“Don’t Look Up” explores a hilarious new take on the problems of our world, from misinformation in the media to climate change. The movie includes several Oscar-winning actors and is sure to catch the eye of anyone and everyone interested in pop culture. 

The movie was originally released on Dec. 10, 2021 and has sparked both enjoyment and controversy among viewers. Was the film too obvious in its representation of popular issues? Was it just a money-making ploy to attract attention? Do the events of the movie accurately portray our world today? These are all common questions being asked by viewers and critics alike, but you can decide for yourself where you stand on each matter. 

Personally, while watching the film there seemed to be no end to the amount of parallels I saw with our world today. The main conflict in the story starts when astronomy student Kate Dibiasky (played by Jennifer Lawrence) discovers what seems to be a giant comet hurtling towards Earth with the promise of impending doom. Kate and her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), attempts to alert both the government and the media about the comet, ultimately to no avail. This sparks political unrest, misinformation, and at some points violence to break out across this alternate America and it’s hard to miss the similarities we see in our real world today. 

All the actors did a great job in portraying the reality of the situation while also keeping up the satirical theme of the movie. In fact, Meryl Streep, who plays President Orlean, is said to have used improv in a good number of her most comedic appearances, which is impressive regardless of any viewer’s opinions on the comedy embedded within the film. Along with renowned actors, pop stars like Ariana Grande also make multiple appearances. If by any chance you were searching for a collaboration of incredibly famous actors and influencers, this seems to be it. 

However, what is the movie actually about? This question appears in almost every Google question dropbox I’ve seen about the movie and interestingly enough the answer is more obvious than you’d think. The big message revolves around the massive climate crisis occurring across the globe that is just as real as a massive comet on the course to blow our Earth out of the sky. 

Though the film is extremely satire, the real meaning is anything but funny. Global warming, ocean pollution, and the rapid extinction of animals are all extremely real and dangerous problems that are growing to affect our world right now. The amount of controversy the climate crisis has created among people is insane to think about and is depicted in such a scarily accurate way that without all the jokes in the movie, it would be terrifying to watch. 

Overall, yes, the movie is very obvious in its portrayal of the theme and uses an incredible amount of comedy to get the point across. With a combination of the realistic events paralleled in our own world and the prominent satirical nature of the film, “Don’t Look Up” is sure to be an experience you remember. As of now, the movie is exclusively available on Netflix.