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Back to the Future Part II

  • 1989
  • PG
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
606K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,436
53
Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Home Video Trailer from Amblin
Play trailer0:28
6 Videos
99+ Photos
Adventure EpicCyberpunkDystopian Sci-FiHigh-Concept ComedyTeen AdventureTeen ComedyTime TravelUrban AdventureAdventureComedy

After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.

  • Director
    • Robert Zemeckis
  • Writers
    • Robert Zemeckis
    • Bob Gale
  • Stars
    • Michael J. Fox
    • Christopher Lloyd
    • Lea Thompson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.8/10
    606K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,436
    53
    • Director
      • Robert Zemeckis
    • Writers
      • Robert Zemeckis
      • Bob Gale
    • Stars
      • Michael J. Fox
      • Christopher Lloyd
      • Lea Thompson
    • 548User reviews
    • 114Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos6

    Back to the Future Part II
    Trailer 0:28
    Back to the Future Part II
    Watch Now
    Clip 3:00
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    Clip 3:00
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    Back To The Future Part II: The Hoverboard Chase
    Clip 1:06
    Back To The Future Part II: The Hoverboard Chase
    Back To The Future Part II: Biff Gives Himself The Almanac
    Clip 1:36
    Back To The Future Part II: Biff Gives Himself The Almanac
    Parody Trailer
    Featurette 1:22
    Parody Trailer
    Dates in Movie & TV History: October 21, 2015 - Back to the Future Day
    Video 1:51
    Dates in Movie & TV History: October 21, 2015 - Back to the Future Day

    Photos516

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    Top cast62

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    Michael J. Fox
    Michael J. Fox
    • Marty McFly…
    Christopher Lloyd
    Christopher Lloyd
    • Doctor Emmett Brown
    Lea Thompson
    Lea Thompson
    • Lorraine
    Tom Wilson
    Tom Wilson
    • Biff Tannen
    • (as Thomas F. Wilson)
    • …
    Elisabeth Shue
    Elisabeth Shue
    • Jennifer
    James Tolkan
    James Tolkan
    • Strickland
    Jeffrey Weissman
    Jeffrey Weissman
    • George McFly
    Casey Siemaszko
    Casey Siemaszko
    • 3-D
    Billy Zane
    Billy Zane
    • Match
    J.J. Cohen
    J.J. Cohen
    • Skinhead
    Charles Fleischer
    Charles Fleischer
    • Terry
    E'Casanova
    E'Casanova
    • 'Michael Jackson' Video Waiter
    • (as E. Casanova Evans)
    Jay Koch
    • 'Ronald Reagan' Video Waiter
    Charles Gherardi
    • 'Ayatollah Khomeini' Video Waiter
    Ricky Dean Logan
    Ricky Dean Logan
    • Data
    Darlene Vogel
    Darlene Vogel
    • Spike
    Jason Scott Lee
    Jason Scott Lee
    • Whitey
    Elijah Wood
    Elijah Wood
    • Video Game Boys
    • Director
      • Robert Zemeckis
    • Writers
      • Robert Zemeckis
      • Bob Gale
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews548

    7.8606.3K
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    Featured reviews

    9vertigo_14

    Great Scott! Even the Doc Doesn't Take His Own Advice! (spoilers)

    It's funny that the plot of 'Back to the Future II' should be based on altering Marty McFly's future. Wasn't Doc the one who was so staunchly opposed to knowing too much about their future, preferring instead to let things take a natural course? 'Destiny!' he called it. But that is exactly what the sequel is all about, Doc's proposal to altar the future. And this leads not only to bad news for Doc Brown and Marty, but for the your Density? I mean, Destiny? (flashback humor).

    The story focuses on Marty McFly's future. Picking up right where we left off in the first movie, Doc informs Marty that in the year 2015, Marty's son partakes in some unfortunate activities with Griff (Biff's grandson) that lead to his arrest and incarceration. While in the future to fix up that little mishap (again, messing with 'Destiny'), Marty picks up a sports Almanac to take back with him. The Almanac contains all sports scores since something like 1955 (why it is only the size of a magazine, I don't know, considering it covers major college and pro sporting event for a whole lot of years).

    The Doc, in disgust at Marty's foolish get-rich-quick desires, throws the magazine out (while still in 2015). Unfortunately, Biff, now an old man, gets hold of both the magazine and the Delorian and travels to his young self in 1955. This sets off a change of events in the past so that when Marty and the Doc, now in the future, are ready to go back to 1985, suddenly find themselves in an unfamiliar hell. With Biff changing the past, he also changed the future, creating a desolate, alternate 1985. One where Biff is the richest man in Hill Valley, though still the sleaziest. And where a lot of other things have changed as well. Now, Marty and the Doc have to go back to 1955 and get the magazine from Biff if they expect to restore the future and erase the alternative 1985.

    This is a great sequel to a great movie. You get the 1989 version of the future (I don't know that 2015 will make the kind of progress we see in the movie with cool flying cars and dehydrating pizzas and hoverboards). This is the special effects and visual beauty of the second, whereas in the first one, it was recreating the past. Marty had to once adapt to 1955, now he has to do the same for 2015, even if only for a moment.

    But, it also ties in another creative aspect: when Marty and the Doc must return to 1955, they only know the whereabouts of Biff based on where they last saw him in that year--the school dance and all of that which took place in the first movie. Going back to that past means that a Marty "Calvin Klein" McFly is already there, and the events are taking place again just as we saw them in the first movie. And now, the Marty and the Doc from the future are intermingling once again with their past versions of themselves. So, in essence, the filmmakers had to recreate some of the scenes from the old movie, from different angles, and the actors had to play dual roles (which they do often throughout the trilogy) by being added into those scenes. It was a great special effects/visionary project to undertake, and what makes the series so damned creative and really a fun idea. And here, too, the goal is to avoid running into your past self because, yes, it could altar events once again. I wonder how the future changed since Marty and Doc's intervention in 2015?

    So, prepare yourself for what may arguably be the best movie out of the trilogy (probably because you get to see the future and past and everything in between; although, I'm still torn between rating the first or the second as my absolute favorite). It is the continuation of a fun first movie, and keeps up the creativity and novelty. I think that was the reason most responsible for its success: the ability to keep offering something new (although some things, are obviously repeated, like the running gag of Marty blacking out and waking up to some version of his mother informing him of what year it is after he tells her what an awful dream he had).

    So, sit back and let the Delorean be your guide.
    10ivo-cobra8

    Solid sequel in "Back to the Future" trilogy dosen't deserve the hate my favorite time travel movie

    Back to the Future Part II is an solid sequel to the first one which Back to the Future (1985) is a masterpiece. This is a fun travel science fiction comedy in the trilogy. It deals with paradox past traveling. From traveling with Time machine Car "DeLorean" in to the future and back to the past again. This film is a 8 in my opinion it doesn't deserve the hate, like mostly viewers stated. I love "Back to the Future" trilogy it is one of my all time favorite trilogy's of all time. I grew up with this trilogy I have seen the first one on VHS as a kid. Years later I have seen the sequels on TV. I love this movie to death and it is my third favorite film in the trilogy. Don't get me wrong but I have enjoyed Back to the Future Part III more than part II and think the third film is the most underrated film in the trilogy and unappreciated. This film does have the comedy and the humor in it.

    I Love, Love this film so so so much, it is a great direction from Robert Zemeckis and brilliant writing from Bob Gale. Back to the Future Part II was nominated for an Oscar. I really did missed 21st October 2015 an important event date from this film in the trilogy that reached 30 year anniversary in the year 2015 when the trilogy come out respectfully on a Blu-ray.

    Back to the Future Part II (1989)

    The story continues when Doctor Emmett Brown, Marty McFly and Jennifer traveling in to the future 2015 to fix Marty's and Jennifer's future in which Marty has to save his son from been jailed. His arch enemy Biff Tannen steals Marty's idea and steal's Gray's Sports Almanac only to travel back in to the past November 12, 1955 to change the alternative time line paradox in which Biff creates the timeline in the year 1985. The same alternative timeline and paradox was also used in The Flash Season 3 Episode 1 Flashpoint.

    Than the story sets Marty and Doc on the hunt for a Gray's Sports almanac from Biff in the year 1955 in which Biff is a teenager. The chase and a race on the road in which Marty is in Biff's car try's to get the Almanac back and Biff crashes with his car in the truck of manure is my favorite scene in the film. The Hoverboard scene in the future in which Griff chases Marty in the year 2015 and Marty outsmart them in which Griff and his gang lands in the court in the opening scene is also my favorite scene in the film.

    Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are excellent in their performances. Michael J. Fox plays more than just one character, he even played Marlene McFly future daughter of Marty.

    Things I really didn't like about the film and that is why it hurts the film: the dark future created I didn't liked. I hated Thomas F. Wilson's character Biff trough in tier film he was irritating awful person. I didn't like the death of George McFly. I didn't like Biff marrying Loraine. Half of the film was more focusing on Biff than Doc and Marty I hated that idea. I did not like the filmmakers repeat the first movie again in the year 1955. They copied the first film I did not like that idea so sorry. I still hate Biff Tannen in this movie so damn much! I did not like the ending in which Doc was hit by a lightning with "DeLorean" and sent back 100 year in the past. The film didn't had a satisfying ending or a happy ending that we wished for. I didn't like older Marty McFly he acted like he is stupid in the movie that is why I prefer III over this film more. Claudia Wells and Crispin Glover did not return to reprise their roles. I am surprised that actress Elisabeth Shue accept the role of Jennifer but she declined the role for The Karate Kid Part II weird.

    This film get's 8 "Back to the Future" is my favorite trilogy of all time and I love this movie to death. I hope they don't make Part IV because it will be disaster. It is rated PG for language throughout, some suggestive content and violence. I miss movies like this they don't make em' like this anymore.
    9Captain_Couth

    Revenge of the 80's: The Franchise

    Back to the Future Part II (1989) was green lighted after the success of the first film. The film follows the further adventures of Marty and Doc Brown. This film and the third installment were filmed back to back. However the complexity of the storyline turned off many of the fans of the original. But this is what I enjoyed about this movie. Instead of being the same old run-of-the-mill by the numbers sequel, the film makers decided to do something different and make this a brain twister film. The beauty of this movie is that you have to pay close attention to it.

    The film takes place right after the events of part one. Doc Brown comes back from the future to help Marty get his kid out of trouble. Instead of leaving well enough alone, all three of them head off to the future to try and change events. They managed to pull it off but unfortunately they tore a fabric in time due to Marty being greedy and the nosy efforts of Doc Brown. Can Doc and Marty safely restore the space and time continuum before the universe collapses upon itself?

    A fun sequel with a few cast changes (Elizabeth Shue now portrays Marty's girlfriend whilst Crispin Glover is no longer with in the film except in stock footage). Most of the original players return to reprise their original roles. Michael J. Fox stretches his acting abilities by playing his son and daughter as well as his older self. If you enjoyed the first film then you'll really want to watch this one (if you haven't already).

    Highly recommended.
    Chrysanthepop

    The Travelling Through Time Continues

    'Back to the Future Part II' takes off where the first movie left. Pretty much the essence of the first one is present except this time Elisabeth Shue has been cast as Marty's girlfriend. Like the first movie, this one too is non-stop fun. The original plot once again, brilliantly revolves around the time-travelling paradox but this time the interference with the time-line has huger repercussions that are more complicated to solve. It's slightly a little more complex than the first movie but the energy and entertainment level is the same. I liked Zemeckis's version of 2015. It has that ultracool look and the futuristic gadgets and gizmos were quite amusing. The soundtrack is equally wild. The camera-work and special effects are very well done considering that the challenge was greater (e.g. showing two Michael J. Fox on the same screen). Okay, so showing the same actor share the screen with himself isn't anything new but in most movies/shows it looks poorly done which is not the case here. With most movies, the sequel tends to be a let down but 'Back to the Future Part II' is a great continuation of the first film.
    8Superunknovvn

    The best sequel ever made

    Continuing a movie as perfect as "Back To The Future" must have been a really tough job. What made it even harder was that the writers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale had to ignore an important character from part one. Because Crispin Glover asked for too much money, his character George McFly, Marty's wacky Dad, hardly appears in the sequels, which constricted the storyline a lot beforehand.

    Still, "Back To The Future II" turned out to be a huge success, commercially and artistically. The movie is every bit as clever and delightful as part one. I think most viewers don't realize how extremely complex this story is, because it's so enjoyable to watch. Gale & Zemeckis wrote a screenplay that takes place in three different periods of time, changes storyline more than once, has characters interacting with themselves all the time, but never seems overdone or confusing. The most original trick the two Bobs pulled was to virtually return to part one and have the main character interfere with the original storyline. I don't think that has ever been done before or since.

    No, the movie isn't flawless in a sense that everything can be explained logically. Bob Gale admitted himself that Marty and Doc shouldn't be able to visit their future selves in the first place. There are a lot of impossible time travels in part two (you can read about them in detail here: http://mjyoung.net/time/back2.html). "Mistakes" like that don't take away any of the fun, though, and I still think that the "Back To The Future" trilogy incorporates the logics of time traveling better than any other movie ever did.

    Besides the perfect script the trilogy's success is due to Zemeckis ever so beautiful direction and his eye for detail, and of course the great cast. Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson, all shamelessly underrated actors, are once again brilliant. It's a REAL pity that Crispin Glover didn't return for the sequels, but as I've said before, Gale & Zemeckis did a great job writing their way around his memorable character. The only other actress that didn't come back was Claudia Wells, who played Jennifer in part one and was appropriately replaced by Elisabeth Shue here.

    Summing up, "Back To The Future II" is a more than worthy follow-up to one of the best movies of all time. In fact, I think it's the best sequel ever made, only rivaled by "Terminator 2: Judgement Day". But that's a different story...

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed at the same time as Back to the Future Part III (1990). It was claimed at the time that in the four years since Back to the Future (1985) was made, Michael J. Fox had forgotten how to ride a skateboard. However, motor skills are not so easily lost (as in riding a bicycle), and Michael J. Fox has since stated that this was an early symptom of his Parkinson's Disease, although the medical diagnosis was not made until 1991.
    • Goofs
      When old Biff steals the time machine to change the past, he returns the Delorean back to 2015 so Doc and Marty would suspect nothing. He should instead have arrived in the alternate version of 2015 just like Marty and Doc went to the alternate 1985. No explanation is given as to why he can return to the unaltered time-line while Doc and Marty can only get to alternate versions of the time-line. In The Big Bang Theory (2007), the episode The Focus Attenuation (2014), they suggest that this could be because when Old Biff travels forward, Young Biff hasn't made his first bet that starts the time-line changing yet, thus allowing Old Biff to return to the original 2015. Possible explanation: It is implied that Lorraine eventually got totally fed up with her abusive married life, and shot Biff to death sometime within just a few years after the time when Marty saw them in Alternate 1985 (this is the real reason that Old Biff clutches his chest and crumples to the pavement as he is exiting the DeLorean after returning to 2015, not because his aging body couldn't tolerate the physical stresses of time-warping, as most audience-members would have assumed was happening), removing him and his toxically-greedy influence on the Hill Valley area. The logical "further" idea, therefore, is that the decent-hearted Lorraine --- along with 99% of the other locals, who of course would themselves have also strongly disliked the dystopian wasteland that their community had degenerated into --- would then have banded together en masse --- "in numbers, there is strength" --- and ousted whatever "scum of the earth" officials and politically-influential residents were currently present in the area, and then made sweeping changes for the better to get Hill Valley back to being the peaceful bedroom community that it had been before Biff's interference that had started in the late '50's. Also, Hilldale --- where the McFlys were now living --- was quite a distance from Hill Valley, and so it's possible that Biff's dissipative influence hadn't reached that somewhat-geographically-removed area so much as it had affected his own immediate stomping-grounds.
    • Quotes

      Doc: Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.

    • Crazy credits
      The theatrical version had a teaser for Back to the Future Part III (1990). Some later versions do not have a teaser at all, only showing "To Be Concluded", and skip to the credits. Some have "To Be Concluded" followed by "Back To The Future III". Some cable versions retain the teaser for Back To The Future Part III, but, of course, do not say "Coming Summer 1990". It was, however, added back to the film for its digital download and Blu-Ray versions.
    • Alternate versions
      Spanish dubbed version also refers to Marty as Levi Strauss instead of Calvin Klein.
    • Connections
      Edited from Back to the Future (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Beat It
      Written and Performed by Michael Jackson

      Produced by Quincy Jones (uncredited)

      Courtesy of CBS Records, Music Licensing Department

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    FAQ35

    • How long is Back to the Future Part II?Powered by Alexa
    • Why does Marty McFly Jr. use a payphone instead of a cellular telephone?
    • When 1985 Doc is riding his bike around town in 1955, he wears a brown jacket. In the first movie, when 1955 Doc is working with the DeLorean out on the street, a person is seen in the background riding a bike and wearing the same type jacket. Is this intentional or coincidental?
    • Was Marlene McFly (intentionally or accidentally) a prediction of increased transgender visibility in the 2010's or was she a normal girl who happened to be played by Michael J. Fox?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 22, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Volver al futuro II
    • Filming locations
      • Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA(Tunnel scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Amblin Entertainment
      • U-Drive Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $119,361,197
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $27,835,125
      • Nov 26, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $332,861,197
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 48m(108 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos

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