In 1985, one of the most popular films of all-time was released. Back to the Future was the highest-grossing movie of the year by far and made its star, Michael J. Fox, known then for Family Ties, one of the most famous actors in the game. The adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) were so compelling that there had to be a sequel. Back to the Future ended up becoming a trilogy, and the first sequel, Back to the Future Part II, returned to theaters for its 35th anniversary. There is so much to love about the Back to the Future movies, but that’s not to say they’re without flaws.Most of those flaws thankfully lie in the deleted scenes. Back to the Future Part II may very well contain a sizeable blemish, but omitting it might have made the problem worse.

‘Back to the Future’ Is About Marty McFly and His Family

Back to the Future has one of the most iconic ideas for a movie, with a teenage Marty McFly going back in time from 1985 to 1955. In the past, he meets the teenage versions of his parents, but things then go horribly wrong when Marty’s future mother, Lorraine (Lea Thompson), falls in love with him instead of his timid father-to-be, George (Crispin Glover). This leads to Marty having to find a way to get his parents back together, because if he doesn’t, then he will never be born. Disney might not have understood it, turning the film down because they thought it was incestuous, but thankfully, with the help of producer Steven Spielberg, director Robert Zemeckis was able to find someone who would take a chance on Back to the Future.

There’s more than Marty at stake though. He also has two older siblings, a brother named Dave (Marc McClure) and a sister named Linda (Wendie Jo Sperber). From time to time, Marty pulls out a photo of him and his siblings together, watching as they begin to ever so slowly disappear. The stakes raise when it is revealed that if they fade away in the photo, they fade away in reality as well. Dave and Linda McFly only show up in a couple of scenes in Back to the Future. We meet them for a few minutes at the beginning, spending just enough time with them to learn that they’re underachievers just like their parents, but then we don’t see them again to the ending, after Marty changes the future and returns to an alternate 1985 where his family has all made something out of themselves.

2:47 Related The Heartbreaking Reason Why Jennifer Was Recast in ‘Back to the Future Part II’ It wasn’t just Marty McFly who underwent casting changes.

Dave and Linda don’t appear at all in Back to the Future II, and are only shown briefly in Back to the Future Part III, but one deleted scene from that first sequel does show what Dave is up to. In Back to the Future II, the past gets messed up when Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) gets his hands on a sports almanac from the future. This leads to him becoming a very rich man in 1985 who has taken control of Hill Valley and Marty’s mom;because of this, Hill Valley now looks like a war zone. As Marty walks up the steps to Biff’s casino mansion, he is confronted by Dave, who has just been thrown out by Biff’s thugs. Dave is a homeless alcoholic now, stumbling and slurring his words. Marty is shocked by his brother, who wants to go out for drinks. He tells Marty where to find their mom before walking away and out of the movie.

‘Back to the Future’ Forgets To Make Us or Marty Care About His Siblings

It was ultimately a good choice not to include this scene in Back to the Future Part II. It brings in Marty’s brother, who should be one of the most important people in his life, only to show him at his lowest point, only to immediately remove him from the plot.Marty doesn’t try to help him or bring him along with him, and the moment Dave is out of his sight, Marty moves on from the encounter, seemingly unbothered.

This ties into another one of the rare flaws with the Back to the Future franchise. The themes are so much about saving one’s family, yet we barely get to know Dave and Linda. They are small supporting characters in the first film and then barely seen again, and if they were a plot device to show the before and after of Marty’s life more than anything else. They are so inconsequential, one could say, that they could fade away and no one would notice.

Back to the Future Part II Release Date November 22, 1989 Runtime 108

Back to the Future Part II is available to stream on Starz in the U.S.

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