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DVD Review: Back to the Future Trilogy (Widescreen)
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.
Great, now that the DVD's are out, maybe I can begin to convert my 93 Accord into a time machine!
... and possibly buying another. In a few years, the "defective" discs will probably be collectors items. It seems that is the case with laserdiscs or CEDs (RCA Select-a-vision discs) etc.
Just my 88 miles-per-hour worth...
RickTheWizKid
From this story:
"Back to the Future redux - 12:43am
Thinking about picking up that Back to the Future trilogy box set this week for a stocking stuffer? You may want to hold off on that. Amid numerous consumer complaints over noticeably misframed shots in the widescreen edition of Parts II and III of the trilogy, Universal Studios Home Video announced yesterday that they will be repressing the discs with corrected framing, and these repressed versions will be included in all future runs of the box set.
While the shots - some of which ruin crucial jokes and visual gags - may be relatively minor to some, what to do if you've already picked up the set and want the corrected versions? A Universal spokesperson has told us that consumers unhappy with the current version (widescreen only - the full frame edition is not affected) can call the Universal Studios Home Video Consumer Hotline at (888) 703-0010 to request an exchange. While repressed versions of discs 2 and 3 (disc 1 remains unaffected) won't be available until February, Universal will provide corrected versions to those who have already purchased the set. Consumers will need to send the discs back to Universal at their own expense. Stay tuned for any further updates as the story develops..."
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Unlike recent DVD releases of 80s classics (ie. the gun-to-walkie-talkie edits in E.T.)
You know that the ET DVDs have both the original, unedited version released in 1982 and the modified 2002 release on them, right?
No, I didn't think you did.
Well, I am a card carrying member of the BTTF fan club, and I remember from one of the four magazine issues I recieved a Q&A section, where the magazine was given the question of why did the future family exist, when Marty and Jennifer were brought forward -- the future they traveled to should have been a future where they disappeared in 1985. The answer was a blunt "we messed up," with an explanation that the future HAD to exist, because the ending of the first movie had the statement "Something's gotta be done about your kids!" and they couldn't very well go back on that, eh?
Dirty birds...
Actually, Doc Brown is the only person that I've ever heard pronounce "giga" correctly. Yes, it's true. Look it up some time.
Insert offensive troll-style sig here. Please mod or respond appropriately.
Anyone with an oedipal complex knows what the triology was really about. How many times did we see Marty in bed with his hot mother (or hot maternal kin) next to him?
Ever notice that /.'ers get excited about DVDs and not new albums? RIAA, START PAYING ATTENTION.
I have seen each of these movies at least 3e6 times each. I have them recorded off TV. I own all three on videocassette. I try to watch them when TBS is running them. Even though I can probably recite each movie by heart, guess what: I was waiting for Target to open last Tuesday so I could be the first to own these. Why? I love these movies.
There's so much techological genius in these movies that the 'making of' stuff is worth the cost of the set to me. I haven't even watched the movies yet, I just opened disc 4 and started watching. GOOD STUFF.
My point? I paid $39.99 for something I already had. I did it VOLUNTARILY. I can download all this stuff off Kazaa I'm sure. Why didn't I? Because it's GOOD STUFF THAT'S WORTH THE MONEY. Most music that's out these days is pure crap. I had no idea that I could take a dump in a jewel case and sell it for $15.99. It's not rocket science: put stuff in the package that people WANT, and they will buy.
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
Hey, thanks for buying the new DVD set. We knew you guys wouldn't resists.
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
You can find comparison shots here, here and here, with more to be seen here (warning, that site is very intensive and not the best designed. It's also in German, but the pics are right in one of the frames if you let it load completely and scroll down a bit).
Keep in mind that those screenshots are just examples. The framing for ALL of BTTF 2 and BTTF 3 is messed up in the same way EXCEPT for special effects shots (those were hard-matted on the print, so there was no need to apply any matting to the transfer).
I've already called Universal and arranged my return, but the screwup is inexcusable given that it's been known for four months and Universal didn't acknowledge the issue until Wednesday.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
looks like u didnt travel back far enough
This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
The movies have been available in regions 2 and 4 for months, and they have the same misframing problem there. People noticed it as soon as they did comparisons to the widescreen Laserdisc (which has a slightly less wide and incorrect aspect ratio, but at least the matting that is there is applied correctly), but Universal allowed the problem to slip into the R1 release and they didn't acknowledge any problem despite repeated inquiries until Wednesday.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
BTTF 3 TV edit. Buford is outside waiting for Marty to fight. Buford counts to 10, starts yelling. Marty says "He's an asshole", with the camera directly on his face. On TV, they replaced it with 'idiot'. Possibly the worst edit I've ever seen, since you can VERY plainly see what Marty said.
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
I'd tell you how it worls, but I'd have to hit you with a toilet first.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Better luck getting the settings right next time... your clock was off by at least a couple minutes.
--- http://foo.ca
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.
There is a means of adding in 'pan and scan' cues so that a DVD player can 'zoom' and pan around a widescreen image to produce a panned and scanned image, however those cues must exist within the datastream or you just get the entire picture. Only a handful of DVDs actually support that feature (I believe, but I am not certain, that Brotherhood of the Wolf supports it). Also, the DVD must be anamorphic (ie, 'enhanced for widescreen TVs'), and 2.35:1 movies will still have little black bands at the top and bottom.
BTTF wouldn't work with that, though, because it was filmed at 1.37:1 and then matted down to 1.85:1 for the theatrical presentation. Most 1.85:1 movies are filmed that way, so you actually get 'more' picture on 'fullscreen' transfers of those movies. Mind you, that 'extra' information is usually not intended by the director and it can make the composition of a scene look less professional as a result (sometimes even showing set equipment where it shouldn't be visible). Also, most special effects are done on a hard-matted 1.85:1 frame, so they are still panned and scanned.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
That's really funny, you know if the MPAA gets its way, pretty soon none of us will actually get to *see* movies (or at least if we do MPAA execs will use the flashy things on us) we'll just go pay 14.95 at the theatre to sit there. At then another 49.95 for the DVD that won't play.
:)
Might as well enjoy them now
The Anti-Blog
Universal, in an astounding display of audacity, is planning on leaving the BTTF's last two films mis-framed until February.
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.
The fanboy who reviewed this got a bit carried away.
Ok, let's see. You used the words "an astounding display of audacity" when referring to the DVD release of a mid '80s sci-fi film, you keep up with a site called "The Digital Bits", and you're calling this poor shmuck a fanboy? I mean, for god's sake, your nickname is "Obiwan Kenobi"!
you know, not that there's anything wrong with that...
*grin*
m-
You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
"For a DVD box set that has been over 15 years in the making"
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.
$45 per U Colocation Special