Now that it is 2017 what do you think? How close were they?
Think about it: a movie were Arnold Schwarzenegger leads a resistance against an oppressive regime. Donald Trump and Arnold don't exactly like each other.
Well, the conditions in America aren't nearly as dismal as they were portrayed in the movie.
But I think Killian's final statement at the end summed up the theme of the movie:
Damon Killian: This is television, that's all it is. It has nothing to do with people, it's to do with ratings! For fifty years, we've told them what to eat, what to drink, what to wear... for Christ's sake, Ben, don't you understand? Americans love television. They wean their kids on it. Listen. They love game shows, they love wrestling, they love sports and violence. So what do we do? We give 'em *what they want*! We're number one, Ben, that's all that counts, believe me. I've been in the business for thirty years.
It's also interesting that the resistance in the movie targeted a TV station, not government offices, military bases, or police stations. As if the media holds the most power in society over all - the power to influence perceptions and public opinion. Actors, entertainers, and show people are in the limelight and the center of attention, and the public laps up each of their utterances like milk served to kittens. Celebrity gossip is presented side by side with real news. News networks and other media outlets are also on the political playing field. They're no longer viewed as unbiased, objective sources of information - or at least, not as much as they were in the past.
