Dystopian Movies That Mirror Society in America Today

One would think that in a civilized modern society, we'd moved past the days when people suffer at the hands of dictators, or are wrongfully accused of heinous crimes without evidence, except that's where we are today. The United States used to be known as the land of the free and the home of the brave, but it now resembles the hellscapes shown in various dystopian movies. There's a man in the White House who is victimizing all forms of dissenting media, conspiracy theorists are constantly portraying immigrants as criminals, and secret police-style agents are disappearing people off the street in broad daylight. These are all the key components of authoritarian/dictatorial rule, which shouldn't be something that exists in America, yet here we are.

To illustrate this point, we're breaking down some clear-cut examples of art imitating life—or life imitating art—depending on how you want to look at it. Unfortunately, there's little humor in the fact that reality is reflecting a nightmare.

Robocop 3

At first glance, RoboCop 3 might not sound like it would have a deep plot capable of hitting notes that are relevant today, but the action-thriller does. The movie's setup begins with OCP—the occupying force—conducting multiple raids and arrests on the streets of Detroit.

One of the movie's first scenes depicts Lewis and Murphy driving past OCP officers as they corral innocents onto buses, separating them from their children at the same time. The camera picks up the shock and trauma of the moments perfectly, replaying it on Murphy's visor to further let the message sink in.

Other moments in the movie resonate just as strongly. OCP's willingness to fire on civilians parallels reports of National Guardsmen firing non-lethal ammunition at clearly-identified journalists in Los Angeles. Several accounts from peaceful protesters corroborate claims of incendiary actions by the military, not by the community gathered to exercise their First Amendment rights. Ironically, the media tends to focus on the chaos that ensues when military forces rile up the crowds—seemingly ignoring the legitimate gatherings that go on for hours before soldiers show up on the scene.

Idiocracy

If you've seen the movie, you probably remember Joe (Luke Wilson) meeting the future's presidential cabinet members for the first time. They're supposed to be the most intelligent people still left in the country, but they're just as incompetent as the brainless oafs that got Joe there. For example, Joe attempts to explain to them that the crops aren't growing because the seeds are being watered with Brawndo, a sports drink, instead of water. Despite his efforts to convey that plants need water to thrive, the only thing that the cabinet members can do is parrot a Brawndo slogan about how the drink has what plants need—it's got electrolytes.

More concerning is each cabinet member's qualifications. They're quite similar to the appointees of the current administration's cabinet in that they have no experience. The fictional universe's Secretary of Energy, for example, was a kid who won a contest to get the job. Yes, that's how they selected someone for the position.

The Secretary of Energy comes to mind because he's oddly similar to Trump's latest appointee to the Department of Homeland Security, Thomas Fugate. The 22-year-old is fresh out of college with no government experience but is now installed at CP3, the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Mind you, the facility's previous director was a former U.S. Army veteran who possessed 20 years of experience. The downgrade from an experienced military official to a recent college graduate is absurd, especially when that position holds an important place within DHS.

Similarly, the current administration's picks for U.S. Attorney General, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Secretary of Education are just as unqualified. Between Pam Bondi, RFK Jr., and Linda McMahon, they have a fraction of the experience of previous appointees. Bondi's predecessor, Merrick Garland, for example, had worked in the Department of Justice since 1993 and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard, speaking to his academic expertise. Bondi, on the other hand, only possessed eight years of experience as a state Attorney General before her appointment to U.S. Attorney General.

RFK Jr. is in a similar boat. While he holds a law degree, RFK has spent most of his time in the nonprofit sector focusing on environmental issues. He doesn't have the experience needed to be the Secretary of Health, much less the educational know-how. RFK has also peddled several conspiracy theories related to autism and other diseases, as well as made wild claims about who should be administered vaccines.

New ideas should always be welcomed, but the United States' strong track record with vaccines shows the country's ability to keep people healthy. Any radicalization of treatments is unnecessary, and the current Secretary of Health, suggesting that the administration rethink vaccines, is asking for another pandemic to wreak havoc on the country. Mind you, surges of smallpox broke out in Texas earlier this year, which speaks to an issue that will only get worse under RFK's watch.

Linda McMahon should never have been allowed to assume her role as Secretary of Education. On multiple accounts, she's feigned ignorance or had to inform committees questioning her that she "doesn't know." While it's completely understandable to not have all the answers on hand, the questions posed to her are often basic knowledge.

In another show of being out of place, McMahon kept namedropping a popular steak sauce during a panel review. While answering questions about artificial intelligence, she kept reading the acronym "AI" as "A1." It could be an honest mistake, although it's difficult to confuse artificial intelligence with a brand of steak sauce without looking a little out of one's depth.

Moreover, McMahon's flubs on the mic aren't the only reason she deserves to be ousted. She also has zero experience in the education sector. McMahon has spent her professional career working with various businesses and political campaigns, but not in administrative roles related to education. Someone in the role of Secretary of Education should be knowledgeable of the field they're leading—and it doesn't appear to be the case with McMahon.

V For Vendetta

Expressing one's political beliefs used to be a protected right in the United States, but nowadays, it's weaponized regardless of what side of the aisle you stand on.

In the V for Vendetta universe, the Norsefire Party prosecutes anyone who speaks out against its leader, Sutler. Dissenters mysteriously wind up dead, while omnipresent cameras reveal the harsh truth to the audience. We see that practically everyone, including those who made jokes at Sutler's expense, ends up beaten and carted away in the dead of night.

Our society hasn't reached the point that journalists are being disappeared from their homes in the middle of the night, but individuals with opposing views to the current administration are getting pulled from their platforms.

One of Donald Trump's most vocal critics, Stephen Colbert, took the brunt of this ire. His talk show, The Late Show, will go off the air in 2026—presumably due to Colbert's strong opinions. This change has been supposedly attributed to ratings numbers, although Colbert's frequent jabs at the Trump Administration are more likely to have contributed to CBS's decision.

The Running Man

Paul Michael Glaser's 1987 movie probably has more allusions to current-day society than the other entries on this list, and for good reason.

The fictional U.S. government in The Running Man weaponizes the media, shaping the narrative to whatever suits them. They manufacture several videos to portray heroes in a negative light while glorifying murderers. Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is one of the unlucky ones who is wrongly framed for murder. He's actually a hero who tries to reduce casualties, but when he disobeys an order to fire on innocents, he's labeled a traitor and imprisoned, and later, the Running Man gameshow.

In our world, we're watching the media play the same games with innocents like Obrego Garcia. The wrongfully deported man has been labeled a gang member despite no evidence to back up those ridiculous rumors. Ironically, conspiracy theorists are piecing together evidence that doesn't exist to tie Garcia to the MS-13 gang. It's ironic because random internet sleuths wouldn't need to commit themselves to such a foolhardy endeavor if Garcia were allowed the due process he deserved. The evidence would show that he possesses zero affiliations to the group and that right-wingers have used the media to rewrite the narrative—much like the doctored videos used in The Running Man (1987).