interesting and, if
nothing else, the logic sticks.
I would highly recommend this movie,
even to those who are not fans of science fiction.
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