Back To The Future Trilogy (3 Discs) (UK)

a well worth buy all three films are classics in there own time and even still today.if your like me and enjoy the films go out and buy it you wont be disappointed but you will need loads spare time to completely enjoy the trilogy with the tons of added extra.

The Back To The Future Trilogy DVD set is more than great. It is fantastic. The set contains all three Back To The Future movies and over 10 hours of special features. On The BTTF 1 disc there is an Audio Commentary done by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. There is also deleted scenes and outtakes which are very funny. One of the Features which is included on all three discs is Back To The Future The Making Of The Trilogy Chapters 1, 2 and 3. It is all about the making of the movies of the trilogy and shows you how Gale and Zemeckis came out with writing and making the films. There is a bunch of other features on all three discs. All three movies are fantastic with all of the action with Marty McFly and Doc Brown and the DeLorean time machine. One great thing is that once you are finished watching one movie, the other two are there. This set is well worth buying and comes with a booklet with details and info on all three movies. I would recommend this set to anybody because it is one of the best DVD sets in the shops today.

So, after a long wait, the most requested trilogy after Star Wars and Indiana Jones finally arrives on DVD. And it was well worth the wait.

I won`t talk about the plot of the three films because I`m sure the majority of people have already seen these films. What I will say is that this is one of the best trilogies ever made and all three are classics.

The picture quality is excellent considering how old these films are. While these aren`t reference quality transfers, they are superior to transfers from the same period. The sound is equally as good. Unlike R1, we get DTS soundtracks for all of the films and they do not disappoint. Okay, so these tracks do not compare to Terminator 2, but they`re still pretty good. There`s some nice surround effects and Alan Silvestri`s score benefits extremly well.

There is a large amount of additional material on all 3 discs. Understandably, the first film has the most. First, we have a 14 minute featurette from 1985 which looks at the making of the film. There is actually some interesting content and is not like the extended trailer featurettes we see today. Next is the first of three retrospective featurettes about the film. Featuring interviews with director Robert Zemeckis, producer Bob Gale and actor Michael J Fox, this is an interesting documentary with lots of fascinating info. Of particular interest are the segments on original ideas for the time machine ( at one point it was going to be a fridge ) and actor Eric Stoltz`s involvement in the film ( he was the original choice for Marty but was replaced by Fox ).

Next up are some deleted scenes. These expand on character development and are pretty good. The pick of the bunch is the extended Darth Vader scene. Outtakes are also included and have some funny moments. Well worth a watch.
There are also some early make up tests, storyboard comparsions, photo galleries, text commentary, Q&A commentary with Zemeckis and Gale and the original trailer.

On disc 2, there is a 6 minute featurette from 1989. This is more like an extended trailer but offers some insight. Much more interesting is the second of the retrospective documentaries on the trilogy. Once again, Zemeckis, Gale and Fox reveal some fascinating insight about this highly anticipated sequel and the problems they managed to successfully overcome. Next up is some deleted scenes which are pretty interesting especially the scenes with Biff and Marty meeting his brother in the alternate 1985. The outtakes aren`t as interesting this time round but the hoverboard tests are. It`s interesting to see how effects like this were done in the days before CGI. The extras are rounded off with photo galleries and the trailer.

Disc 3 does not feature an original featurette but insteads includes the final retrospective documentary on the trilogy. The same participants from the other two featurettes discuss the difficulties in shooting this film the same time as part 2
( both films were shot back-to-back ). There is only one deleted scene involving Mad Dog Tannen which adds to his character. The outtakes include a hilarious moment when Fox brings home supper. You`ll have to watch the outtakes to see what I mean! The extras are rounded off with a ZZ Top music video, photo galleries and the trailer.

I used to think Universal UK were one of the worst DVD companies around. However, I was impressed with their treatment of An American Werwolf In London earlier this year and I`m even more impressed with this. Universal have put in a lot of effort with this release. The only downside is that although we get DTS tracks, we miss out on lots of supplementary material including deleted scenes from the first two films, various short featurettes on different aspects of making the films, commentaries and various other stuff. Although it`s a shame that these aren`t on here, I am completly satisfied with this release. This an essential addition to anyone`s collection!

A cult classic !! An Amazing film that has subsequently turned into a dual period piece, giving us a great look at the 80`s and the 50`s. This together with its two sister films 2 & 3 which, although are not in the same league as the first film, are brilliant films within themselves.

The Picture is excellent considering its age and although the effects in places can look dated, us spoilt by the digital age, they are still very good. And, with every aspect of the production, improve with the later films 2 & 3.

The soundtrack is available in both Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 which is a bonus considering that the region 1 was released in 5.1 alone. I cannot help feeling however that I could sacrifice the DTS (The 5.1 being excellent in itself) for the extra features carried by the Region 1.

As just mentioned the region 2 takes a slash of its features, the region 1 boasting 10 hours whereas this version only has 5 ! The DTS soundtrack must have cut into available space here. What is there though is of good quality and often very amusing and interesting. Commentry is only available on the first film and it is very unusual as it is not a commentry whatsoever, but an interview of the two writers/directors played over the film. I was dissapointed by the cut scenes which are in their original untampered state. They are very old, worn, covered in dirt and damaged, they even lack sound in places. This is the case for the cut scenes on all 3 films. It would have been nice if Universal had attempted to have cleaned these up just a little. Also the scenes do not carry any reasons for their removal, although alot of the time it is self evident.

Overall if your a fan of the films this DVD set is an excellent purchase and well worth the money !

MOVIE (S)
I really can`t say much more about this than what has been said. Back to the Future is one of my favourite films of all time, and I have deemed it prefect to anyone who will listen. Well, it has the comedy, the action, the thought, and it is just a joy to watch every time I see it. Part 2 is a darker affair, but is one of the cleverest sequels ever made, and Part 3 is again a lot of fun. I feel it is the greatest trilogy of all time, as Indy had Temple of Doom, which was awful, and Star Wars isn`t really my thing any more after Ep. 2. If you haven`t seen these movies, I insist you do, NOW.

PICTURE
Well, I`m not going to go into all the mis-framed issue on parts 2+3 as it has been said already. It is a bit of a letdown and is really noticable in some scenes, but apart from this issue, which I feel knocks it down a couple of points for general laziness, they are good transfers. The BTTF print is the best you are ever going to see a early mid 80`s film look in my opinion, and it looks brand new.

AUDIO
Incredibly, all three movies have had a massive touch up to not only become DD 5.1, but DTS as well if you so desire. It sounds great for a movie this old, with particular points raised towards the score, which is BIG. Can`t be faulted really, and it sounds as good as it looks.

EXTRAS
Because of the fact we got DTS, we do lose all of the extras The R1 got. We also get a better box though. The commentary is OK, but it is more of an interview. The deleted scenes and outakes are good. the best deleted scene being Docs suitcase from Pt1 and the shockingly out of place scene in Pt3. If that had been put in, it would have changed the tone incredibly. The trivia track on part one is good, and the featurettes are above average, but there should have been more extras on parts 2 and 3 though, to match part 1.

Feature:

Back to the Future is one of those films you must own. It probably isn't the best film you'll ever see, but it sure is a fun filled classic. I shouldn't think you'd be disappointed.

Video:

Considering the age of this film the transfer is rather good. There is the odd grainy scene and minor defect, but other than that it's fine.

Audio:

Back to the Future comes with both Dolby 5.1 and DTS audio. Don't expect great audio quality and effects because you just won't find them here. However, there are some rather good sound moments and overall quality is good, whether it be Dolby or DTS.

Note:

I think it is worth noting that there may be a problem with your copy of Back to the Future. Though the packaging states the disc contains an English DTS track, it may actually be Spanish. If this is the case you should contact Universal UK and ask for a replacement disc.