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jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
Very fun and entertaining. Although not everything contained here was brand new to me, such as Eric Stoltz's brief stint as Marty, I still appreciated additional information about these topics as well as gaining more knowledge about the series. Since I am not as fond of the second and third movies, it was a relief that the book focuses more on the first film and the foundation that it laid while still including material about the later installments. Highlights include the juicy drama caused by Crispin Glover not participating in the sequels, the breakdown of a near-fatal stunt in Part II, and the lasting impact of the trilogy in pop culture with individuals of all ages. My only quibble is wishing that Michael J. Fox and Tom Wilson had been interviewed in addition to the many members of the cast and crew that Gaines spoke with to share their memories and offer insider insight on the movies.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
3.0
This is okay. It has some research but it is a mixture of facts and opinion with the author placing their point of view into this - though it should only be factual. Some new information for me and some old, it is still an interesting read.
coqui2k's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed this book it did not bring anything new. Most of the information has been documented on the DVDs releases. Wish it would contained new information that has never been revealed. Like an interview with Eric Stolz.
deepfreezebatman's review
3.0
Fun behind-the-scenes stories about the BTTF trilogy. Entertaining and well-researched... perfect for any BTTF fanatic and/or snob.
mattgoldberg's review against another edition
4.0
It’s a good book. I have no idea why it took me over a month to read it since it’s an easy read with interesting anecdotes. I definitely didn’t know about the drama on Part II with Crispin Glover or the stunt that resulted in Cheryl Wheeler getting seriously injured. But it would also be a stretch to say that the making-of these movies was incredibly dramatic, and truth be told, that drama tends to arise from flops with disastrous productions rather than here where there were significant obstacles, but all three movies are good and continue to be well regarded.
I read this because I’m a diehard fan of the trilogy, so it was nice to learn some things I didn’t know about these movies.
I read this because I’m a diehard fan of the trilogy, so it was nice to learn some things I didn’t know about these movies.
kburns2004's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't finish. It's a shame because I love that trilogy so much, but the book reads so dry that I couldn't read more than a few pages at a time.
emanning64's review against another edition
3.0
While entertaining, it's definitely uneven. Over half the book is spent on the first movie, while the second movie get a little love, and the third barely getting more than a few chapters. The ending also seemed like a "let's just throw some random fan stuff in there to make it longer."
readingthestars's review against another edition
5.0
An absolute must read for anyone who is a fan of the series! Back to the Future is my favorite movie of all time, and reading this was amazing. It had so many fun facts that I didn't know about before, including photos from set. Now I can rewatch the movies and notice all sorts of things I didn't notice before.
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
Review of We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of Back to the Future Trilogy
By: Caseen Gaines
I wasn’t an apple in my parent’s eye when the first movie in this classic trilogy came out, but I was born when the second installment came out. My first exposure to Back to the Future was in the mid 90s when my parents took my sister and I to Universal, and we rode the simulation ride. I loved the ride, and my dad told me about the movies. The rest is history.
“We Don’t Need Roads” was a must read for me and it was a fascinating look into this great science fiction adventure comedy. Caseen Gaines, an even bigger fan than I, takes a deep dive into how this exciting trilogy was made and what it took to bring it out in the world. The first part focuses on the first movie, highlighting how long it took to get this movie greenlit. Since Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale didn’t have the most bankable track record with making films, plus time travel movies didn’t get butts in seats in the 80s, production companies weren’t interested. It was after “Romancing the Stone” did well at the box office that got them another chance to greenlight it.
There are some tidbits I knew about it but didn’t know the details such as Eric Stoltz being the first Marty McFly and Crispin Glover asking for a lot more money than Gale and Zemeckis were willing to pay him for part 2. The cast and crew thought Stoltz was a great actor, but he didn’t have what Zemeckis was looking for, the humor and wackiness. It was a risk to make a television star, Michael J. Fox, who had no movie experience at the time, in this movie, but he had the comedic acting style they wanted. It also cost them a lot and set them back quite a bit to fire Stoltz. As for Glover. Gaines talks about how he was considered a brilliant actor, but the crew considered him difficult to work with. The common word used to describe him is eccentric. I felt bad for the actor who replaced him in the second movie, Jeffrey Weissman, who wasn’t well received, and it was just awkward for both him and his costars, especially Lea Thompson. Apparently, the second installment wasn’t as well received as a sequel by fans and critics, because it went to a very dark place with the story than the first movie, which had a sentimental quality to it. I personally find that it is underappreciated, because of that, but they took an interesting to make it different. I imagine today’s audience would probably appreciate it more with its interest in darker stories. The main cast like Lea Thompson loved working on part 2, especially the “Biffhorrific” scenes. Part 3 was the easier of the films to make as there weren’t as many special effects and they got to go on location this time around. Film critic Lenard Maltin liked it better because he liked Westerns. The cast had a more of a relaxed experience and Fox’s time on Family Ties had wrapped up, so he didn’t have to travel between sets. Gaines goes into detail on how the DeLorean was brought to life and how they created a lot of the future tech like hoverboards. It is amusing that people were disappointed that hoverboards aren’t real.
This book shows how much impact this trilogy has had on our culture and how even today it is still popular. Most of the actors participate at the convention and even today in 2023, they’re doing virtual meet and greets with fans.