Ghostbusters 3: No Chicks Allowed

[Custard]

Marty did have a sort of arc in that he was a bit of a hothead who didn't like being called chicken. Then by the third film he's letting that twat from the Chili Peppers race on his own

He also learnt not to have a daughter as she'll look like him in drag

[Custard]

Oh, and that you can only like or respect your family once they are successful authors and don't work in McDonald's

[popcorn]

Back to the Future was definitely not crying out for 3 films let alone any more. 2 explored the remaining time travel paradoxes and the plot of 3 had nothing to do with the first 2 beyond the time machine.

I think the value of the second film is in the second half, which functions as an ingenious dismantling of the first film. But the whole thing is made lopsided by the future parts, which are fun but not so elegant as the first film. (But then nothing is as elegant as the first film.)

The third film is a decent romp but it's weird that it exists at all - it feels like a long episode of some sort of Back to the Future TV series.

[Thomas]

I think the value of the second film is in the second half, which functions as an ingenious dismantling of the first film. But the whole thing is made lopsided by the future parts, which are fun but not so elegant as the first film. (But then nothing is as elegant as the first film.)

The third film is a decent romp but it's weird that it exists at all - it feels like a long episode of some sort of Back to the Future TV series.

As Replies has pointed out before, the first act of 2 is just dealing with the jokey cliffhanger from the first film. They never intended a sequel, and they wrote themselves into a tight corner with the line about 'your kids, Marty'. It was impossible to extricate themselves, really. It was a great line to end on, but a bad setup. If there's a minor domestic problem in the future, you don't actually need to travel there. Just wait it out with your new foreknowledge.

You could argue that the Doc was just overexcited about the possibilities of time travel, but that doesn't fit with his character, either in the original or the sequels. He's constantly trying to avoid interference, and wants to smash up the DeLorean at every turn.

I like that 3 visits the founding of Hill Valley, but it does have that TV movie quality that many have observed before.

[idunnosomename]

funny thing is 2 and 3 were produced and shot together though. yet they feel way more disconnected.

[mothman]

funny thing is 2 and 3 were produced and shot together though. yet they feel way more disconnected.

Funny how often that happens. Same with Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. Weren't the second and third Pirateses of the Caribbean shot at once, too?

[Avril Lavigne]

It was a great line to end on, but a bad setup. If there's a minor domestic problem in the future, you don't actually need to travel there. Just wait it out with your new foreknowledge.

You could argue that the Doc was just overexcited about the possibilities of time travel, but that doesn't fit with his character, either in the original or the sequels. He's constantly trying to avoid interference, and wants to smash up the DeLorean at every turn.

I always thought that, but now I'm wondering... I know this is a stretch but it's possible we're seeing Doc trying his last resort after what could be months of attempts to change Marty's future through various choices made in the present.  Maybe he just got the point where it became clear after every visit to the future that no amount of changes in the present day would result in a positive outcome for Marty in 2015.

Funny how often that happens. Same with Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. Weren't the second and third Pirateses of the Caribbean shot at once, too?

Yeah I'd imagine that's just to do with how the sequel contracts were laid out rather than any desire from the filmmakers to come up with two new movies ASAP, which I guess is why it usually results in the third film being a bit weaker.

[Chedney Honks]

funny thing is 2 and 3 were produced and shot together though. yet they feel way more disconnected.

Skipped the last ten pages, just realised this isn't a joke about the Ghostbusters films.

[idunnosomename]

Bustin makes me feel.... bad?!?!

[Replies From View]

There should be two DeLoreans in 1885 when Marty travels back there. And the other one wouldn't be 70 years old either. And presumably would have some more fuel in it.

This actually does make sense.  Doc hid the Delorean in the cave in 1885 and it was discovered by Doc and Marty in 1955.  Digging it back out in 1855 would have prevented Doc and Marty discovering, creating a paradox.

Why doesn't future Jennifer remember visiting her own house in the future? Surely a thing you would remember doing.

Fair enough for her brain to block out that madness, especially since she was back and forth between various states of unconsciousness.

How does Future Biff travel back to his own 2015 and not an alternate one?

I suppose a gubbins excuse would be that the timeline hadn't caught up yet?  It's essentially because the story needed him to get the Delorean back to Doc and Marty, but a deleted scene does at least show it had been considered:  in the deleted scene, old Biff returns to 2015 and then, as he leaves the car, he fades out of existence.  This was because he wasn't from that timeline but everyone involved in the production agreed it was too confusing so they left the scene out.

I don't buy necessarily that you'd suddenly notice that your son was starting to look a lot like that Calvin Klein guy who got you together thirty years ago though.

I can let this one slide too.  Unless photos were taken of Marty in 1955 I doubt they'd remember him so exactly.  Memory isn't that precise, and a child grows up gradually enough for you to not make sudden connections without for example a photo making the connection obvious.

[Replies From View]

Marty did have a sort of arc in that he was a bit of a hothead who didn't like being called chicken. Then by the third film he's letting that twat from the Chili Peppers race on his own

He also learnt not to have a daughter as she'll look like him in drag

The fucked up events of 2015 don't really follow from what we've seen of Marty throughout the first film, because that character flaw (specifically his 'don't call me chicken' flare ups but also more generally his hot-headedness) didn't exist yet.  They were introduced in the second film so he'd have something to overcome.

Worth pointing out that Marty never saw his future self or future family - only Jennifer did.  She gets to see Marty's 'ghost of Christmas yet to come', in a way, but Marty himself is oblivious to it all.

[Replies From View]

I think the value of the second film is in the second half, which functions as an ingenious dismantling of the first film. But the whole thing is made lopsided by the future parts, which are fun but not so elegant as the first film. (But then nothing is as elegant as the first film.)

The third film is a decent romp but it's weird that it exists at all - it feels like a long episode of some sort of Back to the Future TV series.

I suppose the third film is nice for giving Doc some character development and showing us more of his human side.

[Replies From View]

As Replies has pointed out before, the first act of 2 is just dealing with the jokey cliffhanger from the first film. They never intended a sequel, and they wrote themselves into a tight corner with the line about 'your kids, Marty'. It was impossible to extricate themselves, really. It was a great line to end on, but a bad setup. If there's a minor domestic problem in the future, you don't actually need to travel there. Just wait it out with your new foreknowledge.

Yep, exactly.


The fact that they never intended to make sequels becomes most evident in how they deal with Jennifer.  Jennifer is in the car with Doc and Marty, but the writers didn't want her to be part of the adventure..... so our heroes are shown rendering the girl unconscious and leaving her unattended in an alley. 


It continues to leave a sour taste in the mouth.  However you look at this, there's no forgiving it.

[popcorn]

I suppose the third film is nice for giving Doc some character development and showing us more of his human side.

BORING !!!!!!!

[Replies From View]

I always thought that, but now I'm wondering... I know this is a stretch but it's possible we're seeing Doc trying his last resort after what could be months of attempts to change Marty's future through various choices made in the present.  Maybe he just got the point where it became clear after every visit to the future that no amount of changes in the present day would result in a positive outcome for Marty in 2015.

When would these attempts have happened?  Marty is taken to 2015 immediately after the events of the first film.

[olliebean]

When would these attempts have happened?  Marty is taken to 2015 immediately after the events of the first film.

Time travel, duh. Marty is taken to 2015 immediately after the events of the first film from his point of view. Not from Doc's.

[Custard]

I stuck BTTF on last night, after all this chat

It still holds up really, really well. It's a fantastic watch, even for the 257th time

That said, the ageing effects slathered on Doc, Biff, Marty's parents, and Strickland in the opening 1985 bits look really shoddy in HD. They look like you could just reach into the screen and peel them off. Look at the necks the next time you watch it!

I like that this is now the BTTF Official Thread. Just what the makers of the new Ghostbusters would want

HEY BIFF....GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF OF HER

Why didn't Marty's earlier punch on Biff have the same effect that George's did, of turning Biff into a doormat?

And doesn't George then become the bully when he has the older Biff running about as his lapdog?

So many questions

[Custard]

PS Can we get the thread title changed to "Ghostbusters: No Ghostbusters Chat Allowed"?

[Chollis]

BTTF is much better than ghostbuster

[JamesTC]

BTTF is much better than ghostbuster

yes this

[madhair60]

PS Can we get the thread title changed to "Ghostbusters: No Ghostbusters Chat Allowed"?

anything would be better than the current embarrassing one

[samadriel]

Why didn't Marty's earlier punch on Biff have the same effect that George's did, of turning Biff into a doormat?

George's punch started the change in their power relations, which they continued to reinforce for the next thirty years.

[colacentral]

When I got a new rescue cat, I kept her shut in a spare room for a couple of weeks to slowly introduce her to our other cat, so while she was in there I had the TV on for her, and I knew that the Back to the Future DVD was one that continually looped the film over and over, so I had that on for her. That meant that every time I went in to spend some time with her and give her fresh food and water, I would always end up getting sucked back into it. It's the most rewatchable, easy to get into film of all time. Not once did I get sick of it.

[Replies From View]

Time travel, duh. Marty is taken to 2015 immediately after the events of the first film from his point of view. Not from Doc's.

But we see all the events that transpire between going to 2015 and Marty resolving his character flaw.  Within a day or two it's sorted out so what more would Doc need to do, and when would Marty have experienced it?

[Custard]

George's punch started the change in their power relations, which they continued to reinforce for the next thirty years.

Aye, that makes sense.

A sustained thirty years of abuse and bullying towards someone who bullied him for a handful of years whilst a kid in high school. Seems fair enough

IS GEORGE THE BADDIE ALL ALONG?

First a Peeping Tom, now a bully. He's scum. Would be cancelled these days

[Replies From View]

That said, the ageing effects slathered on Doc, Biff, Marty's parents, and Strickland in the opening 1985 bits look really shoddy in HD. They look like you could just reach into the screen and peel them off. Look at the necks the next time you watch it!

Very true, but you can kind of gloss over it because these details book-end the film and we spend more time with the younger versions.

It's a problem that becomes more pronounced in Part 2, though - the aging prosthetics we encounter in 2015 and the alternate 1985 are more abundantly present and they are very alienating, along with the largely grotesque performances.  I know the latter is intentional, but it means it takes more time to settle into empathising with the characters we're watching.  I'm sure the removal of 1985 Doc's prosthetics when they arrived in 2015 was to help us connect with this older version of the character more, as we would now be spending a lot more time with him rather than the 1955 version.

Next we have the recast Jennifer giving a more overtly comedic performance, which works well but stops her feeling like a real character, and overall we are left with only Doc and Marty to connect with, yet they choose to abandon her alone in an alleyway so they can have their boys-only adventure.

I'd suggest it's largely good faith from the first film that carries us through the first acts of Part 2.  Plus the look of 2015 Hill Valley and hoverboards/ flying cars is all awesome and thrilling.

[idunnosomename]

This actually does make sense.  Doc hid the Delorean in the cave in 1885 and it was discovered by Doc and Marty in 1955.  Digging it back out in 1855 would have prevented Doc and Marty discovering, creating a paradox.

but they dont need the fuel in 1955. yeah ok its nitpicking. to be honest there's probably a better way a scientist (who invented A TIME MACHINE) could've tried to make petrol in 1885 rather than putting high proof alcohol in the tank. it was being produced as a by-product of kerosene at that time.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Oh good, yet another thread where a popular film (or one intended to be, anyway) divides us into certain distinct camps:

- Cautiously Optimistic (wait and see, will admit were wrong)
- Avowedly Pessimistic (will say it'll be crap, and remind us of that ever after)
- Obstinately Negative (might end up enjoying it, but will never admit it)
- St. Eddie
- just listened to the ghost busters 2 sounds track and it's got some pretty good tunes on it

[mothman]

God, the more you think about it... why does the car have to be going 88mph to time travel? The temporal displacement is initiated by the time circuits via the flux capacitor, which is powered by plutonium initially (presumably a fission reaction), then the lightning strike, and ultimately the Mr. Fusion device. What purpose does the car travelling at any specific velocity serve?

OK it's hardwired into the circuitry for some reason... but how? A gyroscope detecting motion at that velocity? If so, yes, bit of a problem and one that necessitates the train in BTTF3. But if it's just some input from the car speedometer, you're telling me that couldn't be bypassed or faked somehow?[nb]NB: I am not an automotive, mechanical or electrical engineer. Maybe the answer is obvious. Or the need for the 88mph is clearly explained in dialogue and I've forgotten.[/nb]

- just listened to the ghost busters 2 sounds track and it's got some pretty good tunes on it

Bobby Brown?!

[popcorn]

Time moves at 88mph so you have to overtake it to go faster than it.

This is why things that go at more than 88mph (eg fast trains etc) are able to arrive at places more quickly than eg walking.