Back to the Future Part IIis part of one of the most popular trilogies in film history, yet it has a surprisingly low Rotten Tomatoes score for several reasons. Concerning theranking ofBack to the Futuremovies, it is safe to say that it is a near-unanimous view that the original 1985 film is the best. Where the sequels are concerned, the opinion fluctuates. Both movies are considered solid successors to the original that includeiconicBack to the Futurescenesfor any fan to enjoy.
Nonetheless, many would agree thatBack to the Future Part IIandPart IIIare simply not as strong as their predecessor, which is part of the reasonwhyBack to the Future 4never happened. Despite this view that the first movie is the best, all three are often collectively regarded as one of the mostconsistently great trilogies in cinema history. Although this is true,it may come as a surprise to some thatBack to the Future Part IIhas a fairly low critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, begging the question of why.
Back To The Future Part II’s Tomatometer Score Is Surprisingly Low, Given The Trilogy’s Popularity
Back To The Future 2 Is The Worst-Ranked In The Trilogy
As I alluded to,Back to the Future Part II’s Rotten Tomatoes score is unexpectedly low, sitting at 63% approval rating.Admittedly, the audience rating for the second movie is much higher with a 23% gap. The audience approval rating forBack to the Future Part IIis 86%, yet the fact that the movie only just scraped a “Fresh” rating from critics is incredibly surprising. The main reasons for this surprise are the overall popularity of theBack to the Futuretrilogy and the individual scores of the other two movies involved.
TheBack to the Futuretrilogy has one movie that is regarded as notably weaker than other installments, which seems somewhat contradictory…
The originalBack to the Futurehas a 93% critical rating on the website, while the third film was rated positively by 79% of critics. The score forBack to the Future Part IIis clearly the worst of the three, yetBack to the Futureis often noted as one of the best movie trilogies ever made. Unlike others of this ilk, likeStar Wars, Toy Story, Lord of the Rings,orThe Dark Knight, theBack to the Futuretrilogy has one movie that is regarded as notably weaker than other installments, which seems somewhat contradictory given its popularity.
What Critics Said About Back To The Future Part II Upon Release
WithBack to the Future Part II’s shockingly low critical score in mind, it is worth exploring what critics said about it to warrant this reception. Upon the film’s initial release,perhaps the biggest criticism was that the story was too convoluted. One of the best aspects of the originalBack to the Futurewas its simplicity, with the film taking a time-travel plot and making it easy to digest.Back to the Future Part II, however, introduced another time period, 2015, and alternate versions of the same character.
This resulted in Doc Brown having to spell out the various plot threads of the movie for the audience at one point, proving how convoluted the movie truly was. Moreover,many criticizedBack to the Future Part IIfor being too dark at the time of its release. Lorraine being forced to marry Biff and the death of George McFly were two overly dark elements of what was, at least based on the first movie, perceived as a light-hearted, family-friendly franchise. For these reasons, as well as the film’s big cliffhanger,Back to the Future Part II’s mixed receptionbecame reality.
Back To The Future Part II Isn’t As Good As The Original, But It’s Not A 63% Movie
Back To The Future 2 Deserves Slightly Better
With all of this in mind, it is worth arguing thatBack to the Future Part IIdeserves better than a 63% rating. Although it remains the case that the film is not as truly excellent as the original 1985 film is, its critical score makes it seem like an average movie at best. The threshold for a “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 59%, meaning the movie was almost regarded as an overall poor film based on critical aggregates. Anyone who has seenBack to the Future Part IIknows this is somewhat of an injustice.
Back to the Future Part II’s 86% audience rating and 7.8/10 rating on IMDb prove that the movie is better regarded among fans than critics.
Back to the Future Part IIcertainly has its flaws, but the movie contains a lot of things to love. Based on the reaction to the film since its release, many would agree that it is on par withBack to the Future Part III.A critical score of around 75-80% seems fair for bothBack to the Futuresequels, with 63% being far too low. I suppose it is a saving grace of sorts that the trilogy as a whole is still held in high regard, and that the surprisingly low critical score ofBack to the Future Part IIdoes not mar the overall series.
