H. T. Davey Reviews

Review by H. T. Davey

Don’t Look Up (2021)

★★ ½

Director: Adam McKay

The Netflix film ‘Don’t Look Up’ is a film for its time, focusing on a planet destroying comet, inspired by climate change. This movie is filled with a star-studded cast to make us think about our planet while also making us laugh. This is a great popcorn film which explores what can happen if a giant comet plunges into earth.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play Dr. Randall Mindy and Kate who are two scientists who find a comet which will destroy earth in six months. This begins their journey as they travel around the country explaining what will happen, only to not be listened until it’s too late.

The humour is dark but also silly, written by director Adam McKay himself. We have lots of characters with vastly different objectives; Lawrence’s character who wants respect and to be heard, and DiCaprio’s character who wants fame and appreciation. The movie has a solid plot, however, at times it becomes predictable and cliché with its narrative and plot.

Cate Blanchett plays a talk show host who makes things worst with having an affair with DiCaprio’s family man character. We have a lot happening in this film with not much time to explain all the other concepts at play… like a large multi-millionaire technology company who wants to take the comets pieces and sell them for phone parts.

Meryl Streep plays the President of The United States (of course) and we see her take on a domineering persona, coining the phrase “Don’t Look Up”. Timothee Chalamet also makes a surprise character in the film, helping others find peace at the end of the world.

Don’t Look Up is a humorous, fun, and silly film exposing the danger of not paying attention to climate change… or a comet. Overall, this film is a fun experience anyone can easily rewatch.