Unassuming tweets can often lead to trends.
Such was the case this week when Twitter users played a game of naming Sylvester Stallone films that are not Rocky, Rambo or The Expendables.
While these exchanges unearthed forgotten gems like 1987's arm-wrestling drama Over the Top and the utterly awful 1992 comedy Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, one film propelling the discussion to viral status was 1993's Demolition Man.
While the futuristic action-comedy was a moderate hit and starred a relatively unknown actress called Sandra Bullock (her breakout role in Speed was a year away), newfound attention was sparked after commenters noticed how the film spookily predicted the future.
The Marco Brambilla-directed film, in which cryogenically frozen cop John Spartan (Stallone) wakes up in a future world he can't fathom, joins the likes of other sci-fis such as 2011's Contagion and 1994's The Stand in making eerily accurate observations about the world we live in today.
Here are five ways Demolition Man got it right.
1. It is set in a traumatised world
Set in the fictional metropolis of San Angeles in the year 2032, the film depicts a society recovering from an environmental catastrophe.
In the film, a massive earthquake in 2010 unleashes an endless stream of diseases and viruses that renders the streets empty and destroys the restaurant industry.
In fact, one dining spot that remains standing – depending where you watched the film – is either Tex-Mex joint Taco Bell (for US viewers) or Pizza Hut.
With today's pandemic shuttering restaurants across the world and hushing once vibrant cities, Demolition Man's setting is more chilling than quirky.
2. A society that has lost touch
Decades before we were figuring out ways to deliver Covid-friendly greetings, Sly and co were doing it on screen.
To stymie the spread of disease, San Angeles banned all forms of physical contact such as kisses, hugs, handshakes, fist and elbow bumps.
The approved salutation, instead, can be best described as a flamboyant version of an air high-five.
3. The advent of Zoom
While video conferencing is a standard trope of sci-fi films, Demolition Man didn't use it as a gimmick.
The film features scenes illustrating how the format seeped into our everyday lives, from social calls to high-level government meetings.
4. TikTok is coming
A small and inconsequential scene predicted today's blurred lines between art and advertising, as well as how music is heard in bite-sized bits thanks to social media and video-sharing apps such as TikTok.
During a car ride, Spartan is miffed when the radio plays nothing but jingles.
"This is the most popular station in town," says fellow officer Alfredo Garcia, played by Benjamin Bratt. "(It's) wall-to-wall mini tunes; you call them commercials."
5. No party zone
To help combat the spread of disease, San Angeles instigated a series of health and safety measures that many of us would be familiar with. This includes outlawing unsanctioned mass gatherings and celebrations.
If that strikes you as too close to the bone, then remember it could have been worse: also included in the banned list are sports activities and eating meat.
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MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20Roundup
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.