DON’T LOOK UP: Adam McKay Reaches For The Stars

There is no shortage of disaster films throughout the history of cinema. As devastating as the destruction they illuminate is, at the end of the day, the world comes together in a showcase of unification and humanity, inevitably saving the day in the end. But what if the disaster wasn’t averted, what if the signs were ignored and greed rang true. What if the disaster we thought was coming was already here?

Adam McKay brilliantly delivers the answers to these questions, his latest film Don’t Look Up a political satire that uniquely captures the devastating effects of climate change and our unwillingness to not only change it, but acknowledge it. And with 2020 still fresh in our minds, and the pandemic still raging, Don’t Look Up finds deeper meaning and a grander aesthetic that not only challenges the conversation but demands action – before it’s too late.

Defining a Disaster

Don’t Look Up is undeniably a disaster movie, but it turns our expectations on their head. Rather than the disaster crashing into our world view, instead, it calls out our ecocentric behaviors, unafraid to point a finger directly at the audience, politicians, and people of power. There are opportunities to fix the impending environmental disasters, yet we turn to profit and short-sighted political gains instead. And time is running out.

As the film opens on Jennifer Lawrence‘s Kate Bibiasky, it feels like the beginning of Armageddon or Deep Impact. An aspiring doctorate candidate making the biggest discovery of her career, only to find her discovery will be her last. It was in these moments, and others, viewers can feel disaster movies of the past reverberating through the film’s fundamental core. As you watch Kate and Dr. Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) celebrate the discovery, it’s hard not to recall Deep Impact‘s young Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovering the comet that would inevitably crash into earth. Yet, where there are similarities on the surface, Don’t Look Up dives deeper, welcoming character development and depth bringing an authenticity that has been absent from disaster films of the past.

Where editing would skip the anxiety, panic attacks, travel, and literal waiting previously, here, Don’t Look Up embraces the in-between and how it might actually go down. Fear is allowed to exist, the characters the central focus, not the comet itself. Honestly, there are few scenes where the comet is actually seen, keeping the focus on the characters, and even more importantly, the message.

And as the comet’s discovery is made, and political forces are brought into play, there is a tension created, a feeling that this “can not really be happening” and a deeply invested belief that change will come at any moment. We have been trained as an audience as to what we should expect in a disaster film, an arch to the story and its characters that never truly breaks from its predestined formula. But Don’t Look Up challenges the status quo while challenging our standpoint and perspective.

Delivering Medicine One Spoonful at A Time

Don’t Look Up could have easily crumbled under the weight of the reality it is tackling, yet it finds its strength in its cast, dialogue, and humor. As heavy-handed as it is, the harsh criticisms and examinations are more easily digested with its constant doses of “sugar”. After all, “sugar helps the medicine go down”.

Where it could have severely felt the weight, threatening an all-out collapse, is in its “in your face” messaging. And while I have seen others complain it’s too on point, that was the point. To deliver a message on environmentalism that can easily be accepted, but also be delivered with a punch. It is upfront and in your face with purpose and intention, every element and fiber of the film unafraid to speak its own truth. It is in the unbridled restraint that Don’t Look Up finds its true catharsis, its characters and even the director saying exactly what we need to hear, and what we might like to say ourselves.

Don’t Look Up finds its strength even further in its incredible cast. This is a film that shines as an ensemble, each character working off the other, no role insignificant to the story or message. Through the actions of its characters, ripple effects are shown, not only displaying the effects we have on the environment but on each other as well. Though it is not without its standout stars. Jennifer Lawrence returns from a three-year acting hiatus, her delivery a resonating example of ambition and strength, her performance one that will strike the hearts of a generation screaming into a void. Leonardo DiCaprio shines as well, the deeply rooted anxiety and manipulability of Dr. Mindy a permanent part of his psyche. It was refreshing to see him take on a character that lacks the strength and fortitude of self, giving DiCaprio another chance to stretch his acting prowess even further.

Rob Morgan as Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe encompasses the fortitude of patriotism, allowing his character the breadth to maneuver through the debatable strength and resilience of fighting for one’s country over self-preservation. Mark Rylance and Meryl Streep are also notable, their characters’ combined drive and ambition both working with and against each other to the film’s desired effect. Cate Blanchette is immersive, almost unrecognizable when she first appears on the screen. Like DiCaprio, she stretches further in her own repertoire, bringing a playfully devious performance to life. And I would be remised if I didn’t mention Jonah Hill and Timothée Chalamet, whose performances we have seen elements of throughout their careers, but their chemistry with Lawrence shines each in their own unique and awkward ways.

Don’t Look Up rounds out its incredible success through its intriguing editing style. Timelines are broken, interlacing both past and present, heightening tension, and adding extra authenticity to the action on screen. At times even, it feels as though I am cycling through a social media thread or Tick Tok feed. There is a relatability that is derived from this type of fast-paced editing, its messaging is further easily digested in the similarity to the methods of social media consumption.

The editing goes a step further to, almost boarding a surrealist take. While scenes are interlaced within each other, footage of various animals and environmental scenes are worked in as well. There is this feeling that in the face of disaster the world goes on, but there is something deeper. As the tension surrounding the impending asteroid increases, viewers are constantly reminded that it is not just us we are trying to save, but an entire plant. There is beauty being missed as the time to take action slips by. Again a messaging at times too on the mark. But that’s the point.

Conclusion: Don’t Look Up

There is no mistaking that this is one of the best films of the year. It is unafraid and unrestrained, an artistic example of art imitating life. This is no Armageddon, the United States is not the savior and if we don’t act soon, we are fated to have life imitate art. Adam McKay has crafted a harsh examination of our treatment and lack of action of the environment we live in, one that is sure to not only push the conversation but retain its relevance for years to come.

Have you seen Don’t Look Up? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Don’t Look Up was released in select theaters on December 10, 2021. It will stream on Netflix on December 24, 2021. 

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