What would humanity do if a scientist on the news said that a giant comet would be ending the world in six months? Or more importantly, would you believe?

Netflix’s recently dropped science-fiction blockbuster called Don’t Look Up draws a scenario where astronomers discover a 10-kilometer-wide comet set to collide with Earth. The film demonstrates the scientists’ efforts to warn the world of their approximate doom and convince politicians to take the action needed to disrupt the rock.

With only six months until the comet makes impact, managing the 24-hour news cycle and gaining the attention of the social media obsessed public before it’s too late proves shockingly comical – what will it take to get the world to just look up?.

Each day is a day of importance and taking time for granted is one of the biggest mistakes to be made. Humans get usedto living the same day over and over with disregard.

In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the role of a man, Dr. Randall, who is concerned about the upcoming doom along with his student, Kate Dibiasky played by Jennifer Lawrence who were the ones to discover said comet. While DiCaprio is an advocate for environmental conscience, his character is more on the grey area of it all. One of the reasons why Randall was in the grey was because of how he was balancing the severity of the situation while fighting his sudden rise to fame after being on the news.

Having been played by DiCaprio , Randall was obviously eye candy, contributing to his character’s sudden fan base. In the movie, his character’s plot involved the audience focusing on how he was beautiful rather than focusing on what he was saying and his warning of the comet. The world  didn’t care if the world was ending as long as they made Randall trendy. 

Kate and Randall fly to Washington D.C along with Dr. Teddy (Rob Morgan) to explain the situation to President Orlean. The power-hungry, humanity-lacking President Orlean is played by the fabulous Meryl Streep.

Throughout the entire movie, the cinematography reflects the thoughts of the most influential/powerful person in the scene flashing random shots of what Earth means to other people. The cinematography of the movie was the most surprising part. 

The story was packed with subtle messages. That is apart from the fact that if you blink in the movie, you might miss Chris Evans and Matthew Perry’s cameos. The movie basically critiqued every aspect of the modern world and its culture. Politics, social media, celebrities, influence on teens, beauty standards, and more are skewered considerably.

While the movie was hilarious and completely filled with dark comedy, many big names also overcrowded the character’s arcs and overall plot. Names like Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothee Chalamet, Jonah Hill , Cate Blanchet, and many more appear. It seeped of stereotypical tone and hyperbolic behavior. The powerful actors distracted from the movie message itself but still thrived in attacking human ignorance.

“By the end of the film, one realizes that the title, Don’t Look Up, is more so to depict the higher authority than to the authority prohibiting the citizens from looking up at the comet. It ridiculed the political nature of our world, the media that focuses more on what is trending as well as oblivious citizens. Many have commented that the movie is but an exaggerated tale that makes all humans stupid so as to sell humor, when in reality the movie is a satire on the most prominent characteristics of human beings, according to The New York Times.

The movie was a much-needed conclusion to 2021–a little message to start the new year with a fresh mindset and an appreciation for everyday blessings.