Review: Don’t Look Up

Don’t Look Up, a recently released movie on Netflix, has gained a lot of recognition. Released on December 24th, the movie is about scientists finding an asteroid that is coming towards Earth. Throughout the film they have a hard time convincing money-driven politicians to take necessary action. 

I enjoyed watching the movie and found it hilarious, but also terrifying. I think that the movie is comical enough that you are able to kind of laugh about it even though it is clearly highlighting how influential people and politicians react to scientists which usually depends on what they as a politician can receive or gain in return. This creates distrust and less hope with citizens. It also makes the approach to something that has the potential to significantly impact the future of civilization seem unprofessional. I think the meteor is a metaphor for the importance of immediate action surrounding the climate crisis. I also think that compared to the climate crisis the amount of people and time spent trying to raise awareness and create action within the government are very different. After all, scientists and citizens have been sounding the alarm for climate for a long time. Of course, the struggles that scientists and concerned citizens face around this issue cannot be portrayed through a 2 hour film, but it does illustrate the uphill battle that scientists constantly face with politicians. I recommend everyone to watch Don’t Look Up because it is a funny way to look upon human and society’s mistakes while also rekindling awareness surrounding climate which was almost pushed away with the pandemic and rising polarization around other problems in our country.