Movie Review: “Don’t Look Up”
By Donnell Solomon
Rated: R
Netflix has been churning out countless TV shows and movies, “Don’t Look Up” being one of them. On the surface, this movie is about two astronomers (Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio), who find a comet that will destroy Earth. In an attempt to warn everyone of impending doom, the astronomers are foiled by the President of the United States, who is being influenced and funded by a powerful tech billionaire (Mark Rylance) to ignore the comet so that they can make more money.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
In the end, their ignorance and the incentive for money causes the government to avoid taking action that could stop the comet, leading to the comet destroying Earth and killing everyone on it. There were a few who survived by leaving Earth in a spaceship with the tech billionaire, finding another habitable planet years down the line.
While this is the general plot, the movie is deeper than what it first seems. “Don’t Look Up” holds a satire on the American mindset and capitalism, alluding to all the political uprisings that have been going on over the past couple of years. Supporting this is a cast of famously credible actors and celebrities including Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Ariana Grande, Timothy Chamalet, Cate Blanchett, and more. The deep plot lines of this movie, mixed with the extremely talented actors, makes for an enticing movie that invokes all kinds of discussions and laughs throughout.
The main protagonists, Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, play the two astronomers who try to save everyone. The main antagonists, portrayed by Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill, offer a comedic release throughout the film. Doing this, Streep and Hill play nonchalant, almost oblivious characters who make their own jokes about the comet and the destruction of Earth because they are focused on the profits that can be made from letting the comet hit.
Overall, this Netflix movie has rightfully been a hit and earned many awards already. Check it out!
