The recent Netflix movie Don’t Look Up forces its viewers to examine our society and future consequences of our current lifestyle. Despite the movie’s mixed reviews with many either loving it or hating it, Don’t Look Up is a clever way to expose the true nature of our world and how egocentric it can be. The cast includes many popular actors, such as Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, and Meryl Streep. Those who disliked the movie argue that it was badly done, and unfunny, with dislikable characters. However, I believe Don’t Look Up is a movie everyone should watch.
The movie follows astronomers, beginning with the discovery of a comet headed directly for earth that will result in complete extinction. They expect that everyone will want to take action to stop this imminent disaster from occurring, yet the entire world cares more about other, meaningless and arbitrary things like money or the scientists that discovered the comet. The president of the U.S. cares more about her position in politics than the comet, and tries to alter the situation in order to save her popularity. She also chooses to ignore the scientific proof that the comet will result in the end of the world. The rest of the country is more concerned with what is happening with celebrities than a comet with a 99% chance of impact on earth. Because of this disorganized system of priorities, it is extremely difficult to create a plan to stop the comet. Though the plot follows a very depressing storyline, Don’t Look Up is still a comedy. At first, the parody of our world that Don’t Look Up is creating is not very obvious, but as the movie continues, it becomes more visible. This aspect of the movie draws viewers in and allows for a very real and current topic to be discussed.
Don’t Look Up puts our society into a different perspective, exposing how flawed our world truly is. It evokes thought and discussion about what we deem as important and what is most valued. It especially focuses on the climate change crisis, and how it is often pushed aside and ignored, or even outright denied. In Don’t Look Up, profits are prioritized over the safety of the entire world. This is a direct parallel to what occurs today, with money held as more important than our environment. More than anything, Don’t Look Up raises the necessary question of will we meet a similar fate if we don’t reevaluate our values and systems?
