In the beloved ‘80s science fiction movie Back to the Future Part II directed by Stephen Spielberg,  the two main characters, Marty Mcfly and Dr. Emmett Brown, use a time-traveling Delorean to travel 30 years into the future and end up in October 23rd 2015. Since the date passed I thought it would be fun to look back and see what predictions of the future the movie got right, and what predictions that the movie got wrong. Load up Mr. Fusion, turn on the flight circuits because where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

What they got right :

Flat screens TVs-  Believe it or not TV’s weren’t allways flat and in 1989 (the year the movie came out), they mostly consisted of those dorky heavy big box-sets that your dad refuses to throw out because “it’s nostalgic”. So it’s pretty amazing to see a flat screen TV in a movie made in the 1980’s where flat screens weren’t even invented.

Talkable Technology- In the pre-historical times of the 1980s all electronic devices had these things called “buttons” and what you had to do with those “buttons” was to “press” them. Are you still following me? Good! In the magical world of Hill Valley in 2015, electronic devices wouldn’t need buttons because you can talk directly to them. In our 2015 we have voice recognition software and devices that we can control directly with our voice just like the iPhone’s “Siri” feature. So, the next time technology is acting up on you, try talking to it. It might work! And you won’t look like a total madman at all…

Live video conferences- In a movie made in the 1980’s where long distance communication mostly consisted of talking on telephones, it’s pretty amazing to see the use of live video conferences similar to websites like Skype.  You read that right Back to the Future II was the first movie to predict Skype, or Facetime or whatever the kids are using these days.  

Hands-free video games-  For those who have seen the movie, remember when Marty was playing an old arcade game in the future and the two little kids next to Marty said,“You mean you have to use your hands?” and,“ That’s like a baby’s toy”? Well guess what!  Nowadays we have hardware like Microsoft’s Kinect where the player can use hand and body motions to control the game! If the games are any good; well that is a totally different story.

Drones- Well this is very interesting, drones! Yes, the flying robotic threat not only to national security but to our privacy as well, was first predicted in Back to the Future II. These things are constantly sneaking into the news, invading people’s privacy and crashing into the nearest wall at 40 miles per hour. Who thought this was a good idea anyway?

Virtual reality glasses – In one scene we see the 2015 Mcfly family at a dinner table and we see Marty’s youngest son wearing what seems to be virtual reality glasses to keep watching TV. Nowadays we have the Oculus Rift, a set of virtual reality glasses that allow the user to see inside the game itself. We also see Marty’s son connected to his technology and totally uninvested in the world around him, just like teenagers nowadays!  

Miami Baseball team – Here’s a fun fact: Miami didn’t have a baseball team until 1993 and in the movie it was predicted that the Cubs would beat Miami in a world championship. Keep in mind that the movie was made in 1989. Interesting isn’t it? And no the Cubs didn’t beat Miami in real life. Shocking I know.  

What they got wrong :

Hover boards (sort of) : Let me start by saying hover boards technically do exist, but as a prototype. Companies like Hendel are working on real hover boards. They did create a working prototype, but it only works on special copper plated surfaces.  What the movie predicted was that hover boards were going to be mass produced to the public, but it’s been a whole month and I still don’t have my hover board yet. And no, those two wheels scooters don’t count!  

Self-tying shoes (sort of) – Again, they do technically exist but they are still in the prototype phase and only a few pairs were ever made. Nike itself promised that they will be ready and shipped by next year, though.

Rejuvenation masks – Wouldn’t it be great to just to peel off your face and reveal a younger more beautiful face underneath? Well according to this movie you can! But in reality you still cannot do much about it, to the despair of a lot of senior citizens out there. I mean you can still peel your face off but I don’t recommend doing that.

Fax machines and telephone booths everywhere –  Don’t you find it weird that every house or room or store that the main characters enter, there is a fax machine on every wall? And on every corner there is a telephone booth? Well that’s another prediction they got wrong. What the movie didn’t know was that printers, e-mails, and instant messaging would make fax machines outdated and mobile phones would make phone booths obsolete. But you tried dear movie, you tried. Gold star for effort.  

Double ties – Seriously why isn’t this a thing?! They looked so geeky and cool at the same time! I mean really, a man with double ties is two times as responsible as a man with a single tie. I’m going to make it an official a thing. The next job interview I go to I’ll be wearing two ties and the interviewer is going to ask me: “ Hey Mr. Fonceca why do you have two ties on?”  and I’m going to say  “Because it’s 2015, catch up with the times old man!” and then I will be kindly escorted out of the building.

Flying cars –  The most obvious false prediction is the flying car. Every movie that takes place in the future has flying cars in it, not just Back to the Future II. To be perfectly honest, is it really a good idea? Think about what will happen when you run out of fuel? You will just drop like a rock, and we will still have traffic jams no matter what.  But I’ll give them this, they are really cool looking.