"Where are we? When are we?" That’s what Marty McFly asked Dr. Emmett Brown as soon as they reached the year 2015 - in Back To The Future II. The Robert Zemeckis-directed flick was released way back in 1989 and showed us the very year we have entered, making predictions that have either hit the mark or missed it big time. Here’s a look at the Big 5 insights from Back To The Future II into their tomorrow and our today.

Predictions that came true

Dr. Emmett Brown would have said "Great Scott!" had he seen households all over the world sporting flat screen televisions because that’s what was shown in the future of Back To The Future II. Multi-channel video screens are available in the market with cable systems offering over 100 channels; people from all over the world can chat with each other through video telephone; the new iPhone has a thumb pad and we use the dust buster. The copter camera and hovercam are two of the many versions of modern DSNG vans and drone cameras; the video glasses Marty McFly’s kids wear in the future look strikingly similar to Google glasses which are available in the market; the bar code license plates the flying DeLorean has in the future has already been proposed in Virginia whereas the Holomax cinemas are known as IMAX cinemas, although in Marty’s words, the shark still looks fake!

 Predictions that didn’t come true

2015 has arrived and there are no flying cars or skyway in the air, a pity for that’s something we all could have done with considering the traffic jams we face day in and day out!

The Hoverboard is another fancy future gadget every one dreamt of owning when they saw Back To The Future II but despite tall claims, it remains a dream although a prototype does exist. The weather service is as bad as the postal service although the Doc is shown to have appreciated the former in the future. The creepily designed and horrifically named sleep inducing alpha rhythm generator with which the Doc makes Jennifer fall sleep is still an invention for the future, and the same can be said for Jaws 19, a franchise that hasn’t moved ahead since the failure of the fourth movie Jaws: The Revenge that came out in 1987.

 Predictions we want to come true

Marty McFly falls into the water during a fight in the future, but in a matter of seconds, he is all dried up, thanks to the auto adjusting and auto drying jacket that we all would love to own. There were power laced shoes as well which were patented in United States a few years back, and might be making an appearance soon. We can also keep our fingers crossed for the scenery channel; the hydrator and dehydrated food which seem to be modern versions of the microwave and frozen food; an automatic dog walker that will let you watch TV while it takes your dog out for a walk; a garden center fruit dispenser for salads and fruits and above all, a portable thumb unit that can identify you anywhere, anytime - be it in the past, present or future!

 Where are the Future Travellers?

Michael J Fox played the time-travelling Marty McFly in the three movies between 1985 and 1990. His character was shown to age considerably in the future and turns out to be a loser but the actor fared differently in real life. Although he has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease since 1991, he has authored several books, works mostly on television and doesn’t retaliate when he is called a chicken. Actress Lea Thompson who plays Marty’s mother in the movies didn’t have a glowing Hollywood career courtesy duds like Howard the Duck but she has been working on TV regularly since the’ 90s. Christopher Lloyd is in his ’70s but still carries the smile that made people think of Dr. Brown as a deranged and goofy scientist. As for Elisabeth Shue, who played Jennifer Parker and Mrs. Marty McFly of the future, she still looks amazingly hot in TV series CSI whenever it is aired, even in 2015. That’s one prediction we bet director Robert Zemeckis is glad didn’t turn out the way he and writer/producer Bob Gale envisioned. Mr. Zemeckis is still making movies and has given hits like the groundbreaking Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact and Cast Away.

Then there was the Time Machine

There were only 2 cars people were crazy about in the ’80s, and the flying DeLorean was one of them. Since it was also a time machine, it was the fantasy of most kids, including this writer. Fans of the movie have been waiting for the arrival of Dr. Emmett Brown from the past so that we can ask him about the time machine; take a trip back in time and change the past so that we can have a better future. The DeLorean isn’t that commonly used in the year 2015 and that’s a good thing for Doc’s time machine would be very easy to spot if it did land nearby! Wouldn’t we all love this year to turn out the way it was predicted in the Hollywood movie? There is time till October 21st, 2015… until then!