Back to the Future is a film series that secured its place within the hearts of a generation almost immediately upon it's release in 1985. A pair of sequels quickly followed, with the second and third film being made back to back, and the resulting trilogy became one of the most beloved film series ever created. It's hard to describe just how much of an impact they had upon wider culture, from people only knowing the Delorean as a time machine, to thousands of posts and memes in 2015 as we reached the point of the future time of the second film, and even Donald Trump being compared to the future sleazy criminal version of Biff Tannen (a comparison that's actually hugely unfair to Biff). Back to the Future is an icon, and one that not only deserves a book like Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History, but demands it.
This newly revised and expanded version of the book is a bit of a monster to hold with its thick, embossed hardcover, and more than 200 pages. As someone with chronic illness there were times when I found even picking up the book to read a challenge that resulted in some pain; and if a book is that big that just holding it hurts I know I'm getting some value for money.
The book is split into four distinct parts, the first and largest covers the original film, the second the sequel, and the third the final film, with the last section going into the ongoing legacy of the series and where it has continued on in popular culture.
The first film definitely gets the most attention here, and this is largely because it's the film that needed the most work, which we can see here as the book covers various drafts of the script, story changes, and even the recasting of one of the film's two lead actors. It's interesting to see what we could have had with the details on these early drafts, with Marty as a streetwise video pirate, the time machine being a fridge, a nuclear bomb needed to send Marty home, and a military action scene in the final act. Whilst the bare bones of the film we know and love is there much of that charm is missing from these early versions; which is something that we get to see slowly added as the pre-production of the film is given in wonderful detail.
Once the story we know is figured out the book goes into the design elements of the film, showing us designs for the Delorean, some of which look more like spaceships, versions of the flux capacitor that vary wildly from what we got, and storyboard breakdowns of some of the films more intense moments. These chapters go into some fantastic details about the challenges of creating the film from scratch, of finding the right look and feel for the sets, costumes, and props, to picking the perfect actors for the role, and the pitfalls that come from having to translate the script to the screen.
Whilst the section on the second movie isn't as long as the first it's by no means lacking in any way. Readers are treated to the various story drafts, designs for the future locations and clothing, behind the scenes looks at how the sequel returned to the first movie, and find out how the films effects were brought to life with models, wirework, and a prosthetic trickery.
The part of the book that covers the third film is a delightful section, partly because as a little girl I always liked the third one the best. With the third film taking such a big leap away from the visual eras of the first two films almost everything had to be designed new from the ground up, and we get to see here how the town of Hill Valley was designed and constructed in the desert, how costumes were developed, Doc Browns old west inventions, and one of my favourite pieces in the trilogy, the time train.
Following on from taking a look at the films the book goes into the legacy of the series. We get to see how the Back to the Future ride was developed and created for Universal Studios, from the development of the concept, to the creation of animatronic dinosaurs and miniature sets. We also get some insight into the short lived animated series that continues the adventures of Marty, the Doc, and his family following the events of the third film. The book covers merchandise and toys that have been released over the years, video games, references in other media, and comics. One of the largest parts of this section goes into the creation of the musical version of the film, something that has spanned the globe and wowed audiences across thousands of performances.
Whilst a book packed with behind the scenes stories, interviews, production secrets, and more extra information than any fan of the franchise could ask for, the book doesn't just stop there, as it comes with more surprises. Scattered throughout the book are pieces of merchandise, prop replica's, and easter eggs than I was ready for. These include things like a lenticular photo of Marty and his siblings that creates the effect of Marty's brother and sister vanishing from time, a copy of the letter Marty leave Doc Brown warning him about getting shot, a reversible 2015 newspaper with both versions of events, a Biff dollar, the photo of Doc and Marty in 1885, and so much more. My personal favourite is the fold out poster for Jaws 19, which I am incredibly tempted to get framed alongside some of the other pieces to make a collage display.
When I first saw the details for Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History I was a bit taken aback by the price, as this isn't a cheap book. However, after spending some time with it I can't help but feel that it's a very reasonable price, as the book is amazing value for money. As a fan of the films it throws more insight and information at me than I could have asked for, giving me an even deeper appreciation and love for the series. The addition of the extra pieces, like the posters, photos, and prop replicas not only makes it great value for money, but made the book so much fun to explore, as each turn of the page leading to another secret item brought a huge smile and the excitement of discovery.
Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History (Revised and Expanded Edition) is the perfect piece for any fan of the franchise, and if you failed to pick the book up on previous releases you're not going to want to miss out on this celebration of 40 years of an icon of cinema.
Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History (Revised and Expanded Edition) is available now from Titan Books.
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