The Misuse of Disbelief of Don’t Look Up

Written by Daniel Ben

Undoubtedly, Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up could have been a really good movie.

But while countless nominations do mean something, this Netflix special, at times, lacks the tact needed to strike a balance between entertainment and warning of society’s collective ignorance of our problems.

The film aimed to tackle the issue of climate change in a more meaningful manner, beyond the post-apocalyptic action setting of Mad Max or the popcorn battle sequences of Avatar’s eco-warfare. It accomplishes what it set out to do through this comedic critique of society’s general indifference to what’s happening to our planet, but it falls flat on actually saying anything meaningful.

At the discovery that a comet is set to collide with Earth, scientists Kate (Jennifer Lawrence) and Randall (Leonardo Dicaprio) rush their findings to the White House, only to discover that the U.S. president played by Meryl Streep is more concerned with petty politics more than the imminent danger of destruction. The scientists then attempt to leak it to the media, and fail to reach the public consciousness, finding themselves on the fourth page of the newspaper, trending only because Randall had a pretty face.

Even when the comet’s streak became visible in the sky, instead of making a decision to save the world, the president puts her trust in the shoddy science of a businessman’s plan to allow the comet hit earth in smaller pieces to extract rare Earth minerals.

The public is divided into these two sides: of those begging others to #JustLookUp and save themselves and those with steadfast belief, saying “Don’t look up!” with the foolish belief that what the president tells them that this flimsy science is reliable.

As is the case for most satires, it tries its best to be comical—from the film’s mockery of social media with the AILF (Astronomer I’d Like to Fuck) to the obvious allusion to Trump and his MAGA rallies to the existential jokes about dying to the fact that no one cares of what’s happening, as proven by the next to nonexistent media attention. Even if the gravity of the situation at times might be too heavy to laugh at, the sarcasm of the star-studded cast is sure to make you smile.

While the ridiculousness of it all gets a chuckle, reflecting McKay’s wit and history in skit comedy, the critique of the situation is shallow, only mirroring the things we already know with nothing new to say.

Don’t Look Up is a film that clearly seeks to say something, even going so far as to make fun of directors and movies that claim political neutrality for the sake of popcorn entertainment. One could say that perhaps, making fun of our dire situation is its purpose: a cathartic understanding that our social and political landscapes are so absurd that even a simple representation of it is a joke. With that, is parody and satire even necessary, when the jokes made are indistinguishable from reality?

If this is the truth, then the film is a mere reaffirmation for the people who understand the insanity of our present situation. As proven with the harsh reviews from the far-right, frustrated on how they were represented as oblivious in the film, it’s not a great story to unite a people to one cause.

In its pursuit to unsettle, it forgot to include hope.

If I were to put Don’t Look Up side by side with another film with a similar premise, I would choose Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical. Both undeniably cartoonish stories follow about the same plot points, where Squirrel Sandy Cheeks is the dogmatic scientist who is dumbfounded when Plankton’s propaganda drives her away, disregarding her ideas to save Bikini Bottom from the impending doom of a volcano eruption. Then there is the usual Plankton, of course, only thinking about how he could make a profit out of the disaster.

The stark difference is that the latter offers a great example of how hope can be used as a binding force in narratives. There isn’t anything necessarily better in triumphant narratives over pessimistic ones, but what sets these two stories apart is how it represents our current reality.

It’s an entertaining movie for sure, but for a film that aims to be a call for action, Don’t Look Up falls flat in comparison to SpongeBob, of all things.

Perhaps to be unsettling is the correct way to go, knowing unsettling is putting our current global warming issues lightly. Perhaps that comedy is important even, to make these horrifying ideas more palatable. Don’t Look Up does both of these well.

However, as a social commentary, it has to offer more than parodying of the other side of the political spectrum. With how polarized our society is, we need stories to unite, not empty reflections of what we already know, and if there is no hope, and nothing new to say about pessimism, what else is there?

Perhaps at best, Don’t Look Up serves as a mainstream movie attempting to reiterate the generations-long issue of climate change made more palatable for the general audience, especially in the West. And of course, it is an enjoyable watch for fans of satire and dark comedy, and despite its shortcomings, a thought-provoking one still.