October 21, 2015 – 4:31p.m.
Step aside, Cady Heron. Today is most definitely not October 3^rd. Today we await the lightning and the thunder. Today we will blast Huey Lewis and The News’ “The Power of Love” from the speakers of an old DeLorean. Today we wait for the original time travelers to appear in California at 4:31p.m… sharp.
Today is October 21^st, 2015, when Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown visited the future and had explored a world far beyond what the common ’80s mind could imagine. Despite the fact that it was pretty much a let down (as most sequels are), Back to the Future Part II (BttF II) is still incredibly entertaining and has been surprisingly precise in its predictions of what the USA would look like in the future.
In the ’80s, tablets, video conferencing, drones, biometrics, and glasses with little computers on them seemed to be the pinnacle of futuristic technology. But, like a fine wine, more than 30 years of aging has allowed technology to see the most prominent advancement ever.
Today, Apple and Microsoft, among other leading computer brands, compete to sell the most advanced and efficient electronics. Operating systems, cameras, and access to the internet has increased so dramatically that services like FaceTime and Skype had become more than just a futuristic dream.
Still an astonishing feat, Google released a prototype of “Google Glass,” a pair of glasses with the lenses replaced by a small “head-up display” computer in 2013, with a fully developed version released to the public in 2014. Even McFly’s drool-worthy self lacing shoes made the long-awaited shift from a dream to reality. A recent ABC News article has confirmed that Michael J. Fox received a letter from Nike shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield, stating that Nike had decided to make the famed kicks from the 1989 film and then donate all proceeds to Parkinson’s research. Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991.
The predictions from the film are scarily accurate. Everything from the type of technology we have to the MLB world series match-up between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs. That seems to be the biggest point of interest that all the BttF II fans are harping on.
Taking a look back at all the aspects of the first film, there is more to the message than a need for cool gadgets and a food re-hydrator for instant Pizza Hut. The overarching theme of the ’80s versus the ’50s has lead BttF conspirators to believe that the franchise jumped onto the bandwagon of political propaganda.
After the rise of the flower children in the swinging ’60s and the dominating free-reign music scene of the ’70s, Ronald Reagan decided to run for president, coining the promise to “make America great again.” This may come as sounding familiar, now being echoed generations later by America’s very own talking head: Donald Trump.
There’s no question that the franchise had, purposely or not, gained supporters for Reagan’s cause. Another prediction was made in the movie as well, this time for politics rather than gadget. Bob Gale, writer of BttF II, purposely molded villain Biff Tannen after America’s own power-hungry, despicably rich politician: Trump.
“We thought about it when we made the movie!” said Gale in an interview with The Daily Beast about the Tannen-Trump theory. “You watch Part II again and there’s a scene where Marty confronts Biff in his office, and there’s a huge portrait of Biff on the wall behind [him], and there’s one moment where Biff kind of stands up and he takes exactly the same pose as the portrait. Yeah.”
Going back and watching the movie alongside Gale’s comments completes the half-painted picture: Biff’s 27-story hotel was modeled after Trump’s own 37-floor Plaza Hotel. Both are Republicans, both have comical hair and more money than they know what to do with. The cat’s out of the bag: Biff is Trump and Trump is Biff.
This leads us to question of just how accurate Back to the Future Part II really is. We’ve witnessed the creation of hover-boards (even if they’re still prototypes), the use of hands-free-gaming with the Wii, the invention of the flat screen television, Pepsi Perfect, 3D movies, and more. While we’re still waiting on the fate of the 2015 World Series, we can’t help but to guess the outcome.
But what will the outcome of the presidential election be? In BttF II, Marty McFly and Doc end up saving the world (or just California) from the anarchy Biff creates, but will the same turn of events happen in our reality?
They say that history repeats itself, or in this case, just does everything that Bob Gale had told it to. But in any case, we’re still waiting on someone to come and save us from Trump. I suppose though, it’s no coincidence that Bernie Sanders looks an awful lot like Doc Brown…
Let’s hope for the sake of the American people (or just California) that Back to the Future II is a lot more trustworthy than the Mayan calendar, and that on October 21^st, 2015, at 4:31 p.m., Marty and Doc decide to do more than just go see Jaws 19.