140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Professional & obviously loving documentary about the film phenomenon. Nothing eye-opening here, but fun stuff well-crafted by caring hands.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Back in Time:
Today is October 30, 2015; we are over one week into the future. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you may as well stop reading now, because this one is strictly for Back to the Future geeks…
It was very easy to get caught up in the media saturation last week as we finally caught up with the date in the future into which the characters of Back to the Future Part II traveled. It was a great story that had something for everyone. It did get a bit much for some, I’m sure. Even as someone who was guiltier than most of spreading the #BTTF30 & #BackToTheFutureDay stories around, I became a bit weary at a certain point. It didn’t do to look too closely at the second film, after all. (This is a point of disagreement in my house; BTTF2 is my daughter’s favorite of the trilogy.)
So the Kickstarter-funded documentary Back in Time had to wait a little bit to be reviewed, even though I watched it on when it was released on #BackToTheFutureDay.
Back in Time is structured around two parts, focusing on the film and the fans, respectively. This approach not only makes for a logical structure, it also keeps the film fresh after the one hour mark. Because for all of the positive elements of the film, the first half of the picture really is pretty standard behind the scenes content. Back in Time would not be out of place on a box set bonus disc; in fact, that’s where it probably should exist. The filmmakers made a great feature on the film and have better than usual access to the talent involved. Pretty much everyone you would want to hear from was included. Universal should have hired them to create supplements for the 30th anniversary edition that just came out. (Not that I’m disparaging the content that is on the set – it’s great stuff.)
But Back to the Future is actually pretty well documented already. Possibly because it came after the big Spielberg/Lucas blockbusters that fueled so much public interest, it was understood that the public would be interested in knowing more about the film. So there’s a ton of behind the scenes footage, EPKs, books, articles, you name it. So while I enjoyed the first half of Back in Time, there was a certain familiarity to much of the stories and information.
No, it is in the second half where Back in Time really shines. This is where they introduce you to super-fans with unique stories to tell, like:
- Joe Walser, who led the efforts to restore the “hero A” car
- Massachusetts resident Bill Shea, who owns several screen used vehicles
- Stephen Clark, founder of BTTF.com
- Terry & Oliver Holler, who travel the world in their homemade DeLorean time machine to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation
This is where the film becomes something more than a simple retrospective. The focus on individual stories ironically is more effective at reminding you why you care about this franchise than the more traditional clips and talking head approach.
Back in Time is an easy recommendation for fans of the Back to the Future series. While you likely won’t learn anything new, the access to the cast and filmmakers alone make it worth your time, and the focus on the fans provide the most compelling reason to watch both the doc and the film series.
Poster:
Trailer:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/backintime
Bechdel Test:
n/a
The Representation Test Score: n/a
[schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.backintimefilm.com” name=”Back in Time” description=”The documentary film Back in Time is, at its heart, a look at the very real impact the Back to the Future movies have had on our culture. Funnily enough, the film’s genesis is a testament to how large that impact truly is. The project’s origins are humble: what started as an amusing addition to a Bar Mitzvah video, just happened to resonate and get stuck in director Jason Aron’s head. The Back to the Future trilogy had been a childhood inspiration which led to his career in film, and the idea of the De Lorean time machine wouldn’t leave his thoughts alone.
Those thoughts blossomed into idea for a film which would delve into the impact of the iconic machine. A plan was drawn up, and a Kickstarter campaign was launched. Over 600 backers helped the team supplement the feature’s budget, and for the past couple of years that money has gone to help Back in Time become something so much more than anyone involved ever imagined that it could be.
What was once a little idea that spawned a tightly-focused documentary has grown into something truly amazing over two years of filming. Instead of just a look at the eye-catching De Lorean, Back in Time is a cinematic monument to the vastness of the trilogy’s fandom. In addition to the footage and interviews revolving around the time machine itself, the crew found that simply by delving into the impact of the trilogy an epic journey began to unfold before them.
Shooting in London, England during a Back to the Future event, hundreds of attendees in 1950’s attire were captured for the documentary as they reveled in their shared love of the films; the crew got to set feet upon one of the prophesied hoverboards during a shoot at Hendo Hoverboards; and trips all across America took them from brightly-lit time machine-filled garages to the sun-kissed homes of some truly unforgettable faces.
The crew captured countless hours of footage during filming. From Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, to the Sheas and Hollers, and from James Tolkan and Lea Thompson to Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox, Back in Time features interview after interview that simply must be seen.
The scope of the impact of the Back to the Future trilogy is truly something to behold. Back in Time will premier in the fall of 2015 thanks in great part due to the support of a legion of fans. Digital and physical copies of the documentary will be made available after the premier, with precedence going to all those who backed the film’s Kickstarter campaigns.” director=”Jason Aron” ]
| Main Cast | Michael J. Fox Himself Christopher Lloyd Himself Lea Thompson Herself Claudia Wells Herself |
| Rating | G |
| Release Date | 2015 |
| Director | Jason Aron |
| Genres | Documentary, Family, History |
| Plot | Cast, crew, and fans explore the classic time-travel trilogy’s resonance throughout our culture 30 years after Marty went Back in Time. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 95 |
| Tagline | |
| Writers | |
| Year | 2015 |