This movie has completely managed to split the left in half opinion-wise. Was it nothing but back-patting for being clever enough to figure out what was truly wrong in American society, or was it an effective call to get serious about our future before we don’t have one anymore?
I think the former criticism is fucked up, personally. There was something in it for everyone, liberals and lefties at all stages of wokeness. Yes, we do have a fact-free wing of this society. But we don’t have to let them drag us down with them-we can still fight by sharing knowledge, passion and talent. If you didn’t like “Don’t Look Up”, two things may be wrong with you-you either don’t really like art, or you have ingested so much media you are impossible to please. In either case you are just as useful as the people who won’t look up.
The themes of the movie were screamingly obvious. There’s the overarching environmental metaphor. But there’s more to see-the death of news as information, the obsession with mindless, distracting entertainment, weird billionaires holding sway over the government, out of control meme culture, the silencing of outrage, denial of facts, and there’s probably more shit in there that I missed. In short, there is plenty to talk about, all of it teachable. And like it or not, it also reminds us that time is running out. It was almost 80 degrees on Christmas Day where I live in Georgia, so maybe “Don’t Look Up” made me squirm a little more than most.
I have kids. They are not sanguine about the future. And I am guilty as fuck if I see a movie like that and don’t reflect on what kind of world I am leaving them. I’ve decided to get mad instead of sitting on a high horse judging the fucking messenger when we aren’t doing jack shit to address the problems that the movie brings up.
I have been a cynic many times in my life. Part of me still is, but there’s still enough life left to resist a world without hope. See the fucking movie. At worst, it will relieve you to know that someone still cares, and you are not alone.
The best joke in the movie is that the scientists who get booked on the infotainment show to discuss the end of the world get slotted for the third and last segment.