If you thought Don't Look Up was just a movie about the apocalypse caused by a comet hitting the planet, you are wrong! It's a movie that tries to remind you over and over that death is very near and for scientifically proven reasons, but you, like most of the people on this beautiful blue planet, trade the game and live in denial, refraining from looking at the sky until the imminent end.
The film is divided into 3 axes, the first axis is the discovery of the comet, the second axis is an attempt to raise awareness about it, and the third axis is the reactions of the government and companies controlling the economy and the people themselves on this issue.
Don't Look Up Directed by Adam Mackay, the movie really touches viewers because despite being a comedic fictional story about events that didn't really happen, it is one of the most realistic films today. It highlights the extent of people's ignorance and denial of reality, and the extent to which the authorities manipulate and ignore anything that does not serve their interests. In an age when the world is living in the shadow of a deadly epidemic, along with dangerous climate changes that threaten our planet, what dominates social media is empty entertainment information, in addition to the politicization of everything even the issue of death. Even scientific facts are rejected by many. Mackay tells his story by introducing comedians to voice his frustration with the state of our planet.
Mackay is trying to shout out to the whole world, do something to save the world or we will lose everything. The outcry comes from PhD student Kate DePasky (Jennifer Lawrence), who and her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) that a comet about 9 km wide will hit and destroy Earth after about 6 months. It is a "planet killer" as they call such comets. Frustrated with the presidential office's reaction, they turn to the media in the hope that people will understand the severity of the matter. "We will all die!" Kate screams on a TV show hosted by anchors represented by Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett after their sarcastic reaction to the news, but is soon marginalized and even considered crazy, turning into a "meme" that spreads online much faster than the disastrous news itself.
Mackay tells his story in a fictional America headed by a corrupt president (Meryl Streep) in a style inspired by the majority of Trump, and in a small part by Hillary Clinton, with her spoiled son (Jonah Hill) useless as chief of staff, and her corrupt administration. At first they focus on thinking how there is no time for this news to not affect their victory in the midterm elections, and they really only care when they need to mobilize the masses in their favor after a certain scandal, so they take advantage of the disaster under the guise of patriotism.
Here, the film also highlights the extent to which large corporations interfere in politics and governments, and depicts this as a billionaire (played by Mark Rylance with a chilling performance) owner of a giant technology company, who is only concerned with the disaster is to benefit financially at the expense of the people. But this does not mean that the people themselves are not to blame. The movie here proves that we are fools and doomed as a human race.
Trying to Survive
The outcome is the same, whether it's a deadly virus, environmental disasters, global warming, or a deadly comet that will shock us. The world will end, but we care more about a funny meme or a singer (performed by Ariana Grind) breaking up with her DJ boyfriend than our own survival (but it's worth mentioning how amazing the song she plays with Kid Cody in the movie is). Even when the people realize the truth of what is going on, they are divided between those who believe and deny the issue with the spread of conspiracy theories and the campaign (Don't Look Up), which is the title of this film, in a depiction of the extent to which people deny reality and turn their eyes away from what is real and clear in front of them if they really look closely.
The film is as detached from reality as it is realistic, and it is undeniable how ingenious Mackay is in weaving a story that talks about what is happening at this moment, comparisons and similarities abound, from Covid and anti-vaccine to the domination of giant corporations over everything even the future of peoples, to the politicization of Everything is up to the government. But not everything is so dark here.
For example, there is the character of The Boy (played by Timothée Chalamet), a nihilistic young man who does not believe or trust anyone and does not care about conspiracies, but finds himself drawn to Kate's scream on TV, which Chalamet performs with a wonderful performance. But the ones who really grab the spotlight in the movie are Lawrence and DiCaprio. Despite the huge and wonderful cast, Lawrence perfectly captures the frustration we all feel as viewers, lighting up the screen in every scene in which she appears. In addition to DiCaprio, who presents a stellar performance as we are accustomed to as the tense and turbulent professor at the beginning, whose performance changes with the change of his personality as he later becomes the media face of everything related to the culprit.
