Don’t Look Up
Directed by: Adam McKay
Runtime: 138 minutes
The last couple of years has been tough on society. Humanity has shone in some instances, giving us all faith in our fellow man, but unfortunately, in so many more ways, the pandemic has shown the idiocy and divide between us. Don’t Look Up directed by Adam McKay seems to lean into the latter, focussing on the stupidity of the media and mankind, leaving little room for us to believe that someone, somewhere will make the right decision. Don’t Look Up tells the story of two scientists, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and PHD candidate Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), who discover a mountain-sized comet travelling straight for impact with Earth. With six months before impact, the two scientists desperately try to convince the world with science and math that the comet is in fact real.
DiCaprio’s performance as Dr. Mindy is unexpected but welcome, portraying an intelligent, but an incredibly dumb man with his own flaws and weaknesses. Although he is on team “save planet”, Dr. Mindy, like the rest of the world, continually loses sight of his objectives and embraces ‘end of days’ far too much for a man who does in fact know the planet is doomed. Dr. Mindy is initially shy and weak-willed, allowing the media and officials to talk down the threat and enjoy his status as a “hot scientist” – which I could totally believe if I saw a scientist that looked like him. Similarly, Lawrence’s performance as a rough and wild Kate Dibiasky is also out of her usual typecast role. Dibiasky, who makes the initial discovery of the comet, is nervous yet incensed by the world’s reaction to the existence of the comet (or lack thereof). Far more outspoken than her counterpart, Dibiasky is quickly rejected by the media and government officials as she fails to make the news of their impending demise ‘fun’ and ‘light’. Both performances from the two actors stretch their acting muscles and allow these characters to seem more authentic (rather than just typical heroes) in a world where the media reigns supreme.
The cinematography of Don’t Look Up resonates with McKay’s style from The Big Short, embracing documentary filmmaking techniques with the shaky camera and fly-on-the-wall style aesthetic. This occasionally feels out of place in this clearly completely fictional film but is an understandable choice with the effect the director obviously wants to achieve through his storytelling. The themes throughout the film are clearly warning society of the power of the media and cautioning the recent distrust of science that we have experienced all too recently. It is clear from the documentary aesthetic McKay wants this all to feel uncomfortably real. Meryl Streep’s performance as the president of the United States combines some of the worst presidents (whether Republican or Democrat – it seems to be left purposefully ambiguous), referencing all too real events, reactions and tactics from history in order to show how the power of the president can truly affect the world.
The runtime for the film does seem excessive considering the message and outcome of the film. It is clear what the film is trying to teach us, yet it spends an obnoxiously long time focussing on how terrible or stupid these people are. This may have been done on purpose so you have the same feelings as our two scientists, but it just felt like this film frequently dragged when it could just get to the point. Another area this film struggles with would be how insular this world-affecting event is to just the United States of America. There are mentions of other countries and some attempts from other nations to destroy the comet, but they are barely noticeable or it is not a very favourable representation towards that country – both China and Russia have a failed mission which seems to be a middle finger from America. Does no one else in the world try anything to stop their destruction or do we all rely on the world police of America? The final moments of the film are sweet during the dinner scene but this somehow seems diminished when this is not the final scene of the film. Without giving too much away, the final moments of the film aren’t with our main characters but instead are spent with some of the worst people in history and it didn’t really leave me with a strong positive feeling towards the film.
Overall, Don’t Look Up successfully communicates the themes of media distrust and government control but doesn’t really say anything wise about this long term issue and instead just shows us how bad it could get if left unchecked. The performances of both DiCaprio, Lawrence and Streep are excellent, putting emphasis on the character archetypes we would all know too well since the pandemic. Personally, this is a film I struggled through when you are faced with the all too real portrayal of a distrusting world, but instead of being offered an answer, you are left not knowing what to do with these emotions and turn on the news to see much the same.
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