Name: Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: adventure, comedy, scifi
Released: 1990
Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Mary Steenburgen, Michael J. Fox, Thomas F. Wilson

CMDB Review

8/10

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Back to the Future Part III (1990) poster

Overview

Back to the Future Part III (1990) Storyline

Back to the Future Part III closes the trilogy by sending Marty McFly from 1955 to the Old West after discovering that Doc Brown is trapped in 1885 and headed for a fatal showdown. Swapping hoverboards for horses, the film turns the franchise into a sci-fi western as Marty tries to save Doc, repair the DeLorean and avoid getting himself killed by Buford ‘Mad Dog’ Tannen. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Part III gives Christopher Lloyd more emotional material through Doc’s romance with schoolteacher Clara Clayton, while still delivering the time-travel logic, comedy and last-second engineering chaos fans expect. It is warmer and more relaxed than Part II, but it works because the trilogy has earned that final ride. The wider Back to the Future universe later continued through comics, giving the franchise extra timeline stories beyond this cinematic ending.

adventure comedy scifi

Back to the Future Part III (1990) Details Director, release, studio & more

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Release: 25/05/1990
Runtime: 118 minutes
Universe: IDW Publishing
Last Updated: 16 Aug 2026

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Who's In It

Cast of Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Christopher Lloyd Dr. Emmett Brown

Lea Thompson Lorraine Baines McFly

Mary Steenburgen Clara Clayton

Michael J. Fox Marty McFly

Thomas F. Wilson Biff Tannen

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CMDB Review

Back to the Future Part III (1990) Review 8/10

We have rated Back to the Future Part III 8 out of 10. The third film is a brilliant example of a trilogy finale that knows exactly what lane it wants to drive down — or gallop down, technically. After the dense timeline chaos of Part II, this chapter strips things back into a western adventure with Marty trying to rescue Doc from history, destiny and one very angry Tannen ancestor. The change of setting could have felt like a gimmick, but it gives the film a fresh personality while keeping the friendship between Marty and Doc at the centre. Christopher Lloyd gets some lovely material opposite Mary Steenburgen, and the train finale is pure Saturday-morning serial excitement with a blockbuster budget. It is slightly less electric than the original and less mind-bending than Part II, but it is arguably the most heartfelt entry. The western jokes land, the trilogy threads tie together nicely, and the final message about the future not being written gives the whole series a sweet, optimistic finish. Not bad for a franchise powered by plutonium, lightning and terrible decisions around sports memorabilia.

Did You Know?

Back to the Future Part III was filmed back-to-back with Part II.
The film moves most of the action to 1885 Hill Valley.
Mary Steenburgen plays Clara Clayton, Doc Brown’s love interest.
Thomas F. Wilson appears as Buford ‘Mad Dog’ Tannen.
The finale uses a steam train as part of the time-travel escape plan.
The western setting allowed the series to pay tribute to classic cowboy cinema.
Marty uses the alias Clint Eastwood while in 1885.
The film was released in 1990, less than a year after Part II.
It gives Doc Brown one of the most emotional arcs in the trilogy.
Back to the Future stories later continued in comic books and other spin-off media.