The future has arrived.
October 21, 2015, the date Doc, Marty and Jennifer travel to in “Back to the Future Part II” is now the present, and we can make the final assessment of what the movie predicted accurately and inaccurately about how the world would look 26 years after the sequel's release.
Among the things the “Back to the Future” sequel got right about the future: video games you play without your hands. Areas where the movie was off-track: We”re still waiting on flying cars. Cell phones are nowhere to be seen in 2015 Hill Valley. And print newspapers are still the foremost source of news.
Yup, Doc uses the October 22, 2015 print issue of the Hill Valley edition of USA Today to show Marty what happens to his son.
In the real world, USA Today is taking this opportunity to tie in its brand to the Back to the Future Day buzz, but not in quite so limited edition fashion as Pepsi Perfect.
Across the country, print editions of Thursday”s USA Today will be wrapped in the front page of the Hill Valley edition of the newspaper, just like it appears in the movie.
Well, almost just like in the movie. The publication did opt to change one tragically incorrect headline on the front page seen by Doc and Marty: “Washington prepares for Queen Diana's visit.”
That headline”s been replaced with this one: “3D billboards: free speech or traffic hazards?”
Still intact: headlines about the Slamball playoffs and the Cubs winning the World Series, the “Jaws without bite” assessment of “Jaws 19,” and the infographic about ships sunk by whales.
USA Today also added some new stories to the bottom of the page, including one announcing a remake of “A Match Made in Space,” the novel George McFly writes in “Back to the Future.” (That article is credited to Michael Klastorin, who wrote the recently released “Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History.”)
Check it out below or here for a closer look at this newspaper page “Back to the Future” fans will want to purchase with their morning coffee tomorrow.
For more of HitFix”s coverage commemorating the 30th anniversary of “Back to the Future,” set your time circuits to right on over here.