Don’t Look Up explores science denial and the catastrophic effects it can have.
Courtesy of Netflix
By Sophia George
Politicians and scientists have had a rocky relationship for years and recently anyone with a screen and access to the media can see what happens when an impending climate crisis is thrown into the mix.
“Don’t Look Up,” directed by Adam McKay, was released on Netflix last December under the label of comedy/disaster film. It’s a satirical parable for climate change and the way real-life politicians have dealt with environment-related issues.
McKay explores the idea of science denial in this film, because even when presented with peer-reviewed data and evidence, society often turns a blind eye.
In this case, people aren’t looking up to the sky and accepting the fact that a planet-killing comet is heading directly towards Earth.
When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was ecstatic. As someone who turns to humor to deal with the negativity of the world, I thought this was something we could all use right now.
With a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr. Randall Mindy, Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky, Meryl Streep as President Orlean and Jonah Hill as Jason Orlean, the White House Chief of Staff, there didn’t seem to be much room for disappointment.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, “Don’t Look Up” was overpromised and under delivered.
The film’s comedic moments are far and few. The character of Jason Orlean is clearly meant to be a humorous buffer to break up the more serious scenes, but this was only successful a handful of times.
Random celebrities were thrown into the film, like Timothee Chalamet as Yule, Ariana Grande as popstar Riley Bina and Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) as DJ Chello.
Apart from Hill’s character, these additional stars were the only ones that almost made me laugh, yet still, it made the viewing experience feel unbalanced and chaotic.
However, I think the overall message McKay wanted to get across was there. Much of society is so brainwashed by the news, social media and their own personal interests that they don’t see the bigger picture.
McKay successfully portrayed how anything can be turned political and how people in power can use public fear for their own gain.
There was no happy ending, as a matter of fact, it was tragic. I walked away from this movie feeling panicked, which is not what one expects from a comedy. Although maybe that was the point after all.
3/5
