With a star-studded cast and director behind it, we expected big things from "Don't Look Up". But admittedly, it left us startled and dumb-founded. While its content is timely in an era where misinformation and fake news are everywhere, there is a massive disconnect with the film's potential and what we actually got as an end product.
Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) accidentally discover that a big comet, a planet killer, is on a direct collision course with Earth. The citizens of Earth has six months to plan and thwart the comet. But there's a problem - no one really seems to care including those in power. Turns out warning mankind about a planet-killer the size of Mount Everest is an inconvenient fact to navigate. In an era where information and misinformation are both available anytime, anywhere, this has left humanity in a bind. Are you part of those that do "Look Up" and believe that the comet is real or are you part of those that "Don't Look Up" and believe that it is all a lie?
One of the greatest powers that "Don't Look Up" has is that it was able to reflect the craziness of our current state of affairs. And we're not talking about the United States of America alone but humanity as a whole. It paints a bleak but realistic picture of how humans will likely react in the face of imminent danger. You would think that greed, pride, prejudice, and politics will always be trumped by life but the pandemic has showed us, life isn't what humans always choose. Unfortunately, even though the messaging was clear for "Don't Look Up", we didn't like its execution. As a satire, the film was lackluster and just not funny within long bouts in the film. We expected to laugh out loud in all the silliness that was happening on screen but we found ourselves being inclined and pushed to be more serious than just to have fun. On the acting department, it felt like it was another wasted opportunity. With a powerful cast behind it, we felt that most characters and actors didn't have enough on-screen time to really showcase their talent or develop their characters. For example, there are a handful of headlined actors that only show up in a handful of scenes. At least "Don't Look Up" will give its viewers time to ponder, to stop and think twice and decide for themselves what is real and what is manipulation. But again, there's still this sense that it could have been much better and much more effective with better pacing, writing, and script.
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