: (Alan Silvestri) There
was originally no intent by anyone involved with the production of the
1985 instant classic
to plan for a sequel, but
with dominating grosses in the age of fantasy and action franchises,
Universal was eager to keep the magic of the time-traveling Delorean
going. Robert Zemeckis and Bob Hale hatched out a plot to be revealed
over two films, and with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment once
again producing, $40 million was budgeted for each sequel. Scheduled for
release six months apart from each other in late 1989 and summer, 1990,
the returning crew of the
sequels shot a few
scenes for the two pictures simultaneously, covering up for the loss of
two supporting actors from the original film (leading to a lawsuit from
the actor first portraying George McFly that eventually paved the way
for industry rules about the usage of any actor's likeness in sequels).
The second film was a dark bridge between the more frivolous first and
third stories, jumping through time extensively and exploring several
paradoxes that affect the 1950's setting and a 2015 one as well.
Alternate realities have to be cleared up by Marty McFly and Doc Brown
to ensure that past, present, and future misfortune doesn't befall the
McFly family and in turn benefit the first film's villain, Biff Tannen.
Some of this wild shifting through locations caused problems with
audiences, though
still earned well
over $330 million and was applauded by the visual effects industry for
its employment of new technology allowing an actor to seamlessly appear
multiple times in the same frames. While entertaining, the two sequels
did not come close to matching the fiscal or critical success of
, however, and the same applies to the two follow-up
scores by Alan Silvestri. The composer burst into the mainstream with
that 1985 score, which was amongst his first fully orchestral endeavors
in an otherwise pop-inspired career thus far, moving on to
He handled the two later scores in the order of their
films' post-production arrangement, so while there is some common
structural development to the two sequel scores, they exist as largely
effective separate entities. Silvestri did manage to write, without ever
seeing any of the third film, a preview of one of the two major new
themes for
Back to the Future Part III to accompany a teaser
sequence appended to
Back to the Future Part II. Most of the
second score directly extends from the first, however, an intentional
byproduct of the story's immediate continuation and, in some cases,
rehash of the same action from different camera angles. Outside of the
short burst of foreshadowing of the Western theme for
Back to the
Future Part III, which wasn't heard on the original album for the
first sequel, there is little of note that could be called original in
the second score. Silvestri does introduce a new, menacing theme of
trepidation for
Back to the Future Part II, a sneaky and ominous
identity for Biff's altering of the timeline and the sports almanac he
uses to change the outcome of time, but the music is otherwise
completely dependent upon the themes and even specific rephrasing from
the first film. In some cases, Silvestri remains so loyal to the
material from
Back to the Future that he almost reprises
substantial lengths of cues in cut and paste fashion for the second
entry. Along with the logical need to accompany scenes already witnessed
in the first film with similar music in the sequel, the loyal usage
speaks to the strength of the original composition. This tactic does
tend, though, to leave listeners unsatisfied with
Back to the Future
Part II, a work that ultimately simply teases out a few more slight
variations on the existing franchise themes for most of its duration.
The title theme and its two halves (the triumphant fanfare and the
longer adventure portion) are once again integral to the score, both
given extended treatment. The adventure half of the theme, and
especially its distinctive first three notes, is more frequently
referenced in subtle mutations. The soft theme for Marty and his
friendship with Doc Brown is rarely utilized, though it is heard in full
on woodwinds in the middle of "Western Union."
The two themes for Doc Brown are employed in
Back to
the Future Part II with greater frequency. The bumbling rhythmic
theme (the official identity of the character) frantically tumbles along
as the interlude to the primary theme in "Main Title" and then reappears
early in "The Future," both accompanying Brown's rather colorful, wacky
persona. Returning as a poignant stinger is the pair of descending
triads on percussion used by Silvestri to pinpoint the magical,
time-traveling aspect of the entire concept, though despite its opening
of "Back to Back," "Pair O' Docs," and "Western Union" (among other
places), it is unfortunately less prevalent than in the original. In
many ways, this little six-note phrase is a favorite motif in the entire
franchise, its xylophone and chimes performances so affable and
incredibly unique to these scores. The rumbling, rhythmic theme for
suspense, somewhat solidified as an identity for Biff, is heard far more
frequently in the sequel score (understandably), reprising its
Skateboard chase positioning in "Hoverboard Chase" and culminating in
the climactic "Tunnel Chase." It was always mostly a background element,
usually churning on piano, though in
Back to the Future Part II
it is given a leading role in several cues. The militaristic theme of
danger originally accompanying the initial time travel tests and Libyans
in pursuit of their plutonium in
Back to the Future is also
expanded, occupying much of "The Future" and "Something Inconspicuous."
Whereas this rhythm once foreshadowed
Predator for Silvestri, it
now seems like a shadow of that impressively percussive score. The only
new identity that Silvestri conjures for
Back to the Future Part
II is a two-part idea for the altered realities and gloomy future
that defines the sequel as a less fluffy story. Growing out of a greater
role of dissonance is this theme of brutal tone, blurting out from brass
and piano in "My Father," "Alternate 1985," and "If They Ever Did." The
stark orchestration of its performances affords it a certain level of
fright that Marty expresses upon seeing everything in his life gone
wrong. The secondary phrase of this theme, conveniently laid out in "My
Father," extends this idea to excruciating agony, its descending string
figures once again reminding of
Predator. The three cues
encapsulating these scenes in the center portions of
Back to the
Future Part II offer the score's most unique material, though with
its drab, often simmering tone, it's easy to overlook this section of
the score.
Outside of the cues aimed at the alternate 1985 in
Back to the Future Part II, Silvestri enters copy and paste mode,
overshadowing the new music with familiar performances that are, in some
cases, only slight in alteration. "The Future" is a partial reprise of
"'85 Twin Pines Mall," "Hoverboard Chase" obviously imitates "Skateboard
Chase," and "Burn the Book" and, to a lesser extent, "Tunnel Chase,"
regurgitate substantial portions of "Clocktower." The arrangement of the
"End Title" cue for
Back to the Future Part II really doesn't
present anything satisfying fresh, either. Normally, these reprises
wouldn't be a problem, but only if the subtle alterations were
intelligent and the performance and recording quality improved. The
former does exist (a few of the changes are quite keen, especially in
the increased insertion of Biff's suspense theme as counterpoint), but
the performance of this score, made on two separate sound stages, is
lousy at times and the sound quality (even compared to the original
Back to the Future album that featured only 12 minutes of score)
is far more muted. This final point is the biggest problem with
Back
to the Future Part II; it simply sounds extremely poor compared to
the first and third recordings. The piano is mixed with a bit of reverb,
it seems, but the rest of the ensemble is incredibly flat and sounds
remarkably small. The constricted atmosphere of the score sucks much of
the life out of the work and diminishes the fantasy element
significantly. There is also, ironically, a lingering effect of the
songs from the first film;
Back to the Future is such a spirited
blend of 50's songs, 80's songs, and adventure score that to hear a
repeat of most of the score without the hip and stirring song placements
is a bit awkward. In terms of listening to the score alone, however,
this Silvestri entry still can be recommended to enthusiasts of the
original because of the strength of the returning themes. Just be sure
to temper your expectations. In 2015, just in time for the film's future
setting (in which the Chicago Cubs did
not win the World Series
as predicted, though they came comparatively close, much to the hype of
concept enthusiasts), Intrada Records provided a full presentation of
the score, including an extensive selection of alternate takes recorded
before final edits. Unfortunately, the sound quality on this set isn't
much improved, revealing the original recording arrangement to be the
issue with score's perceived smallness. If the amount of rehash and
sound issues deter you from this entry, then
Back to the Future Part
III is a superior and more original alternative.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Alan Silvestri reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.46
(in 41 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.34
(in 39,966 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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