Back to the Future Part II Showed Us 2015 First: 11 Things the Movie "Predicted" for the New Year

The movie was released in 1989 and starred Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd

By Corinne Heller Jan 01, 2015 4:54 PMTags
Back to the Future IIUniversal Studios Home Entertainment

Great Scott! It's 2015!

The year is a favorite among pop culture enthusiasts as it was depicted in the 1989 cult film Back to the Future Part II, which saw Michael J. Fox's character Marty McFly travel to the future, then back to the past (well, an alternate present, if you want to get technical), then really back to the past, but more importantly, it showed us cool futuristic stuff that we could possibly look forward to having in 2015.

Here are 11 things Back to the Future Part II "predicted" for this year, in order of appearance in the movie:

1. Flying cars

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads," Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) famously said from the driver's seat of his aerodynamic DeLorean, sitting beside a shocked McFly and girlfriend Jennifer (Elisabeth Shue, who replaced Claudia Wells).

Flying cars are actually being developed. Patents have been filed for them and a prototype for a car-plane hybrid called AeroMobil 3.0, which could potentially travel more than 430 miles in one trip, was unveiled several months ago.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Of course, fuel stations would also be placed on high platforms. So the movie was correct about that—electric cars have not yet gone mainstream.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

"Road" signs would also be placed in the sky, of course. Remember: Ejection seats save lives.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

2. Self-lacing sneakers

Who has time to tie shoes in 2015? NO ONE, that's who. Luckily, according to the movie, we're supposed to get some rad Nike sneakers that do the job for you.

In 2011, the company actually auctioned off 1,500 pairs of sneakers resembling the ones in the movie to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

3. Clothes that fit you automatically

McFly wears a jacket whose sleeves shrink to fit him. So far, the best we've done is the one-size-fits-all dress.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

4. Newspapers

Yep, Back to the Future Part II, which was released several years before the Internet became mainstream, wasn't pessimistic about the state of the declining newspaper industry; Doc Brown purchases print copies of USA Today.

One of the front pages reveals that the Chicago Cubs will win the World Series in Game 5 and that (!!!) there will be a female president (who's tired of answering the same questions from reporters). False prediction or are we in for an early election?

However, Back to the Future Part II also predicted Princess Diana, mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, would still be alive, and would even become queen. Sadly, she died in 1997. 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

5. Jaws 19

The furthest we've gotten with the Jaws movie series is Jaws: The Revenge, movie. No. 4, which was released in 1987, two years before Back to the Future II. So we've got quite a bit of catching up to do and yes, the shark still looks fake.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

6. Video games that require no hands

Virtual reality technology is currently still being perfected. In 2012, a group even unveiled a game called Brain Pong, in which players use a headset that detects brain frequencies.

Hands? Only for babies' toys.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

7. Hoverboards!

The coolest Back to the Future Part II "prediction" ever, by far. What better way to travel than by an aerodynamic skateboard? Well, flying cars, yes.

A California start-up company last year launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $500,000 in funding to create the world's first hoverboard, which uses magnetic levitation. If it works, it may not work on water, unless you've got POWER.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

8. Innovative back therapy

McFly's elderly dad George threw out his back and opted to become a human bat.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

9. Pizza to go!

Grandma Lorraine (Lea Thompson) cooks a tiny, dehydrated Pizza Hut pizza that transforms within seconds to a large pie. Now that's fast service!

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment

10. Dot-matrix printers

Wait, what? This one is bizarre. Those went out of style in the '90s. Sorry, Back to the Future Part II.

...however, fax machines still exist. Bravaa, Back to the Future Part II. *Slow clap.*

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

11. Really. Bad. Hair.

Jennifer comes face-to-face with her future self in Back to the Future Part II and faints, but not solely because, as Doc Brown said, it could "create a time paradox which would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe...worst case scenario."

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Bonus: Did Back to the Future II predict the decline of rock music?

While hard rock and metal, accompanied by epic guitar solos, were all the rage in the Hair Metal era of the '80s and subsequent grunge era of the '90s, the genre's popularity has since declined, in favor of electronic, rap and pop beats. Did this scene showing McFly reminiscing about his high school rock band days while holding his old electric guitar also constitute a hidden prediction about the music industry?

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

But back to the cool stuff: You have until October to give us flying cars, hoverboards and 15 Jaws sequels, so get cracking, inventors and moviemakers! Tick tock!

Universal Studios Home Entertainment