EXCLUSIVE: As Back To The Future turns 40 next week – and most of its technological predictions are now part of our everyday lives – MARC WALKER talks to the movie’s creator Bob Gale about what he got right
Eggheads haven’t cracked time travel, but much of the technology from Back To The Future is now a reality.
As fans mark 40 years since the original movie’s UK premiere in July 1985, your Daily Star reveals how innovations like video calls, online banking and drones all came true after featuring in the sci-fi movies.
Even trilogy creator Bob Gale can’t believe how much he got right, as he reveals in our exclusive interview. He said the gadgets were inspired by the 1980s’ fast-paced technology race.
He said: “This was stuff that was being talked about in the 80s. We would look at some of these ideas and say, ‘This really does make a lot of sense,’ but we didn’t even come close to predicting the iPhone.”
“But we have ‘Google Glasses’ in Back To The Future II, and we’ve got the ‘Zoom call’ between Marty and Needles.”
Bob revealed how he got the idea for the movie by chance after a flood in his parents’ basement led him to find his dad’s high school yearbook.
He said: “It turned out my dad had been the president of his graduating class – I had no idea.
“And that’s when the proverbial lightning bolt struck me and I thought, ‘Hey, that’s a really good idea for a movie – a kid goes back in time and ends up going to high school with his dad.'”
1. Flying cars
The iconic DeLorean from the film franchise takes to the sky at the end of the first film as madcap inventor Doc Brown jets Marty McFly and girlfriend Jennifer to their 2015 future played out in Part II.
Earlier this year, American company Alef Aeronautics showed off its new flying car, performing a vertical take-off and gliding above a parked SUV. The firm’s boss Jim Dukhovny boasted he had thousands of pre-orders for the £237,000 airborne motor.
2. Fuel made from rubbish
In the final scene from Part I, Doc Brown refuels the DeLorean with empty drinks containers and banana skins from a trashcan.
The UK Government’s new Energy Bill is supporting recycled carbon fuels, including those made from the plastic packaging. Drivers of today can also fill up on biofuels made from organic waste.
3. Video calls
A middle-aged Marty loses his job via a video conference call in Part II after being goaded into a shady business deal by Douglas Needles.
Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp… Skype? – take your pick. Video calls have become an intrinsic part of everyday life, from chatting to friends to communicating with work colleagues.
4. Biometrics
In Back To The Future Part II’s version of 2015, the scanning of fingerprints and eyes is used in the film to check people’s identities.
Many smartphone users of today unlock their device with their own unique thumbprint, while retina scans – although not as common in everyday life – are used by the likes of security agencies such as MI6 and the CIA, and other top-level government institutions around the world.
5. Drones
From drones walking dogs to American newspaper US Today’s droid photographer, flying bots are a fixture in the film’s imagined 21st century.
Although they might not be our go-to for taking fido walkies, drones are now used by everyone from hobbyists in your local park and professional photographers to carrying out devastating acts of warfare in conflicts around the world
6. Online banking and tablets
After travelling 30 years into the future, Marty is invited to make an electronic payment to save Hill Valley’s clock tower via a tablet.
Cashless payments and online banking have become the norm, with cash now accounting for around just one in 10 transactions, while everything from homework and shopping lists to plotting car journeys is today tapped out on touchscreens.
7. Self-tying shoes and automated jacket
Marty is impressed when he slips into clothing of the future, including self-tying Nike boots and a jacket that automatically dries and adjusts to fit its wearer.
Nike made fewer than 100 pairs of Back To The Future-inspired ‘Nike Mags’ with “power-lacing” in 2016, with proceeds from their sales going to the Michael J Fox Foundation, but the creation of auto-fit, auto-drying clobber still confounds fashionistas.
8. Smart glasses
A variety of Back To The Future characters sport smart specs for watching TV and making calls.
Today, virtual reality headsets and smart glasses are common. Apple released Vision Pro glasses that offer similar functions, including watching telly and video calls.
9. Hoverboards
An iconic scene sees Marty flee from town bully Griff Tannen in a hoverboard chase, with the hero’s board stalling over a pond.
Sadly, this particular piece of kit has flummoxed boffins, with skate fans still making do with conventional boards like Marty’s from 1985.
10. Food Hydrator
The 21st century McFlys enjoyed a full-size, piping-hot pizza that moments earlier was roughly the size of a saucer – thanks to their “food hydrator”.
Although modern families have adopted air fryers and other kitchen gadgets, this particular piece of culinary tech is still something for scientists to cook up.
Back To The Future The Musical – now in its fifth year at London’s Adelphi Theatre – taps into the film’s huge British fanbase, says Bob. “Everybody loved the story in the UK”, he explains.
For more information or to book tickets, visit: backtothefuturemusical.com/london
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
