FILM · 1989 · USA
Back to the Future Part II
- Directed by
- Robert Zemeckis
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Studio
- Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
238 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Marty and Doc are at it again as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.
Summary: TMDB
18 Easter Eggs and References in Back to the Future Part II
- #026
The tagline of Jaws 19 is "This time it's really, REALLY personal." The director's name listed on the marquee is "Max Spielberg," the son of executive producer Steven Spielberg. Max was born in June 1985, the same year the first film in the series was released. Spielberg also came up with Marty's response on seeing the hologram, "The shark still looks fake," a reference to Spielberg's frustration on Jaws (1975) and his doubts about the mechanical shark "Bruce."
- #027
Casey Siemaszko, who plays one of Biff's friends, is nicknamed "3-D" because he wears 3-D glasses. In 1955 he wears the paper kind issued for 1950s-style 3-D movies, but for his 1985 scenes a real pair of sunglasses with red and blue lenses was made to better suit the period. By 2015, Griff's gang wears holographic-style shades.
- #045
The soda menu at Cafe 80s lists four Pepsi products: Original, Diet, Max and Perfect. Pepsi Max became a real flavor in Europe in 1993. The American version was released in 2007.
- #052
Biff's alternate 1985 incarnation was generally inspired by Donald Trump (the huge painting behind Biff's desk showing him in a business suit strikes a classic "big-stuff me" pose, much like the "always grim and bombastic" Trump typically appeared in photographs of that era; the producers even unknowingly directed a hidden "foretelling of the future" reference — namely the fax in Biff's office of Trump's "You're fired!" from The Apprentice, which would begin airing about 20 years later), while Lorraine's was based on Tammy Faye Bakker.
- #058
Rather than using footage of the previous film's closing scene for this film's opening scene, it was decided to reshoot the closing scene of Back to the Future (1985) because Jennifer had been recast.
- #079
When Doc sees the future newspaper headline change from saying he was "committed" to "commended," a headline at the bottom of the page changes from "Nixon seeks fifth term" to "Reagan seeks second term" (referring to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan) to indicate that the normal timeline has been restored. This means that in the alternate 1985, in which Biff is prominent, the Watergate scandal that forced Nixon to resign in his second term either never happened or was kept from the public, allowing him to remain in office for at least four consecutive terms. While the film mentions how Biff successfully lobbied to legalize gambling, this raises the possibility that Biff may have used his wealth and influence to support Nixon, keep the Watergate scandal hidden, or possibly avoid it altogether, in exchange for help in legalizing gambling.
- #089
The photo of the woman on the cover of the (fictional) French glamour magazine "Oh LàLà" is a reversed photograph of Venetia Stevenson taken from the cover of the July 1955 issue of "Swank."
- #098
Bob Gale, a real-life baseball fan, said he came up with the scene referencing a Chicago Cubs World Series championship after personally brainstorming the most unexpected scenarios he could think of. Gale also said he based the timing of the 2015 World Series on the usual World Series calendar at the time the film was made and released. He admitted he did not foresee that MLB would expand its playoff schedule by the mid-1990s and extend the World Series to late October, and in 2015 to early November.
- #111
Mr. Strickland's office banner identifies him as "S. S. Strickland." Although it is speculated that this stands for "School Superintendent," as listed in a photo album included in the deluxe edition of Back to the Future: The Game, his name is listed as Stanford S. Strickland (born 1925). The "SS" is clearly a joking reference to the infamous harsh/dictatorial German "Schutzstaffel" paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler during World War II (that is, the dreaded "SS"), a bitingly humorous nod to how excessively strict and rigid Mr. Strickland's rule over his students is. Before the match, the novelization of this film stated that Mr. Strickland's first name was "Gerald."
- #130
Director Robert Zemeckis said he felt this film suffered somewhat because he was so busy devoting his time to shooting it and Back to the Future Part III (1990) simultaneously. Michael J. Fox also later said he preferred making Part III over Part II, because it was much more relaxing given that this film had far more technical and special effects work. The film was one of the year's biggest hits but fell significantly short of the previous films' box office, and Part III, released six months later, earned even less and did not even place among the year's top ten films like its predecessors. Zemeckis said sequels most likely do less business than the first film because audiences are disappointed that the series has ended on an exciting note and had to wait six months after Part II to see the outcome of Part III.
- #142
There are many differences that make this film unique among the other two: * More time periods are visited than in the other Back to the Future films: 1985, 2015, 1985A, 1955 and 1885. The last of these was not visited until Back to the Future Part III (1990), but the trailer for Part III is shown just before the end of the film, so in a sense it can be considered part of this film as well. * It is the only film in the trilogy that does not end with the time machine flying directly at the camera. * Not counting the reused scene from the first film, this is the only film in the series in which Marty never once uses the DeLorean. * It is the only film in the trilogy that features a female member of the Tannen gang. * This film introduces one of Marty McFly's most distinctive and enduring character traits: losing his temper and his sense of reason when someone calls him "chicken." * It is the only film in the series in which the future (the year 2015) is visited. * 1985A is the only timeline in the entire trilogy that you never see in daylight. * None of Marty's siblings (David and Linda McFly) appear here, although Biff mentions them once.
- #165
The image of Vincent van Gogh that appears on the TV monitor immediately after the "You're fired!" video phone call is a reference to "parallel lives," in that Marty McFly, like the famous painter, habitually throws away his chance at a better life through foolish choices in moments of trauma or peer pressure.
- #179
When the 1985 and 1955 versions of Doc Brown meet while detailing the "weather experiment," the 1985 Doc grabs the cable that he must later that same night unplug and send an electric shock to his 1955 counterpart.
- #182
Contains a major spoiler — show
CASTLE THUNDER: It is heard in the scene where Marty McFly discovers the gravestone of his murdered father in 1985-A, and at the climax of the previous film, when Doc is accidentally sent back to 1885 and Marty returns to 1985.
- #192
In 2015, both the Cafe 80's and the Blast from the Past shop contain many items that audiences in 1989 might recognize but that Marty from 1985 would not know. At the Cafe 80's, The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986), Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986), Geraldo (1987) and Dead Ringers (1988) are among the shows and films playing across the many televisions behind the bar. There is also a poster celebrating the San Francisco 49ers' victory in Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989. In addition, the Ollie North Platter offered on the menu and a bumper sticker on the wall reading "For the first time in history, the South loves North" reference Colonel Oliver North's 1988/1989 trial over his role in the Iran-Contra affair. Among the products for sale at Blast from the Past are Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) on VHS, a talking plush doll of the title character of Dragnet (1987) and Stand-Up Reagan (1989), Jaws (1987) and R. C. Pro-Am (1988), Tom Clancy's 1988 novel "The Cardinal of the Kremlin," a JVC video camera from 1988 and a Black & Decker DustBuster from 1988.
- #196
Old Marty giving the house's artificial intelligence network the command "lithium mode on" is a nod to how this element is used in humans to reduce hyperactivity; the implication is that parental control is needed to keep Marty and Jennifer's "[bleep] kids" from going "gong wild"; this is probably because the house's monitoring/climate system had apparently been set to "unrestricted/unmoderated" by Marty Jr. and Marlene before their parents came home, and Old Marty panicked and was disgusted when he discovered this upon walking through the door. The idea was probably to add a lithium-vapor air spray to the house's HVAC system so that it would be breathed in by the children and thus cause them to behave more calmly.
- #201
The "Biffco" sign indicates a nuclear power plant located near the San Andreas earthquake fault. This is a nod to Biff's absurdly blatant disregard for environmental safety, since tectonic plate movement in the area would likely be catastrophic for an already highly dangerous facility that uses infinitely dangerous radioactive fuel.
- #220
When Officer Reese mentions that Hilldale is a breeding ground for "tranks, lobos and zipheads," he is using the invented future slang of 2015 written by screenwriters Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The aim was to quickly show viewers how the prestigious, luxurious neighborhood of Hilldale in 1985 had turned into such a tough, crime-ridden area in the future. The terms vary according to the film's content and context: * Tranks / Tranked: short for "tranquilizers." In the film's 2015 version, "tranks" are people who abuse future chemical sedatives, and being "tranked" means being drunk or under intense influence. When the officers find Jennifer unconscious in the alley and say she "got a little tranked," they assume she has passed out from drugs. That is why an officer sniffs her ear (a strange future police test for drug use) and why Marty Jr. later shouts "Don't drive tranked!" at a passing car. * Lobos: This is a play on the word lobotomy. It refers to people who are crazy, mindless, or whose brains have been fried by street drugs or science-fiction technology. * Zipheads: Although it is never explicitly defined on screen, it follows the derogatory slang pattern for people whose mental state has been altered. In the film's universe, it probably refers to people addicted to a future stimulant called "zip," or to technology addicts messing with their own brains. By putting these three words together, the police officers are essentially saying that Hilldale has become a breeding ground for drug addicts, criminals and degenerates.
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