Back to the Future Part III (1990)

"History repeats itself" is the jokey lesson at the heart of Back to the Future Part III, as the Old West version of Hill Valley is chock full of ancestors who all behave exactly as their descendents will in 1955, 1985 and 2015. It's in this way that Back to the Future Part III succumbs to sequelitis, the malady that inflicts series in which the same jokes are tirelessly repeated, to remind audiences what they liked so much about the original. And because the head-spinning questions raised by time travel in the first two movies were what connected with audiences, awakening their intellectual curiosity and sense of awe, there's something noticeably absent when the series settles down in an old dusty town for its finale. A conventional, though not unappealing, western/comedy, Back to the Future Part III relies a lot more on the waning charm of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, plus an influx of sweetness from Mary Steenburgen, than the fascinating gadgets and elaborate plans that made the first two whir along. Although the softer tone is a welcome change after the dark Back to the Future Part II, the third film feels like a technological and creative step backward in terms of its narrative and contrived plot elements. It maintains a whiff of the genius and wit that set the series in motion, but it also seems like Universal's attempt to play it safer after the risky and challenging middle installment. It's a competent conclusion to the series, but too comfortable to earn the kind of affection this series deserves. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide