History YMMV / BackToTheFuturePartIII

* HarsherInHindsight: The first film had Doc and Marty use lightning striking Hill Valley's clocktower to enable the [=DeLorean=] and Marty to get back to 1985; this lightning stopped the clocktower from functioning at all. The town used for the 1885 Hill Valley was destroyed by lightning in 1996.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The first film had Doc and Marty use lightning striking Hill Valley's clocktower to enable the [=DeLorean=] and Marty to get back to 1985; this lightning stopped the clocktower from functioning at all. The town used for the 1885 Hill Valley was destroyed by lightning in 1996.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The town used for the 1885 Hill Valley was destroyed by lightning in 1996.

* AwardSnub: The only film in the series not to be nominated at the Academy Awards. It was one of the shortlisted films for Best Visual Effects along with ''Film/DickTracy'', ''Film/{{Ghost}}'' and ''Film/TotalRecall'', but due to Oscar voting rules at the time, only ''Total Recall'' received enough votes to advance to the final nomination, so there were no official nominees in that category and ''Total Recall'' received a special achievement award.

** [[Series/DoctorWho A white haired time traveling doctor meeting a woman (a teacher to boot) named Clara?]] Where have I seen that before? Funnier, considering said Clara is played by the same actress who played Amy Robbins in Film/TimeAfterTime. Funnier still, both of these doctors [[VideoGame/LegoDimensions would one day meet]].

* MoralEventHorizon: This trope caused a scene to be removed from the film. Originally, the movie was to have contained a scene where Buford Tannen, ancestor of Biff, shoots and kills Marshall Strickland in front of the lawman's son. According to screenwriter Bob Gale, the scene was removed because it was felt that after Buford is seen committing such a deed, [[KarmaHoudini it doesn't seem right that he not die]] (and he ''can't'' die, seeing as he will need to live long enough to extend the family line). While one would wonder why the filmmakers simply didn't add a throwaway line implying Buford already had children, they probably felt that unless Buford was actually raising the children and being a constant presence in their lives, they would instead have ended up being put into loving homes, and thus, far less likely to become bullies themselves in adulthood. The scene made it into the novelization of the movie, however.

** Clara doesn't believe Doc when he claims to be a time traveler, but when she discovers the model of Doc and Marty's restart-the-Delorean plan, she races to the railroad line desperately calling his name. Did the model actually convince her that Doc was from the future? Or did it convince her that the man she loved was ''about to get himself killed'' by acting out a delusional fantasy, going over a cliff in a fake homemade "time machine"?

* StrangledByTheRedString: The film discusses this in regards to Doc and Clara's relationship. After going back to 1885, Marty shows Doc a picture of his future tombstone, which contains a mention of "his beloved Clara", though Doc doesn't know who she is, even though he's supposed to be killed in three days. After finding out who Clara is and that he's supposed to be meeting her Doc and Marty discuss it. Marty believes it's possible, but Doc, being a man of science, refuses.
-->'''Marty:''' Well, Doc, now we know who Clara is.
-->'''Doc:''' Marty, it's impossible. The idea that I could fall in LoveAtFirstSight? It's romantic nonsense. There's no scientific rationale to that!
-->'''Marty:''' ''[laughing]'' C'mon, Doc, it's not science. You meet the right girl, it just hits ya; [[CallBack it's like lightning]].

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: ** During the climax, Doc Brown has Marty specifically enter October 27, 1985, 11:00 am as the destination time. Given Doc's predilection for trains and remembering certain events down to the moment, and given his desire to destroy the time machine, did he remember the 1985 train schedule and have Marty set the time circuits in such a way that the [=DeLorean=] would be almost immediately destroyed upon their return to the future?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: During the climax, Doc Brown has Marty specifically enter October 27, 1985, 11:00 am as the destination time. Given Doc's predilection for trains and remembering certain events down to the moment, and given his desire to destroy the time machine, did he remember the 1985 train schedule and have Marty set the time circuits in such a way that the [=DeLorean=] would be almost immediately destroyed upon their return to the future?

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The revelation that two of the [=McFly=] ancestors [[IdenticalGrandson looked exactly like Marty]] solves the issue of why George and Lorraine never thought it suspicious that Marty looked exactly like "Calvin Klein".

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The revelation that two of the [=McFly=] ancestors [[IdenticalGrandson looked exactly like Marty]] solves the issue of why George and Lorraine never thought it suspiciously that Marty looked exactly like "Calvin Klein".

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Trying to prove yourself to anyone who accuses you of being cowardly is not going to end well and said people are usually not worth the effort anyway with Marty realizing that both Tannen and Needles are "assholes" and he doesn't care what they or anyone else thinks of him. Learning this not only saves Marty's life but also changes his future as he realized he didn't need to respond to Needles' taunting and avoided a serious accident that wrecked his life.

** Clara doesn't believe Doc when he claims to be a time traveler, but when she discovers the model of Doc and Marty's restart-the-Delorean plan, she races to the railroad line desperately calling his name. Did the model actually convince her that Doc was from the future? Or did it convince her that the man she loved was ''about to get himself killed'' by acting out a delusional fantasy of reaching the future by going over a cliff in a fake homemade "time machine"?

* SignatureScene: Everyone remembers Doc Brown's [[spoiler:time-travelling train.]]

* IconicSequelCharacter: Creator/MarySteenburgen is the only new actor of any note (other than Elisabeth Shue being TheOtherDarrin for Jennifer) introduced to the series for either sequel. She’s one of the most liked in the series.

* DemotedToExtra: Creator/LeaThompson has very little screen time and no real significance to the strory.

* AwardSnub: The only film in the series not to be nominated at the Academy Awards. It was one of the short list for Best Visual Effects along with ''Film/DickTracy'', ''Film/{{Ghost}}'' and ''Film/TotalRecall'', but due to Oscar voting rules at the time, only ''Total Recall'' received enough votes to advance to the final nomination, so there were no official nominees in that category and ''Total Recall'' received a special achievement award.

* AngstWhatAngst: Doc seems quite amused by the idea of him getting trapped in the old western period. When we get to meeting Doc of that era, we find he has indeed adapted rather well. Could be considered justified by the fact he had successfully completed his life's work, explored the future he knew he'd never live to see, and then realized the dangers of time travel and intended to destroy the [=DeLorean=] -- becoming a blacksmith in an Old West township probably seemed like a peaceful retirement plan.

* AwardSnub: The only film in the series not to be nominated at the Academy Awards. It was one of the short list for Best Visual Effects along with ''Film/DickTracy'', ''Film/{{Ghost}}'' and ''Film/TotalRecall'', but due to Oscar voting rules, only ''Total Recall'' received enough votes to advance to the final nomination, so there were no official nominees in that category and ''Total Recall'' received a special achievement award.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysCNbUOXfbI The acoustic, Western version]] of Music/ZZTop's "Doubleback" the band plays at the town dance.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysCNbUOXfbI The acoustic, Western version]] of Music/ZZTop of "Doubleback" the band plays at the town dance.