听 A sequel to "Back to the Future" would have seemed a certainty to anyone who saw the first film, but as you'll find out on this DVD, the producers were just praying to make their money back on the first film.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture The sequel looks every bit as good as it did in the cinema, and certainly fresher than it did on previous TV outings. There's a fine grain to the picture, but it matches the look of the first film, which is important as a lot of the action takes place in the same time zone and location.
Sound Both the Dolby and DTS 5.1 mixes have more to do in terms of sound effects than the first movie required. The flying sequences gain a lot, and there's plenty of bass support for the time-travel scenes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Making of Featurette This is the original six-minute promotional featurette for the movie, including footage of the set building, which had to meticulously recreate the look of the first film. Production designer Rick Carter chats about the futuristic transformation and how he was going to avoid the overused "Blade Runner" look that other movies 'borrowed'.
Making the Trilogy: Part II Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale take a retrospective look at a sequel that hadn't been planned. Even though the end of the first film was conveniently open-ended, the flying car was just added as a cool effect. As Zemeckis points out, he and Gale wouldn't have included Marty's girlfriend in the car had they been planning a sequel, as her inclusion caused massive complications to the follow-up.
The two Bobs also had to do something about the father, as Crispin Glover wasn't going to return due to the contractual demands he was making. Thus was born a major plot point that he was, in fact, dead.
Outtakes There are only a precious 46 seconds of outtakes, but there are a few amusing gaffes to chuckle over.
Deleted Scenes Three minutes of deleted footage is your bag for this film, and it does include some rather forbidding visions of the future.
Hoverboard Test This test footage of actors and stuntmen on hoverboards is very reminiscent in feel to the test footage found on the "Superman" DVD. It's pretty scary looking stuff, too, as the actors swing through the air at speed, attached to a crane.
Storyboard Comparison Marty's encounter with a hoverboard is broken down into split screen action.
Additional Extra Features The following image galleries are on offer: Marty McFly stills; behind-the-scenes; futuristic designs (some great stills here); and vehicles of the future. Also included on the disc is the original theatrical trailer.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Region: 2
Chapters: 20
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English
Captions: English
Menus: Animated with music
Special Features Subtitles: All the special features come with subtitles, apart from the storyboard comparison.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
"Back to the Future II" is available as part of a trilogy DVD boxset.
