Netflix’s Don’t Look Up – An Edgy Sci-Fi Satire (Early Review)

Don’t Look Up is a film that has appeared on countless most anticipated films of 2021 lists for obvious reasons. With its cast featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence just to name a few alongside writer/director Adam McKay at the helm, there’s plenty of reason for excitement. Ever since The Big Short, McKay’s edgy comedies have boasted plenty of style and bite as they’ve made it to the forefront of the discourse and transcending his lower brow fare. That being said, his earlier offerings still have quite a fan base but his recent offerings have been divisive among some audiences by rubbing them the wrong way. In the end, the key is maintaining that edge which makes his films stand out while still maintaining a level of restraint and exercise some semblance of control. Though not without its flaws, this film shows that kind of control for the most part. Despite being about 10-15 minutes too long, this satire is equally hilarious and sad by how it shines a light on our divided society as it cast a wide net, taking shots against government and pop culture. Maybe it could have toned things down at times, however, the film worked more often than not.

The story follows a pair of astronomers a grad student named Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence) and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio) who discovered a comet set on a collision course with Earth. Little did they realize, what seemed like a real issue did not register with people who appeared not to care at all. With presumably six months to warn the world and get them to prepare for a planet-killer size comet with the potential of an extinction level event, the pair went on a tour that took them to the White House and President Janie Orlean (Streep), a female Trump-type, and her manchild of a son and Chief of Staff Jason (Jonah Hill) and a popular Fox News style morning show hosted by Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett) and Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry). Framing the struggle of Mindy and Dibiasky through the lens of dysfunctional governments and the daily news and social media cycle, Don’t Look Up unsurprisingly did not hold its punches and took its fair share of unsubtle shots which were hilarious for the most part mostly for their accuracy than anything else though the quantity over quality approach does get excessive.

Ultimately, it was up to Mindy and Dibiasky to do exactly what the title suggests and get people to look up. In our divided times, a notion that may be straightforward was nowhere near that in reality. The sheer frustration they felt fighting what appeared to be a losing battle will surely be relatable for a lot of audiences. Despite their tireless efforts, getting people to listen is one thing and getting them to take their claims seriously was another. Putting science up against fake news and self-interest offers plenty of parallels to the environment of today where actions have consequences even if its the right thing. Suffice it to say considering the kind of flawed people at play here, the final outcome was far from certain as they would inevitably find a way to screw it up and put humanity at risk if it benefitted them. Meanwhile in a world prone to division, cutting through all the noise and getting the people together and on their side also proved to be a challenge in spite of the fact that the world was indeed coming to an end.

Technically speaking, Don’t Look Up is impressive which could get lost in the shuffle of its admittedly ridiculous premise. The film may have a surprising amount of scope but the film handles all its characters and settings. The production design was there and so were the great space special effects, beautiful cinematography, and its epic score. Where the film falters albeit slightly was with its camerawork and editing over the course of some of its more frantic moments featuring a few too many closeups and cuts that get distracting. Finally, a pair of original songs including one from co-stars Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi that we’ll be hearing for some time to come.

With a big cast and a wide-ranging premise, the script had to do a lot of heavy lifting and for the most part, it succeeded. The humor hit more than miss while the ridiculous plot and characters straddled that fine line without going off the rails. The performances were stellar across the board despite the scope of the film holding them back for the most part in terms of depth. DiCaprio essentially played against type as Mindy, an uncharismatic astronomer uncomfortable with social situations who believed in science. Lawrence as Dibiasky nicely rounded out their dynamic with a youthful energy that defined her. Their chemistry grounded the insanity and served as the light amongst the chaos. There are more performances to mention but the only one that didn’t really fit was Hill as Jason Orlean as his energy didn’t quite fit with the rest of Don’t Look Up.

At the end of the day, Don’t Look Up proves that Adam McKay still has edge and if that edge can be used in a controlled way, he’ll find success.

still courtesy of Netflix

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.