Soon afterwards, the credits rolled and inevitably, almost everyone in this showing had already stood up.
Not to leave... but to clap. Giving out the standard standing ovation, especially when the film is deserving of one.
For it delivered. A glimpse into a potential future!
A future they were actually looking forward to. Unfortunately, reality was far from how the film tried to present the year 2015 could be...
Then again, they didn't know that. Yet.
Irregardless... Back to the Future II is a great movie... as evidenced by their unseated figures and colliding palms.
Perhaps to convey... bravo to the film!
Just going by its story and structure... plenty of cinephiles were hooked... since it was a bold continuation of the original story.
A sequel that expands the scope of time travel beyond just the past and present. It not only introduced the future 2015 as a new setting. It even revisited 1955 from a fresh perspective and went further by creating a corrupted alternate 1985 dystopia.
Really building on the consequences of small actions in time yet it weaves together multiple timelines seamlessly.
Bringing Marty into direct contact with his past self. Raising the stakes by showing time travel's dangers... and from what was just shown, it seriously sets up Back to the Future Part III with a bold cliffhanger.
Apparently, to be set in 1885.
Which brings even more attention to the writing and some very clever details aside from the not-so-subtle foreshadowing of Part III.... like the smart callbacks to the first movie.
Parallels between 1955 and 2015 chases. The Sports Almanac as a clever plot device. Then Layering time travel as a mystery puzzle. The irony of Marty's kids repeating his mistakes. Running gag about being called "chicken."
Doc's heartfelt letter from an even further past. And time-travel rules that are explained but still being continuously expounded upon...
Centering around themes that explore the ripple effect of choices. Cautioning against greed and corruption. Balances optimism about the future with warnings.
Exploring generational cycles. Showing technology as both fun and dangerous. Then addressing personal responsibility while exploring the temptation of easy money.
All the while highlighting the value of friendship and trust which juxtaposes both utopia and dystopia. And further emphasizing family as a core.
Of course, all of that doesn't detract from the development of some characters.
Wherein Marty McFly grows as a more responsible character. Doc Brown becomes a more emotionally layered mentor. Biff Tannen is more menacing and complex while Old Biff traveling to the past adds even more menace and irony. Lorraine's alternate lives highlight time's fragility and George McFly's altered presence adds mystery.
This time, Jennifer actually gets pulled deeper into the time-travel chaos. Connecting it on to new characters like their children from Marty Jr. and Marlene.
Then there's Griff Tannen as an over-the-top yet hilarious villain.
All in all, the characters across the eras really highlight the generational theme... but that may just be because the movie recycled the same actors to play their kin, in a creative manner.
In no small part and effort to the actor's performances...
Michael J. Fox's comedic timing and the ability to play multiple characters convincingly. Especially when it came to Marty's fish-out-of-water reactions to 2015.
Christopher Lloyd's iconic energy as Doc... with his wild over-explanations.
Of course, the chemistry between Fox and Lloyd remains just as intriguing...
While one also had to commend Thomas F. Wilson's range as Biff, Griff, and old Biff. Anchored by a comedic meanness that makes his portrayal quite memorable.
And then there's Lea Thompson's ability to adapt Lorraine to each timeline. Then followed by supporting casts like Eric Stoltz and then Claudia Wells and many more...
Truly supporting casts that no doubt provided the story some more continuity and additional charm... like the actors that played Griff's absurdly exaggerated gang.
Accordingly, they were right here in this premiere and theater so claps towards their way were a given given.
Then again, those were just writing, storytelling, and acting focal points... for there are still plenty of other standouts to list out...
Specifically in the field of Visuals & Effects that this movie had aplenty.
First and foremost are the hoverboards... that are iconic and imaginative.
Flying cars over Hill Valley that really paint the don't-need-no-roads claim.
And then there's the futuristic Pepsi Perfect vending scene... the miniaturized pizza hydrator gag... and the self-lacing Nikes sequence. Cause it's a self-lacing shoe, after all.
And who can't not miss all the more Creed-based advertisements... like the RoboCop-esque lady cops and futuristic plasterings of other Creed characters.
Then there's the multi-Marty scenes blending seamlessly.... Old Biff meeting young Biff... and the double McFly family dinner sequence. Which were movie magic at its finest.
Set-wise... the Future Hill Valley designs that are bright and colorful and there's the alternate 1985's dark, neon-lit dystopia that was quite apt.
No doubt a product of Director Zemeckis's cinematic techniques that pioneered the use of digital compositing. With motion control cameras for duplicates, matched with clever split-screen acting.
Adding to that is how he seamlessly weaved 1985 footage from Part I. Innovative practical effects. Miniatures for future cityscapes. Playful camera movement in chase sequences. Perfectly timed editing for comic beats. Lighting contrasts between timelines. Smart production design continuity with Part I.
So, kudos to the director and self-commendations to the technical team members who are here this evening.
Granted, as the music of the closing credits played... it actually fit right in to whatever grandness this film is about to achieve... and the rhythm was perfect enough to match the applause of those who deserve it.
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Consequently, Alexander himself was not too caught up in the aggrandizing and the long array of praises.
At least that is what he believed to be underneath all of this applause.
Some of these people were probably half-assing it and were just standing-ly ovating for standing ovation's sake.
It's the gesture that counts for all he cares.
Even Milla and Drew by his sides were chittering nonstop about the movie but at this point it just devolved into Milla bragging about her part and Drew undermining it as she could.
Spare popcorns are bound to be thrown back and forth... probably...
In any case... what truly caught Alexander's attention were those that didn't bother to do any sort of cringey after-movie reactions.
Specifically, the type that just sat and scowled.
They were hard to see with everyone else standing up but they were pretty obvious once spotted.
And sure enough, they were just about the same shady folks that mingled about. The same folks he noticed earlier. With probably not-so-good intentions for being here.
Even if some of the movie critics present here had awful things to write later, they at least had the decency to play pretend. For the money they're expecting to pocket probably...
But these sat-down scowlers had no plans to go fake. Since they're most likely bigwigs or high-positioned representatives that believe themselves above whatever money Creed Pictures could give.
Which was quite the drag and hassle in Alexander's opinion... and pushing problematic types like that to Old Sullivan is actually what he plans to do.