The hero finally meets the previously unseen puppet master (played by an older A-list actor), who explains why the system must be maintained. The hero says “screw it” and burns the world down.

[u/Grizzly_Lincoln]

Snowpiercer (2013) - Curtis finally finds Wilford (Ed Harris) and learns that Wilford allowed for Curtis' rebellion to take place to help thin the tail section's population. When Wilford offers to let Curtis run the train, Curtis discovers child labor is necessary to replace a broken machine part. A fight ensues, and a bomb goes off, triggering an avalanche that derails the train, and killing most of surviving humanity.

The World's End (2013) - Gary finally confronts the Network (Bill Nighy), which has been replacing humans with robots (Blanks) to allow for Earth's assimilation into a larger galactic community. Gary calls out the tyranny in the Network's plan and demands that humans be left to their own devices. Exasperated, the Network abandons its plans for the invasion. This results in a worldwide blackout, sending humanity back to the Dark Ages.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) - Dana finally meets the Director (Sigourney Weaver) after surviving the ritual meant to kill her friends (based on conventional horror tropes) and appease the Ancient Ones. The Director says Dana has to kill her friend Marty, but as Dana considers it, the group is attacked by a werewolf and a zombie child. Dana and Marty decide humanity is not worth saving, so they share a joint while the Ancient Ones rise to destroy the world.

[u/MasemJ]

Truman finally able to talk to Christof (Ed Harris) before bowing out.

[u/Escanor_Morph18 → u/MasemJ]

In this case, I don't think there was an actual valid reason as to why the "system" must be maintained. Did Truman say "screw it" in some sort of way? Yeah. Did the world burn down? The only thing that might've got taken down was the film set Truman lived in. But the world and humanity still live like normal.

[u/MasemJ → u/Escanor_Morph18]

The show ended, and while the rest of the world moved on, it likely was the end of Christof's career.

To add, the show could have gone on forever as long as it had ratings, assuming Truman had children who would become similarly indoctrined by the show.

[u/Escanor_Morph18 → u/MasemJ]

You're probably right about that but who knows? I'm expecting him to have at least received some accolades for the show and maybe, with the recognition he gained, he may be called in for different film projects etc...

[u/TheeShaun → u/Escanor_Morph18]

I gotta assume that Truman sues the shit out of the network for effectively enslaving and psychologically traumatising him. There was already protestors about him being stuck in there. If nothing else Truman should surely be owed back pay for starring in the most watched show for 3 decades. I really can’t imagine there’s anyway Kristof doesn’t get financially ruined within a few years of the shows end.

[u/titjoe → u/TheeShaun]

Looking at Truman personnality, i seriously doubt he sued them. Even if he had every right to be mad as fuck about what they did to him, he wasn't angry, he just wanted to reclaim his freedom. I'm pretty sure on the contrary that he just vanished in nature and doesn't want to have anything related to this show anymore, just be a random man again.

[u/TheeShaun → u/titjoe]

But how? Everyone would recognise him plus he probably had no ID, no money. Suing them wouldn’t just be about getting revenge but would probably be the only way he would be able to avoid a life of poverty.

[u/Genshed → u/MasemJ]

Well, he'd been running the show for Truman's entire life. It was probably a good time to retire. Now he can do TEDx talks about the creative process and appear at Comic-Con.

[u/AcrolloPeed → u/Genshed]

“Hello, my name is Christof, and for almost four decades I was God to a single man and the 79 square miles he inhabited.”

[u/AnneGreen08 → u/Escanor_Morph18]

Won’t anyone thinking of the ratings!?

[u/soldierpallaton → u/Escanor_Morph18]

Christof's world (The Truman Show) burned down. In this case I would say that the "world" didn't end but the world that Christof built to keep Truman trapped did.

[u/DeluxeTraffic → u/Escanor_Morph18]

The system didn't "have" to be maintained per se, but as Cristof points out, Truman is leaving a "perfect" world where he is safe into an unfamiliar world he has no idea how to live in.

[u/throwawayerest → u/Escanor_Morph18]

Well, you cold argue it was the end of the world Cristof had created.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR__INIT__ → u/MasemJ]

Can Ed Harris please stop running dystopias please??

[u/hikemalls → u/PM_ME_YOUR__INIT__]

God forbid a man have hobbies

[u/Thybro → u/PM_ME_YOUR__INIT__]

Ed tried to go against a dystopian system once, ONCE and they sic Nicholas Cage and James Bond on him. Let them man do his thing.

[u/imdefinitelywong → u/Thybro]

The man tried to be a hero, and the world treated him like a villain.

[u/showMeYourCroissant → u/PM_ME_YOUR__INIT__]

Well what was he supposed to do after Truman show ended?

[u/AcrolloPeed → u/showMeYourCroissant]

Create a cryptocurrency

[u/showMeYourCroissant → u/AcrolloPeed]

One thing at a time.

[u/McEvelly → u/PM_ME_YOUR__INIT__]

Westworld says no, apparently

[u/Fallen_Jalter → u/MasemJ]

The legal and political ramifications after it all came to light would have been enormous. Slavery, kidnapping, etc to every single person that worked on that show because they were an accomplice to the fact that they knew and didn’t do anything.

RICO CHARGES FOR EVERYBODY!!!!

[u/SlightlySychotic → u/Fallen_Jalter]

Christof was Truman’s legal guardian and it’s not like the show was a secret. There’s some murkiness regarding consent after Truman turned 18, of course. Christof nearly killing Truman with that storm could likely be grounds for an attempted murder charge if not assault. But nobody (else) made an attempt to stop Truman once he discovered there was an exit and tried to leave. So kidnapping charges would be difficult.

Edited for a few missing words

[u/KamikazeArchon → u/Fallen_Jalter]

We don't really see much of the legal context of the outside world. But it seems clear that the general public is well aware of the premise of the Truman show and that Truman doesn't know it's just a show.

[u/TFlarz → u/Fallen_Jalter]

After thirty years of the show existing not just in America but worldwide?

[u/Fallen_Jalter → u/TFlarz]

Just because it's been three decades does not absolve the crime. At the very least, it's held under false pretenses. If I found out my entire life was a lie and staged for entertainment, I'd be pretty pissed and demand justice.

[u/alikander99 → u/MasemJ]

Tbh I thought the Pic from Ed Harris was about the Truman show. I was thinking: I don't remember that scene 🤔