DVD Review: Back to the Future Trilogy (Widescreen) 447
All 3 movies have undergone audio and video re-mastering. Audio was updated to the de-facto 5.1 digital surround, and all film was not only digitally transferred, but cleaned up and rendered crystal clear. The bonus material not only gives additional value to the DVDs, but also helps to answer numerous questions about the movies, including time travel, plot lines, and the characters themselves. My intentions here are to generally review the DVD, but not reveal any of the specific deleted scenes, for those that still want something to remain a surprise.
To begin, the movies themselves are intact, as originally shown in the theaters. Unlike recent DVD releases of 80s classics (ie. the gun-to-walkie-talkie edits in E.T.), there were no political corrections made. While this is not usually something of concern, there were TV edits made that removed "the Libyans" from the first movie, shortly after the 9-11 events. All that aside, the DVDs are a pretty standard affair, with each one being themed after the respective movies: Part 1 in the 50s, Part 2 in the future, and Part 3 in the old west.
For a DVD box set that has been over 15 years in the making, Zemeckis and team definitely deliver. This set has all that you would expect of any feature-packed DVDs, including deleted scenes, outtakes, original trailers, and behind the scenes features. The movies themselves contain additional commentaries, and an option that pops up an icon for additional production notes and factoids during viewing. Even the deleted scenes have an option for viewing with commentary by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.
The larger behind the scenes features include a "Making of" for each of the three movies, and an overall "Making of the Trilogy" that spans all three DVDs. Among the smaller behind the scenes features are the evolution of special effects, production Q&A's, making of the DeLorean time machine, and the original discussion of the time-travel plot lines.
Among the only drawbacks I noticed were a few minor flaws in the DVD menus. While viewing the bonus material, some features returned to a pure black menu. However, the problem isn't critical, as pressing the Menu button on your DVD remote will eventually take you back to the main menu. It's just distracting to have such a flaw that appears on each of the DVDs.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the conversion of the movies to DVD format, and even more so with the additional material on the DVDs. Personally, I know I've had questions about what I thought were plot holes in the whole time travel theory, and Zemeckis made sure to include plenty of notes, FAQs, and Q&As to clear up any confusion, or add to it, depending on your acceptance of his answers. Bottom line: if you've ever waited for an answer to your "whys" or "what ifs" --- or if you just want to enjoy the movies as they are, then look no further than the Back to the Future trilogy.
However, hang on a second: NetGyver writes with a reason to hold off on buying this trilogy:
"The Digital Bits is reporting that the widescreen matting has been done in error on the BTTF Part II and III discs in the trilogy box set. The results very from minor to extremely irritating. Here is a side by side frame comparison between the full-screen DVDs/Laserdisc/and widescreen DVDs for you to view.The widescreen DVD set is considered defective and Universal has an exchange program on the way where you can mail in discs II and III for replacements. But that won't roll out until late February 2003. There is no word for disc replacements for other regions besides North America, at least for now. This a fix for those who already own the widescreen DVD set. The corrected DVD batch will arrive in U.S. stores in late February according to Universal Studios."
Slashdot welcomes reader-submitted features and reviews, and thanks da3dAlus for this one.
1.21 JIGAWATTS!?!?!?!!? (Score:1, Insightful)
I'm keeping my "defective" copy.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Just my 88 miles-per-hour worth...
RickTheWizKid
Sleepwalking (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyhoo, I missed the second film, and the third got such bad reviews that I didn't even bother trying to go.
Still, my hat's off to anyone who can work a day job, a night job, and battle a degenerative nerve disease.
And "Mister Fusion" was inspired.
What do you mean, rambling? This is Slashdot!
Nothing like selling shoddy wares (Score:2, Insightful)
Isn't this the sort of situation that product recalls are for (I mean beyond 'this meat will kill you')? Why would Universal knowingly allow their dealers to sell defective merchandise? Is the Xmas shopping mania just that strong that we couldn't possibly pull a known defective product? Instead, they'd rather everyone go to the time and expense of mailing these 2 discs back and forth in February.
dear Back to the Future fans... (Score:3, Insightful)
Universal Studios appreciates your business. Especially since $3 from every sale goes directly to a needy Senator, who is working hard right now to make sure the entire legal system in this country is designed to line our pockets with cold, hard, cash and take away your control over the things you buy.
That's right! Enjoy your DVD today, because tomorrow you may need to pay $4.99 to "re-key" your shiny new DVD+ player so it will play.
That's what we call progress! And you're funding it!
Thanks again,
Universal Studios
ah censorship (Score:5, Insightful)
As a student of film and animation, watching the old 20's and 30's cartoons with betty boop and heckle & jeckle and the watermelon eating negros of that time certainly show the changes that have happened. (except with Trent Lott :)
To go and CHANGE that and show it is wrong. It's important to know where we came from and what attitudes were. Its fine to understand that these attitudes were wrong, but denying that they existed is just horrifying.
Perhaps charlie chaplin's imitations of hilter should be altered to not offend people. Perhaps all our references to iraqi's as friends should be stricken from the record.
It's not like I have much expectation from the king of sugar coated movies, steven spielberg, but for him and zemekis to allow the content to be edited for non language (swearing) reasons is just frightening.
Re:What the MPAA did RIGHT (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll presume that the efforts of the editors would add another $2 and royalties to the director and Speilberg, Inc add another $1-$2. Maybe a buck or two for the artists to all split.
50% markup and that makes Sony (the movie studio) $15 (37%) for no effort and the locally owned store* that you bought it from $20 (50%).
You show them!
- - - -
* I know you didn't buy it from Blockbuster, which forces edits of movies. Perhaps if EVERYONE went in and asked for "last temptation of christ" (banned cause it's not christian enough for the owners), we could start a movement.
And walmart refuses to carry material White Alabamans consider too offensive for you. Nice.
Re:Unfortunately misframed... (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly how are they supposed to fix the problems BEFORE February?
It takes time to re-master and press a large run of corrected discs. Settle down.
Are DVD 'Extras' worth the $$$ (Score:1, Insightful)
Extras
1. movie trailers - good to have - nice to watch just before the movie
2. outtakes - mostly no good unless stunts gone bad
3. computer models - ok
4. behind the scenes - these are mostly a complete waste of time in that they are a 24 minute advertisement for the movie with all of the actors just cheerleading how good the film is.
5. director's commentary - only rarely worth watching
6. extra footage in movie - usually not worth watching since a longer version of a good movie does not necessarily make the movie any better.
Please add the following to the dvd extras:
1. All of the movie trailers including
international/non-english ones.
2. movie poster stills
Confusing (Score:3, Insightful)
Am I the only one wondering how a DVD box set could be in the making since before DVD's existed? Maybe this guy just meant that was the last time the movies had been seen in the theaters, but it sounds a little silly.
Re:plot holes (Score:3, Insightful)
It was Jennifer that had a firsthand look at his bleak future. The Rolls Royce crash, the firing, the spoiled kids, etc. She probably would have mentioned something about it, but she fainted before she got a chance, and never woke up until the end of the third movie. Marty actually came to terms with his peer pressure problem when facing a much bigger threat (a gun battle) rather than a dangerous car race. As a result of that, he resisted the taunt to race at the end of the third movie, missed his opportunity to hit the Rolls Royce, and rewrote his future.
The point is, he never had to meet his future self to make that happen. He had an independent assessment of where his life was going if he didn't change his behavior, and changed it appropriately before it detrimentally afflicted his future.
-Restil