AM2407 2014 blog: Back To The Future Part II

More Eighties Than The Eighties

The Back to the Future trilogy is one of the most iconic film series of the last quarter of the 20th century. It's first instalment grossed $383,874,862 worldwide, making it the 13th-highest-grossing trilogy of all time, worldwide. Though the film was made and originally based in the 1980s, the films were obviously set in completely different times, the first movie being set in 1955, the second in 2015 and the third in 1885. Though it is hard to say from someone who wasn't born until 1994, but I assume that the future 2015 that was depicted in BTTF Part 2 was relatively realistic for the future. Ironically, there are actually a few predictions this film made that were right. Such as video conferencing, plastic surgery and wireless video games. However, we are still anxiously waiting for the arrival of hover cars and the very famous hover board. Note to scientists: you have one year left to make this happen. However, what I find quite humorous about this film in particular is how it looks like a culture collision with the 'future' and the 80's. In terms of fashion, the film makers of Back to the Future seem to have combined together the most popular items of fashion over the last two or three decades and declared them the fashion of the future. And even just the ideas of the future and how technology will have advanced is very eighties. Granted, it isn't set far enough in the future that there are robots on every corner, but there are still signs of a 'stereotypical future'. Flying transportation has always been either man's biggest expectation or dream of the future.

These two clips show examples of the future in Back to the Future Part II. The first clip, on the left, is the opening future scene of the famous Hill Valley square, highlighting some examples of how things will change. The second clips, below, is the hover board chase scene which again, highlights the brilliance and awe of future technology, using the hover board. Though the producers couldn't get too carried away with their new technology; although 2015 will have hover cars and hover boards and god knows what else, the one thing they won't have invented by then is waterproof technology.