Ten things ‘Back To The Future: Part 2’ got right about 2015

It has now just passed that infamous October day that Marty McFly visits, care of a time-travelling Delorean, from 1985, in order to stop his son getting arrested, which in turn sets off a chain of time-travel related confusion and mischief. The 2015 that Back to the Future imagined 30 years ago was an optimistic one, but not necessarily a totally unrecognisable one. Here are ten things that the movie gets (mostly) right.

Hover Boards

Ok, ok, we don’t quite have Hover Boards like the ones in the film just yet, but we’re getting pretty close. If you have been paying attention to popular culture at all in the last six months, then you would have seen some celebrity getting around on a drift scooter, which provide the feel of hovering, without ever leaving the ground.

3D Movies

Even though 3D movie technology has been going in and out of style for 50 years, there is currently a huge trend for it, and the experience is the most realistic it’s ever been. In the film, Marty sees a movie promo for Jaws 19 in 3D. Thankfully we haven’t seen the Jaws franchise go as far as the film predicted.

Gesture-based gaming

There a short scene where Marty from the past makes the mistake of using a controller to play a game, and while we still have controllers today, there is a huge amount of gesture based game play.

Electronic Antiques

The film’s producers made a great prediction in seeing that it wouldn’t be long before old style electronics would become collector items. An early model of computer will sell for thousands of dollars these days.

Video Calls

Video calling has long been expected and for over five years now, we have been using Skype to not just hear but also see the people we are talking to, especially popular with long distance calls. Although nobody anticipated it would be as cheap as it is today.

Large screens in homes

Probably a bit of a no brainer, even in 1985 people were obsessed with TV. The fact that screens were going to get bigger and more prevalent would be pretty easy to anticipate.

Biometrics

Fingerprint scanning has also been around for a little while now, but only in high tech security, but recently companies are starting to introduce biometrics into our mobile phones and other personal use technology. And anyone who has been to the US recently will be familiar with the total body scanning technology that is now a part of airport security measures.

Programmable homes

Although the film clearly failed to see the development of the biggest technological innovation, the internet, they did anticipate something like what we are starting to see with the internet of things. The way lights and other features of the home can be programmed in the film is quickly becoming a modern reality.

Microwave dinners

This might be a case of life imitating art, the first microwave safe tray was on the market in 1986, one year after the film came out, and their popularity grew steadily until only recently, when healthy eating campaigns have slowed the obsessive consumption of microwave dinners somewhat.

Revolutionary eyewear

There have been a few setbacks with the much anticipated Google glass, reminiscent of the virtual reality glasses from the film, but there are other types of augmented reality goggles on the market, notably the Oculus Rift.

When you consider how quickly technology advances, often in totally unexpected ways, you have to give a fair bit of credit to the producers of the film for their imaginative creation of a future that resembles our present in so many ways. Still waiting for those hover boards, though.  Eada Hudes