‘Don’t Look Up’ is a Disaster, But in a Good Way
Have you ever wondered how society would react if they were told the earth would be destroyed in half a year? Adam McKay’s latest satirical comedy will give you a very possible answer to this question.
When I first researched Don’t Look Up, I saw that one of its genres was disaster. I believe this doesn’t only refer to the fact that in the movie the Earth will be destroyed, but it also refers to the reaction to this news by everyone in the movie. This movie does a great job at that, and if we were to face something like this in real life, it would not be too surprising if our reaction would be similar. Adam McKay has worked as a head writer for SNL, and you will occasionally get the feeling that there was a big influence there.
Don’t Look Up has a lot of big names in the cast, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, and that is only naming a few. However, the two that shine the most are Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Aniston. They play two astronomers, Dr Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky. The two spend the majority of the movie trying to warn people about the approaching comet, but their attempts to convince everybody else fail due to the fact one is really bad speaking in public and the other one has a short temper and becomes a meme. And when the government finally decides to do something about the comet, Peter comes in and stops everything.
Don’t Look Up is proof that a movie does not need a good ending to deliver a powerful message.
Peter is the main antagonist of the movie along with President Orlean, he is the CEO of a tech company, and he sees an opportunity to make money off the comet. These 2 people represent greed in this movie, they fully stopped the plan to blow up the comet when they had a chance because they were more interested in getting profit from the situation. The worst part is that they never take responsibility when their plan fails and the earth is doomed, instead leaving for another planet with a select group of people. As for the movie, it really shines in the visual department due to the great shots and the amazing visual effect. Where they shine the most, is at the end of the movie the moment the comet hits the earth, specifically the scene when Dr Oglethorpe, Kate, Dr. Mindy, and his family are all eating for the last time at a table, in full acceptance of what is about to happen. But the slow motion in this shot, and the visual effect of everything breaking apart due to the impact make this scene feel the most special, it adds all the sentiment and it hits the hardest even though it’s a beautiful scene.
Overall, I was a big fan of Don’t Look Up, a fan of the satire and the parodies of real life people, although I can definitely see how some people wouldn’t like it due to how frustrating it can be. In my opinion Adam McKay wanted to give the audience this feeling of frustration, and he succeeded in my eyes. This movie is not for everybody and it was far from the best, but it was a pretty good watch, and a different story that can be somewhat realistic.
