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2015: Marty McFly arrives from 1985 and breaks a hoverboard, along with the entire space-time continuum. Back to the Future II, 1989
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Many futuristic moviesare vague about the year in which their action takes place. But other movies are willing to nail their colors to the mast, predicting specific technologies in specific years. Some of these visions—like the soaring skylines of Metropolis—have already come to pass, while others—like the hoverboards of Back to the Future II—seem likely to miss the mark. But some of the underlying themes have a timeless appeal.
Stephen Cass
Stephen Cass is the special projects editor at IEEE Spectrum. He currently helms Spectrum's Hands On column, and is also responsible for interactive projects such as the Top Programming Languages app. He has a bachelor's degree in experimental physics from Trinity College Dublin.
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