By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The Holiday Season ’25 is here, believe it or not.
This year of tremendous ups and horrifying downs is nearing an end. Tis the season also for the Thanksgiving blockbuster movie release. A tradition nearing 40 years old, Hollywood likes to realize a film during the week of families gathering for food and fellowship. The movie industry hopes part of the festivities will include everyone piling into a vehicle and heading to the local theater for a hyped-up flick.
As of now, Moana 2 is the highest grossing opening weekend with $139,787,385. The Thanksgiving four-day period is the perfect time to debut a franchise, reboot or sequel.
Back in 1989, Back to the Future Part II hit screens racking in $27,835,125 that weekend. Part II had a big impact on culture and society, but not to the degree of the original movie in the franchise.
This week I want to count down the top 10 things Back to the Future and the following films in the series predicted about the future correctly.
Think about it, we are living in the times Marty McFly and crew fantasized about.
10. Waste-Fueled Cars
OK, the elephant in the room — we still don’t have flying cars. Thank God, because we’re still having a hard time mastering ground motorized vehicles.
We’re still also working on the fusion engine, like in Doc Brown’s DeLorean, but we are using alternative fuels for some of our cars and trucks.
In the movie, Doc used garbage to power his car (technically the flux capacitor).
Recently, Toyota promoted its new hydrogen fuel cell car. Mirai featured an ad campaign featuring the stars of Back to the Future Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. The overall point here is that the scene in Back to the Future emphasized an eco-friendly car and today’s scientists are using other means to get a car running instead of fossil fuels or natural gases.
9. Smart Glasses
In the movie, people wore smart glasses for video calls and watching TV. Fast forward to now, we have VR (virtual reality) headsets and becoming more common are smart glasses. Apple recently released Vision Pro glasses that offer similar functions, including watching TV and video calls.
After the OG movie debuted in 1985, we have pretty much caught up with that version and duplicated the technology.
8. Food Hydrator
Not as exciting as smart glasses, a food hydrator was a pretty good goal for our society. In the film, food items were placed in a hydrator and came out fully cooked.
About 10 years ago I was introduced to one of my best friends in the kitchen — the air fryer. There isn’t a 72-hour period when I don’t use my air fryer.
Our gadgets and technology of today don’t match that of the movie, but we are cooking quality meals faster and faster. We’re getting there bit by bit.
7. Smart Clothing and Wearable Technology
Some things are done purely for shock value or to grab attention. In the movie, Marty wears power-lacing sneakers and a size-adjusting, auto-drying jacket. Those are not necessities for everyday life.
So we haven’t made that technology as of 2025, but Nike has plans to launch real auto-lacing shoes. Skechers features a line of quality sneakers that do not have laces.
Going back a few years, we have had shoes that light up. Also available today are wearable technology like wristband fitness trackers. I use my watch everyday to track my health and activity.
There is a shirt that is smart as well measuring our breathing, heart rate, and sleep patterns.
6. Hoverboards
A few holiday seasons ago, the Hoverboard was literally marketed as a product from Back to the Future.
It’s the Hoverboard from the film in name only. The movie device allowed Marty to get from point A to point B floating through the air. The 2015 hoverboard craze featured two-wheeled electric devices that didn’t hover over a blade of grass.
But it was still fun and gave us that Back to the Future look.
5. Fingerprint Recognition
In this crazy world we live in today, we need all the security we can get. This idea borrowed from the film has gone to assist in our safety and privacy.
The fingerprint recognition in the film was futuristic. In 2025 the technology is outdated. Apple’s Touch ID debuted in 2013, and by 2017, Face ID became the new standard. I use my thumbprint to get into most of my devices and apps.
You can enter your house or car with fingerprint recognition as well. Who needs a key? Seriously, we are making keys obsolete.
4. Hands-Free Gaming Consoles
As we go Back to the Future, in one memorable scene that took place at the Cafe ’80s, two young boys are taken aback when they see Marty play an arcade game. “You mean you have to use your hands?” one says. “That’s like a baby’s toy!” The other said.
The video game market is generally showcasing old fashion releases that need hands, but Microsoft launched the Xbox Kinect. It lets gamers control on screen actions using voice and gestures.
Similar technology used for computing and managing a smart home is also becoming a reality thanks to innovations by Apple and Amazon.
3. Tablets
OK, cheating on this one by going to Back to the Future II. Some of the characters used tablets. Tablets are so traditional now, I use them at church to broadcast our services.
Tablets can be spotted in the hands of toddlers, seniors and business professionals. Many modern laptops double as tablets, and tablets are now integrated into cars and airplanes. On average, people spend over seven hours a day on their tablets or smartphones, according to Comparitech.
2. Video Phones
Speaking of smartphones, these babies pretty much do it all. I lived during the days of dropped calls, multiple buttons pushing for a text and low quality photos.
In the movie, Marty’s future self got fired during a video phone call in Back to the Future II. Now we use our smartphones with apps like Skype, FaceTime and more.
Social media platforms like Facebook also allow the technology that is commonplace.
1. Personal Drones
This past high school football season featured players, coaches, officials and drones. Most teams are using drone footage to improve their coaching and correct the players faster.
Flying drones are ubiquitous in Back to the Future’s 2015 prediction. In the movie drones were shown walking a dog to capture images for news organizations.
Drones are becoming vital parts of society in our public safety, business activities and athlete world. Drones are available to consumers for about $1,000. Drones are serving multiple purposes like catching fish, delivering dry cleaning and filming highlights. Every time I see a drone and what it is able to do, I think Back to the Future.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Legacy Media. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to thomas@legacy-media.net
