Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy (4K UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Universal
Release: October 20, 2020
Rating: PG
Film:

Back to the Future - 5/5
Back to the Future Part II – 3.5/5
Back to the Future Part III - 4/5

Plot
Teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is asked to help his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) conduct a scientific experiment involving a time machine made out of a DeLorean. Before he knows it, he finds himself transported to 1955 and sets off a time-shattering chain reaction that can wipe out his future. Searching out the 1955 version of Doc, the pair has to figure out a way to fix the space-time continuum and get the teenager back to the future.

In Part II, Marty and Doc travel 30 years into the future in order to stop Marty's son from setting off a chain of events that will ruin the family's reputation. In the process of fixing the future, the pair inadvertently disrupts the space-time continuum (again) and need to travel back to 1955 in order to set things right.

After being struck by lightning at the conclusion of Part II, Doc Brown is transported back to 1885 and is able to get a message to Marty on how to get home from 1955. Instead of heeding the good Doctor's advice, Marty goes back to 1885 in Part III to rescue his friend from a local gunslinger (Thomas F. Wilson). The pair must avoid the bad guy and figure out a way to get the DeLorean running again and once again, get back to the future.



My Thoughts
Back to the Future was the smash hit of 1985 and spent 11 weeks at #1 at the U.S box office and earned just under $200 million in gross sales. Not bad for a film that almost wasn't made. Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale shopped the project around Hollywood and couldn't find a taker until Steven Spielberg stepped in. The success of the film virtually guaranteed a sequel (or two) and while neither of the sequels measure up to the first, they do have their moments. The first act of Part II doesn’t start the sequels off on good footing, but the movie ends well and sets up the fun, but far from realistic, Part III. The sequels were shot at the same time to save costs—a process later utilized by Peter Jackson when he shot The Lord of the Rings trilogy a decade later. 

Universal released the films almost 10 years to the day in 2010 to mixed reviews, especially on the video quality. Fortunately, they went back to the drawing board on this 4K release and minted brand new 4K scans from the original 35mm elements. Needless to say, these films have never looked better. Details leap off the screen and the colors have never been more vibrant. The one negative effect of this is the CGI stands out quite a bit, particularly in the first two films which rely on the effects more than the third, which is set in the old West.

Audio purists will delight that the original stereo track is included, but the best way to listen to these films is in Dolby Atmos. They aren’t your run of the mill remixes that just send some score bleed to the ceiling speakers and call it a day. Nope, there are actual discrete effects that place you into the film. Needless to say, I was impressed with the A/V presentation.

Video:

Back to the Future – 9/10
Back to the Future Part II – 9/10
Back to the Future Part III -  10/10

Audio (Dolby Atmos):

Back to the Future – 9.5/10
Back to the Future Part II – 9.5/10
Back to the Future Part III -  9.5/10


Special Features:

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE ULTIMATE TRILOGY bonus DISC FEATURES ON BLU-RAY™:

• An Alternate Future: Lost Audition Tapes (NEW) - Get a glimpse of the BACK TO THE FUTURE that could have been with rare audition footage featuring now-famous celebrities.

• • Ben Stiller
  • Kyra Sedgwick
  • Jon Cryer
  • Billy Zane
  • Peter DeLuise
  • C. Thomas Howell

• The Hollywood Museum Goes BACK TO THE FUTURE (NEW) - Join Co-writer/Producer Bob Gale on an intimate tour of an exhaustive exhibit of the films’ props and memorabilia.
• BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL Behind the Scenes (NEW) - Get a sneak peek at the new musical show including a Q&A with the cast and creative team plus two new song recordings.

• • Cast and Creative Q&A
  • Original Songs
  • • Gotta Start Somewhere
    • Put Your Mind To It

• Could You Survive The Movies? BACK TO THE FUTURE (NEW) - Explore the magic and science of BACK TO THE FUTURE and find out which laws of physics were actually violated in this special episode of the popular YouTube series.
• 2015 Message from Doc Brown

• • DOC BROWN SAVES THE WORLD!

• OUTATIME: Restoring the DeLorean
• Looking BACK TO THE FUTURE

• • The Script
  • Casting Marty McFly
  • Christopher Lloyd Reflects on Doc Brown
  • The DeLorean Time Machine
  • Building Hill Valley
  • Prepping for the "Johnny B. Goode" Scene
  • The Score
  • Rushing the Cut
  • The Legacy

• BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Animated Series

• • Brothers (Season 1, Episode 1)
  • Mac the Black (Season 2, Episode 1)

• 2015 Commercials

• • JAWS 19 Trailer
  • Hoverboard Commercial

BACK TO THE FUTURE bonus FEATURES ON 4K Ultra Hd & BLU-RAY™:

• Deleted Scenes (Commentary by Producer Bob Gale available)

• • Peanut Brittle
  • "Pinch Me"
  • Doc's Personal Belongings
  • "She's Cheating"
  • Darth Vader (Extended Version)
  • "Hit Me George"
  • "You Got a Permit?"
  • The Phone Booth

• Tales from THE FUTURE: In the Beginning...
• Tales from THE FUTURE: Time to Go
• Tales from THE FUTURE: Keeping Time
• Archival Featurettes

• • The Making of BACK TO THE FUTURE
  • Making the Trilogy: Chapter One
  • BACK TO THE FUTURE Night

• Michael J. Fox Q&A

• • How He Got the Role
  • The Character of Doc
  • Working on a Film and TV Series at the Same Time
  • Shooting BACK TO THE FUTURE II and III Together
  • DeLoreans
  • Special FX and Stunts
  • The Appeal of BACK TO THE FUTURE
  • Shooting BACK TO THE FUTURE

• Behind the Scenes

• • Original Makeup Tests
  • Outtakes

• • Nuclear Test Site Sequence (Commentary by Producer Bob Gale available)

• • Photo Galleries*
  • • Production Art
    • Storyboards
    • Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
    • Marketing Materials
    • Character Portraits
• Huey Lewis and the News "The Power of Love" Music Video
• Theatrical Teaser Trailer
• Join Team Fox
• Q&A Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale
• Feature Commentary with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton

*Only on the Blu-ray™ disc

BACK TO THE FUTURE II bonus FEATURES ON 4K Ultra Hd & BLU-RAY™:

• Deleted Scenes (Commentary by Producer Bob Gale available)
• • Old Terry and Old Biff
  • "Dad's Home" (Extended Version)
  • Pizza Scene
  • Jennifer Faints (Extended Version)
  • Old Biff Vanishes from Car
  • Burned Out High School
  • Marty Meets Dave
• Tales from THE FUTURE: Time Flies
• The Physics of BACK TO THE FUTURE with Dr. Michio Kaku
• Archival Featurettes
• • The Making of BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II
  • Making the Trilogy: Chapter Two
• Behind the Scenes
• • Outtakes
  • Production Design
  • Storyboarding
  • Designing the DeLorean
  • Designing Time Travel
  • Hoverboard Test
  • Evolution of Visual Effects Shots
  • Photo Galleries*
  • • Production Art
    • Storyboards
    • Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
    • Marketing Materials
    • Character Portraits
• Theatrical Trailer
• Q&A Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale
• Feature Commentary with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton

*Only on the Blu-ray™ disc

BACK TO THE FUTURE III bonus FEATURES ON 4K Ultra Hd & BLU-RAY™:

• Deleted Scene (Commentary by Producer Bob Gale available)
• • The Tannen Gang Kills Marshal Strickland
• Tales from THE FUTURE: Third Time's the Charm [FEATURED BONUS]
• Tales from THE FUTURE: The Test of Time [FEATURED BONUS]
• Archival Featurettes
• • The Making of BACK TO THE FUTURE Part III
  • Making the Trilogy: Chapter Three
  • The Secrets of the BACK TO THE FUTURE Trilogy
• Behind the Scenes
• • Outtakes
  • Designing the Town of Hill Valley
  • Designing the Campaign
  • Photo Galleries*
  • • Production Art
    • Storyboards
    • Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
    • Marketing Materials
    • Character Portraits
• ZZ Top "Doubleback" Music Video
• FAQs About the Trilogy
• Theatrical Trailer
• BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Ride
• • Lobby Monitor
  • The Ride
• Q&A Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale
• Feature Commentary with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton

*Only on the Blu-ray™ disc


Back to the Future | Opening Scene in 4K Ultra HD | Marty McFly Is Just Too Darn Loud


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uduqQYfJ0


Conclusion
In 2016 I watched Back to the Future at UCLA with the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra playing the musical score live during the film. Needless to say, I was blown away. As an added bonus, I got to personally meet composer Alan Silvestri and see the DeLorean used in the movie up close and personal. So to say I’m a fan of these films would be an understatement. They are timeless fun and have never looked or sounded better than they do in 4K. Highly recommended.


Reference Review System:

Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Fixed Screen
Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-980
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Fathom F110 Subwoofers x 2 (stacked)
JL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (stacked)
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[NoUDont]

Thanks Dave. Interesting the Atmos gets a full work up by the studio and isn’t just an afterthought. The special features look stacked! 

[Paul Heroy]

Hmmm. I got the Blu-ray trilogy set back in 2015 to do the trilogy watch around the week of Oct 21. This sounds like a nice upgrade, which is totally hard to justify except for tomorrow's date... Great Scott!

[David Vaughn]

Thanks Dave. Interesting the Atmos gets a full work up by the studio and isn’t just an afterthought. The special features look stacked!

A lot of the special features have been released before, but the "new" ones are labeled. If you're a fan of the movies, it's fun to dig into the production a lot more. I dug out a picture of the live show I saw:

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy (4K UHD Blu-ray) review

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

Great review Dave. Told ya! 


Regards,

[bmoney]

man looks like another repurchase of these movies lol

i think ive bought them 4 times now

[claw]

Vincent's analysis of Part 1's HDR10.  His reviews are always interesting.   

[David Vaughn]

Vincent's analysis of Part 1's HDR10.  His reviews are always interesting. 

Thanks for sharing Claw. That was very interesting. 

[DLCPhoto]

I just watched, and thoroughly enjoyed, the first one.  It was hard to believe how good it looked for a movie this old!

A really fun ride!