An indictment of globalism

The story here is essentially that of the globalist elite and their control over the masses. We're even told near the end, "There ain't no countries anymore. No more good guys. They're running the whole show. They own everything, the whole goddamn planet."

So these elites use mass media--television, publications, advertising--to subliminally force the population into submission. Obey. Sleep. Don't question authority. These are their messages to us, as the "sleeping middle class" is dismantled in order to create a sharp divide between those at the top and everyone else, so that all the power is concentrated in the hands of the ruling class.

And if you resist, they send out their army--the police force--in jack boots and riot gear to force compliance. Notice how in the film the police are almost always portrayed militaristically.

I felt like portraying the elites as aliens was fitting, because the ultra-rich in the world live a lifestyle that is so different from the common man that it might as well be alien.

This is the kind of movie that can--and will be--interpreted many ways, depending on the individual's worldview. Carpenter himself has said it's about Reaganomics and the rich yuppie culture of the 80s.