2015: 'Back To The Future: Part II' Vs. Real Life
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Decades ago, the "Back to the Future" movies showed us one vision of a futuristic world.
As CBS2's Weijia Jiang reported, Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly character – along with Christopher Lloyd's Emmett "Doc" Brown" and Elisabeth Shue's Jennifer Parker -- traveled forward in time to 2015 in the 1989 movie "Back to the Future: Part II."
The real 2015 has arrived now. So when is "Jaws 19" going to come out, with a 3-D great white shark that will "attack" in the street as part of the ad campaign?
Where is the Black and Decker Hydrator that can turn a shrunken and dehydrated pizza into real food?
Where is the Garden Center fruit dispenser, which should drop from the ceiling with bunches of fresh and delicious grapes for us when we provide the simple command, "Hey, fruit!" This is the real 2015 – why are we still walking to the fridge to get our grapes?
"I just remember thinking those things would never happen," said Emily Golloub of Montclair, New Jersey.
Actually, some of the innovations in the "Back to the Future Part 2" did come to pass. There may not be CGI sharks that randomly swoop down from 3-D billboards, but there are, of course, 3-D movies. And flatscreen TVs have been the norm for years.
And at Nike's flagship store in Midtown, sneaker fans are buzzing over industry rumors that the company is rolling out power laces – just like the ones on Marty's shoes – sometime this year.
"I think it's awesome," said Tahji Antonio of Midtown. "I don't tie my laces so it will come in handy."
Other wild ideas might become real products too.
You might remember that when "Back to the Future: Part II" was released, director Robert Zemeckis claimed that hoverboards were real, but were never put on the market because they were too dangerous. He was pulling your leg.
In March 2014, a company called HUVr released a video featuring professional skateboarder Tony Hawk – and Christopher Lloyd himself. But alas, that wasn't real either.
But that doesn't mean it's impossible. In fact, techies say a fully functional hoverboard, involving a technology similar to that used for Maglev trains, might be launched this October.
And what about flying cars, which seem to be way overdue? Forget 2015, or even 1985 – at the 1939 New York World's Fair, a presentation predicted that flying cars would be the norm by 1960.
Cars remain terrestrial in the real 2015, but auto designers are indeed dreaming up flying cars.
"It's kind of creepy to think what else is possible," said Courtney Rose of Midtown.
Now, how about the Chicago Cubs finally winning the World Series for the first time since 1908, as a holographic news presentation in the movie? That one's all up to new skipper Joe Maddon.
And as for the whole time travel thing itself, we'll leave that one up to Doc Brown.
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