This Wednesday, Marty McFly, Doc Brown and Jennifer Parker will arrive in Hill Valley, California flying in a time traveling DeLorean from 1985.

“Back to the Future: Part II” had high hopes for Oct. 21, 2015. Cars flew, shoes tied themselves and the Cubs won the World Series. With the ultimate nerd holiday arriving this week, and many TV channels marathoning the series, it’s time to take a look at what “Back to the Future: Part II” got right about 2015 and what it got wrong.

What it got right:

Video calls
In the movie, the old Marty McFly makes a phone call with his TV. While this is not exactly what we do today, it’s pretty close to FaceTime and Snapchat. Also, the flat-screen TVs in the movie did not exist in the ‘80s, so check off another piece of technology predicted correctly.

Hoverboards
This one is a little tricky, because the hoverboard that Marty uses and the ones we have today share no resemblance. Marty’s hoverboard is literally a flying skateboard, it has no physical contact between the ground and the board, and he rides it sideways like a skateboard. In real life, the “hoverboards” basically serve as a substitute for walking. You stand facing forward and lean in the direction you want to go. These hands-free Segways might get the “hoverboard” nickname, but Marty’s deserves the title more.

Drone mania
Instead of walking the family dog, the people in the movie’s 2015 leave the chores to their household drone. It seems like the moviemakers were pretty close on the timing of this one though, as drones take over more and more responsibility from humans every day. And aren’t electric collars close enough anyway?

What it got wrong:

Flying Cars
This is a popular prediction for movies based in the future, but they make little sense in terms of energy consumption. Supposedly, the flying DeLorean at the end of the first movie was just supposed to be a gag and a finish to the whole story, but the uproar from the fans wanting a sequel forced creator Robert Zemeckis’ hand to continue the story.

Lack of Cell Phones
When you watch this movie today, the most obvious flaw in its version of 2015 is the lack of cell phones and the prevalence of phone booths and fax machines.

Style
Keep in mind the “Back to the Future” series does not claim to be anything but a fun time at the movies, but the style of clothing and culture in the movie is the most ridiculous prediction of all. Movies that try to guess future styles seem to only create refined versions of their present styles. But who can blame them? They realized this was an area to have some fun creatively, so they took chances. The jacket Marty wears is pretty terrible, and Goldie Wilson III wears two neckties side-by-side.

Still undecided:

Baseball
The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, but they’re fighting the Mets for the National League pennant, which would land them a place in the World Series. What a great story it would be for the Cubs to fulfill the prophecy of “Back to the Future.”

Product Placement
Companies like Nike and Pepsi have recently released limited editions of their products seen in the movie. Nike is close to creating a self-tying shoe, and Pepsi recreated their brand “Pepsi Perfect” last week in homage to the film.

Even though there were some obvious flops in the movie’s predictions, some of its craziness feels true. How else, other than Biff ruling everything in the world, can you explain a Trump Presidency?

Kyle Stevens is a sophomore advertising major. You can email him at ksteve03@syr.edu or reach him on Twitter at @kstevs_.

Published on October 18, 2015 at 9:24 pm