Movie Review
At face value, Don't Look Up has all the ingredients for a guaranteed hit, with a sharp writing team, an interesting concept and a more assembled cast than a Marvel movie. And after a limited theatrical run, the film quickly shot to number one when it was released on Netflix. But as Adam Sandler can attest, success on a streaming platform doesn't always equate to quality.
Closer to The Big Short or Vice than a Will Ferrell vehicle, Don't Look Up tells the story of scientist ghost team. Estimated to remain for six months, it promises certain planetary destruction if the comet does not stop its impact.
The stakes are well and truly set, it's up to Kate and Randall to save the world. Only one thing can stand in their way - the unwillingness of the human race to pay attention to a bunch of boring scientists.
Aspects
This aspect of the film is quite clever. It reflects America's real-world climate of anti-intellectualism, while subverting the disaster movie world's turn to scientists in times of crisis.
These scenes also led to the frustration of being constantly ignored, with real-life climate scientists claiming to be too familiar with the protagonists of Don't Look Up. But this one-note joke can't sustain an entire feature, and the second half of the film collapses under the weight of about ten plot twists and turns.
Exceptional Cast
None of Don't Look Up's many faults can be blamed on its exceptional cast. Along with DiCaprio and Lawrence, the supporting players are real highlights, including Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Timothee Chaemet and even Meryl Streep. The only mystery is why they signed on to such mediocre material in the first place - although at least self-sacrificing environmentalist DiCaprio is bound to get in the spirit of climate activism.
Granted, although climate change is never overtly referenced, the story functions as a (very obvious) metaphor, with the threat of a comet standing in for the real-world threat of climate change.
"Don't Look Up" was a film designed to provoke thought and make a difference - an admirable goal for McKay. But unfortunately, he is far from this lofty goal.
Don't Look Up's environmental message could have connected less with its audience if it tried.
Viewers can forgive the degree of propaganda in the films - if we feel we've learned something. But McKay's attempts at enlightenment often seem condescending.
The film's attempt at political commentary is also mistaken for cutting-edge with dated references (it's been over a year since Donald Trump became president; need we remind you that the former president expected that—a bit of a dummy). satire.
It's a nice idea. But the reality is that if movies fail to entertain and engage the audience, they cannot help change anything. If satire doesn't make us laugh, and watching a movie about climate change that adds nothing to the conversation won't make us uncomfortable, it doesn't have the power to provoke thought.
Today's Audience
It's possible that Don't Look Up would have been better received if it had been released ten or even fifteen years earlier. But today's audiences are more frugal and more cynical than McKay gives them credit for. Satirizing government environmental stewardship in 2021 isn't cutting-edge observational comedy. It's a sad fact of life.
Small? Absolutely. But this self-important superiority also shows why McKay was the wrong director to take on the impossibly complex, controversial and important subject of climate change.
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