The Coronavirus pandemic has changed life substantially for people around the globe in ways that many of us would never have predicted.

So many films have come out over the years that showed us the possibilities of the future. “Gattaca”, “Blade Runner”, “Ghost In The Shell”, “Alien”, “Minority Report”, “The Terminator”, “Ex Machina”, “RoboCop”, “Total Recall”, “Brazil”, “The Fifth Element”, “Mad Max”, “The Running Man”, “I, Robot”, “Hardware” and “The Matrix” all offered up different ideas about what might happen to the world. However, it is strange to think the film that world now seems to reflect most closely is “Demolition Man”.

I was not a fan of it but “Demolition Man” was a moderately successful sci-fi/action flick from the 1990s. Sylvester Stallone (“First Blood”) starred as a cop with Wesley Snipes (“Passenger 57”) playing the villain. The two got frozen for decades but would continue their battle in the future. Sandra Bullock (“Speed”) also had a major role.

What does this have to do with 2020 pandemic? Well, it’s the world that the movie created. In the film, non-essential physical contact has been outlawed due to the prevalence of viral infections. This sounds an awful lot like 2020’s ‘social distancing’ measures. This also means no kissing and sex is done using a virtual reality headset. Stallone is invited to have a sex session with Bullock but he’s not too impressed by the virtual method of stimulation. However, the lack of touching is not the only way in which the movie appears to share similarities with the pandemic. Many people may remember that concerns about the lockdowns led to stockpiling. One item that became hard to obtain was toilet roll. Well, in “Demolition Man” toilet roll has been replaced by the use of three seashells. We never see the seashells but the characters mention it a few times. Also, with a significant number of conventional restaurants closed, fast-food outlets have remained popular. In “Demolition Man”, all restaurants are Pizza Hut (at least in the British version, Taco Bell is used in the American version).

“Demolition Man” was a hit when it was released but most people have probably forgotten about it. However, it is interesting to think that of all the sci-fi films to sort of come true, it was this cheesy Stallone film.