← Back to Directory
Back to the Future Part II
Movie

Back to the Future Part II

1989 • Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Woke Score
1
out of 10

Plot

Marty McFly has only just gotten back from the past, when he is once again picked up by Dr. Emmett Brown and sent through time to the future. Marty's job in the future is to pose as his own son to prevent him from being thrown in prison. Unfortunately, things get worse when the future changes the present.

Overall Series Review

Back to the Future Part II is a classic 1989 science fiction adventure focused entirely on correcting a time paradox caused by one man's greed. The narrative pits the traditional, nuclear McFly family against the corrupting force of the Tannen family across multiple timelines. The film centers on Marty McFly's personal flaws—his quick temper and inability to endure being called 'chicken'—as the source of future family problems, emphasizing individual responsibility over societal or systemic critique. The overarching goal is the restoration of the American family unit and the traditional moral order of Hill Valley. The film contains no commentary on race, class, or sexual identity. While the lead female character is sidelined early in the plot to prevent her from interfering with the time-space continuum, the primary female characters are portrayed as needing protection from the patriarchal, abusive alternate-timeline villain, ultimately promoting a complementarian and pro-family message.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The plot's conflict is driven by the personal vices of greed and bullying, not by race or immutable characteristics. Characters like Biff are judged as evil due to their corrupt actions, not their identity. The desired outcome is a universal meritocracy where the virtuous family triumphs over the selfish criminal.

Oikophobia1/10

The film does not criticize or deconstruct Western civilization. The entire narrative is a defense of the core institutions of American society, specifically the nuclear family and the hometown of Hill Valley, against the chaos of Biff Tannen’s alternate, corrupt timeline. The heroes actively work to restore their original home and heritage.

Feminism2/10

The core plot is pro-family and anti-abusive, patriarchal figures, as the heroes fight to save Marty’s parents from a forced, miserable marriage. Masculinity is portrayed as protective and necessary for familial stability. The score moves slightly higher than the minimum because Jennifer, the female lead, is rendered unconscious and passive early on, reducing her agency to prevent her from interfering with the plot.

LGBTQ+1/10

Alternative sexualities and gender ideology are entirely absent from the film. The story centers exclusively on the normative structure of the traditional male-female relationship and the defense of the nuclear family as the ideal outcome for the characters.

Anti-Theism1/10

The film operates on an objective moral framework: the time-space continuum is a 'sacred trust' that must not be violated for selfish gain. Greed and corruption are clearly defined as evil, and the film does not critique religion or promote moral relativism. The underlying structure supports a transcendent moral law.