back to the future III’m sitting here watching Back to the Future 2 and I noticed that the Robert Zemeckis 1989 vision of the future doesn’t exactly mesh with reality. I realize it’s only 2008, but I’m ready to pass judgment right fucking now.

Picture this: It’s the year 2015. Marty McFly has traveled from 1985 to try on some Nike 2015’s while checking out Jaws 19 at the Holomax. There he is skating around on his hoverboard, trying as hard as possible not to fuck up the space-time continuum.

Amidst all the futuristic shenanigans, I began to pick up on some inconsistencies.

Here’s a brief list:

  • No cell phones
    The 2015 version of Marty has a videophone that is projected on what appears to be a VHS quality pull-down screen - but not a cell phone. Marty’s daughter (also played by Michael J Fox) has some sort of device on her face at some point. It looks like sunglasses with an small video screen attached. I’m not sure if that is some sort of futuristic communications device or a movie player. Either way - no cell phones.
  • Fax machines
    In one scene, Marty’s boss fires him during a videophone conversation, and for added emphasis he sends the message via fax. They’re using fax machines - in 2015! Note: Marty has at least three fax machines in his home office. Stupid.
  • Thermal printers
    That fax machine I was referring to? It still prints on 80’s era thermal paper.
  • No LCD or plasma TVs
    Marty McFly Jr. watches picture in picture, which is pretty cool I guess. But he does it on a shitty projection screen. No HD, no plasma, no LCD. Fuck that.
  • No modern video games
    Marty plays a first-person shooter video game in the 80’s cafe. It has a gun attached with a cable to the stand-up console and some sort of 32 bit graphics display. Not an anachronism certainly (it is the 80’s cafe after all). However, there are no references anywhere to modern video games.
  • No iPods, mp3 players, or even CDs
    While Marty’s old-school cassette tape Walkman is a major factor in Part I (1985 and 1955), not one character listens to any type of portable music device in 2015. I guess the iPod becomes passe sometime between 2008 and 2015.
  • The Cubs finally win another World Series
    At one point, a holograph display shows a congratulatory billboard for the Cubbies beating Miami in the 2015 World Series. One character implies that this is the first series the Cubs have won in more than 100 years. Oh wait. This is totally accurate. Though 2015 my be too soon.

Feel free to add to the list in the comments section (if you’re a giant dork like I am).

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