Scientists claim that we have around 5-8 years left until the damage caused by climate change is irreversible. Around us we’re already seeing the effects, such as the countless natural disasters that leave us with hundreds of fatalities, rising temperatures that are destroying ecosystems, and melting ice caps that are raising our sea level. It’s a scary truth to come to terms with, especially since many do not take this escalating concern seriously. 

The film Don’t Look Up tackles this idea of people laughing in the face of imminent danger. However, in this case, instead of global warming destroying the human population, it’s an asteroid.

The story follows Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky, two low-level astronomers who discover the one thing that has been feared since the age of the dinosaurs— an asteroid on its one way trip to earth (again), which would surely cause another mass extinction. Hoping to bring this issue to light and begin to offset its course, Randall and Kate make their way to the White House and on the air with a popular news show, who neither take the scientists nor their discovery very seriously.

The movie then goes on to feature various characters that make the film a bit more comedic, including a knock-off of Jeff Bezos, Timothée Chalamet as a Twitch streamer, and Ariana Grande as a moody popstar. 

Watching the story play out was quite nerve-wracking and disappointing, because even though I knew how it ended, I still had hope. Yet, that hope was destroyed every time the president, played by Meryl Streep, opened her mouth and made, once again, the wrong decision.

It was also quite frustrating to see how each character in the movie handled the news. Most of them shrugged it off as it was nothing, or they turned it around on the scientists and claimed it was false. 

However, what was most infuriating about the film was how correct it was in depicting how our society would handle that type of situation. People would do what people normally do, and pretend that it’s not true or turn it into some kind of big joke. Then, government officials would use it in their campaign, making scientists seem like the ones in the wrong. 

So, I would interpret this film as a satirical metaphor for our current state of the planet. 

But even though the tone was leaning more towards tense and frightening, it was very fun to see all of Hollywood’s best actors on the screen. The cast was truly star studded and sure to pique any viewer’s interest.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawerence, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Kid Cudi, and Chris Evans all made the film very pleasing to watch and provided a nice break from the stress of the story. If I became too overwhelmed by the approaching asteroid only getting closer, I could simply zone out and focus on the charming actors and how great of a job they were doing.

Therefore, I would rate this movie an 8/10. It’s perfect if you’re interested in how our society works, climate change, or if you just want to watch Timothée Chalamet on a screen for two hours.

So, if any of these apply to you, go to Netflix and give it a shot!