Netflix
Theatre Service: N/A
Projection: 10/10
Don’t Look Up 2hr 24mins
A horrifyingly accurate and satirical imagining of the end of the world caused by a comet. This film is constantly treading the line of realistically unsettling and hilariously imaginative. Although we would never want to put ourselves in this position, this film does a great job of answering that “what if” question with a deep exploration of what this new discovery may do to our electronic dependent society in today’s day and age. It asks those tough questions like, would we really be smart enough to all decide on the planet’s fate as a whole? Or would this decision just instigate a World War III type scenario?
The performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio are the glue for this movie that give it heart, realism and relatability. Lawrence is extremely impressive in her role as a junior astronomer and has a innocence and ongoing paranoia that speaks to the millennial generation as we deal with ongoing updates of global warming, ocean trash, and natural disasters. The fear, the panic, the paralysis of feeling like nothing we do is going to change anything, the feeling like no matter what you say the big players in the game who have the power hold all the control - She brilliantly exemplified those emotions and spoke to our frustration. DiCaprio plays a bit of a Cinderella role, where he begins as a normal Joe and gets swept up into the glamour of their world ending discovery, being named the Worlds sexiest Astronomer. It’s that point in the movie that the satire really comes in full force and you can clearly see the way that the internet runs away with a simple idea and creates their own narrative is something so normal and relatable it’s almost sickening to see the similarities. It’s different to see DiCaprio play someone who is such a nervous wreck, fully medicated, and beside himself talking in front of public figures and he does an fantastic job. There is a nice contrast between the two leads as Lawrence begins in full panic mode and eventually turns to indifference while on the other hand, DiCaprio begins calmly spouting facts and data trying to be heard and the tide quickly turns as he realizes that science isn’t going to save people that won’t listen. It’s resoundingly clear why DiCaprio was drawn to a role like this, being such an environmentalist himself - his role in the film is to enact a wakeup call to society before it’s too late, exactly what he is attempting to achieve in his own life.
The writing is undeniably clever, witty and ruthless when it comes to mockery of today’s social media, talk shows, electronics, celebrities, and internet culture as a whole. Adam McKay wrote a script that will probably hold up for years to come given the way public interest is headed. That is really what makes this film so enjoyable, in the same way “Death to 2020” was enjoyable and frighteningly accurate. It was brilliant to align the end of the world with a presidential campaign, and Meryl Streep was * Chef’s Kiss * a perfect choice for a Madame President. The scene with the reveal of how the film’s title fits into the plot is one of the best, and the parallels they draw to recent American political campaigns, supporters, and just the blatant greediness and capitalist views of the upper class really shine light on the inequality that we face as a populous.
The editing and cinematography really fit the film’s themes of impending doom with shallow focus, closeups, a feeling of claustrophobia, and quick attention grabbing splices throughout conversations. The end montage and cross cutting was extremely unsettling with the inclusion of freeze-frames which felt like a modern day horror element - who doesn’t hate when the screen freezes? It kept you guessing, is this the last frame? Is that all their is? Did the world just end? It kept you on the edge of your seat. Some of these freeze-frame moments were interjected throughout the film, and it was such a cool element to add that hint of millennial fear to the mix, as if the world ending wasn’t bad enough.
As a longer film I thought the pacing was fairly spot on, the character’s all completed their arcs, and those who didn’t served as comedic elements, which was very Adam McKay. With a film like this I don’t think pacing could really be an issue because the entire film you’re wanting as much time with the characters and their story and the world before it is potentially obliterated, the end is inevitable so as a viewer you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
The soundtrack was a treat, including a live performance from Arianna Grande and Kid Cudi with a comedically catchy song about the end of times. Although, other than that one song it wasn’t a very attention grabbing soundtrack due to the high emotion in a lot of the scenes.
Completely rewatchable, this film will stand up for years to come and continue to be a shining example of what not to do when we discover an Everest sized comet headed straight for our planet.
>> 8.6/10 <<
Pacing: 8/10
Editing: 9/10
Plot: 9.5/10
Acting: 8/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Re-watch-ability: 10/10
Soundtrack: 7/10