What 'Back To The Future 2' Got Right — And Wrong — About 2015

Transcript

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

We have arrived. It's the future - or one version of the future imagined in 1989.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD: (As Dr. Emmett Brown) Marty, you've got to come back with me.

MICHAEL J. FOX: (As Marty McFly) Where?

>>LLOYD (As Dr. Emmett Brown) Back to the future.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "Back To The Future 2," part of the '80s sci-fi trilogy starring Michael J. Fox, finds the characters Doc and Marty McFly traveling in a flying car to the year 2015.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

LLOYD: (As Dr. Emmett Brown) At 4:29 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2015.

FOX: (As Marty McFly) 2015? We were in the future.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Well, that exact date is still in the future, but we thought it would be fun to take a look at how much the movie got right in its version of 2015.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And what was a little off. First, flying cars...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

LLOYD: (As Dr. Emmett Brown) Where we're going we don't need roads.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Not quite standard issue as predicted, but the idea may not be so far off. A company called AeroMobile successfully tested a two-seater car-airplane hybrid last year.

SIEGEL: And speaking of flying, yes, we do have hoverboards. They cost $10,000, but the Hendo hoverboard company has created a working model that looks surprisingly similar to the one in the movie, minus the bright pink paint.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Speaking of, we can't seem to escape the '80s neon fashion craze. Even that's still around today. But this trend hasn't caught on.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

LLOYD: (As Dr. Emmett Brown) All kids in the future wear their pants inside-out.

SIEGEL: No, the kids don't wear their pants inside-out, at least not on purpose. But there was another thing Marty McFly put on in the movie that will apparently be a reality this year.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

FOX: (As Marty McFly) Power laces, all right.

SIEGEL: Power shoelaces - it's not clear exactly when they'll be ready, but Nike is working on the concept.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And while the film did forecast a clunkier version of Google Glass, there are no smartphones to be seen. But the movie shows fax machines, which are still a thing - well, kind of.

SIEGEL: The McFly kitchen of the future features a food rehydrator to instantly prepare a pizza.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As food rehydrator) Lithium mode on.

SIEGEL: But in the real 2015, there is 3D-printed pizza technology. This native New Yorker has yet to try it though.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

LLOYD: (As Dr. Emmett Brown) Great Scott.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And Robert, thankfully in the real 2015, we're not on our 19th sequel of the hologram "Jaws." But "Back To The Future 2" did do well with its prediction of drones. They didn't call them that in the movie, but in the film, a little flying robot walks a dog and also takes photos for USA Today.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

FOX: (As Marty McFly) Oh, this is heavy.

SIEGEL: Wait Lulu, there were still newspapers in that version of the future and gladly there still are. And one more thing, the real 2015 is only a couple of days old. And with Jon Lester recently traded to Chicago, what seemed like a low-blow gag in the movie...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

FOX: (As Marty McFly) Wait a minute - Cubs win World Series.

SIEGEL: Hey, it could happen.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BACK TO THE FUTURE 2")

FOX: (As Marty McFly) Against Miami?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Who knows what the future holds?

(SOUNDBITE OF BACK TO THE FUTURE THEME SONG) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.