Movie of the Month - Don't Look Up
April Movie of the Month - Don’t Look Up
This comedy disaster movie is a welcome and brave attempt from a Hollywood blockbuster at tackling the tricky subject of climate change. Doing so head on with a large dose of comedy, has produced something truly engaging. In “Don’t Look Up”, two astronomers, played by Leonardo di Caprio and Jennifer Lawrence, uncover the truth that a sizable comet is on a fatal trajectory to Earth. Their mission is to convince the rest of the world to do something about it, which proves to be challenging when they come across familiar villains in positions of power at every turn, who are either vindictively or naively invalidating the imminent danger.
The all-star cast is a joy to watch, with Cate Blanchett as the seemingly vacuous news host with hidden depths and Meryl Streep as a phenomenal female ‘Trump’, desperate to turn what is a clear emergency, into a positive stat for her midterm! Nonetheless she comes across as more ingenuous than egocentric and as a result is strangely likeable. It is easy to relate to elements of each character and that is what cleverly absorbs the viewer into the narrative.
Reviews have been mixed and it seems this film really divides opinion. The incredibly dry humour is too much for some (I couldn’t finish it and Nicki’s partner fell asleep!). Also, the pace of the movie is pretty slow and at 2hrs25, it is certainly expecting a lot of stamina from the audience. However, in the month after Netflix launched the film, subscribers spent 360m hours watching it, making its debut the second most successful in the streamer’s history. It was even nominated in four Oscar categories, including Best Picture. After walking away empty handed from four nominations at the BAFTAs earlier this month, critics have been intrigued to see how it would hold up at the Oscars and unfortunately it followed suit and came away with nothing.
The great premise of this film is undeniable and incredibly relevant, since the environment is on the tip of everyone’s tongue, more so this month with Earth Day on 22nd April. This isn’t just your typical disaster movie that we’ve seen so much of. “Don’t Look Up” asks us all to look inwards to consider the impact climate change has on our lives. In short, for the first time in a while, we are being asked to check our mindset via a different medium other than a documentary, report or news headline, which has a real value.
One thing is sure; whether you love it or hate it, this film is a talking point and helps to keep such a topical subject at the forefront of the public and commercial consciousness. Definitely worth a watch.