Indyfreak's Movie Review of Don't Look Up (2021)

All-star satire of Armageddon with lots of padding
Indyfreak - wrote on 02/10/22

As far as Adam McKay movies go, this was not as annoying as I feared it would be.

I've tried to like a lot of his movies that I've seen. But his work always seems smug or pretentious. The only one that I genuinely liked was The Other Guys (2010). But this was not too bad. But it does not always stick the landing when it comes to mixing the story with the satirical elements.

The basic premise is these scientists (DiCaprio, Lawrence) discover a new comet is heading directly for Earth. And it will destroy mankind with 100% certainty. But the world and political leaders won't take it seriously. Or seriously enough.

That setup is actually a solid choice for political satire like a Dr. Strangelove except with an environmental theme. The movie seems aware of the gravity facing the planet regarding climate change or potential extinction-level events. But it does not always address it in a subtle manner. I'm not expecting Stanley Kubrick but some of the comedy is very direct and in your face with its messaging. There's a character whose name is literally General Themes. Real clever, McKay.

Leonardo DiCaprio is good in the lead male role. Given his real-life commitment as an environmentalist, he is passionate in his delivery and it feels earnest. Jennifer Lawrence plays the more cynical and jaded counterpart. She has her moments but is a bit flat. Cate Blanchett is funny as a shallow news anchor and Meryl Streep is pretty good as the narcissistic President of the United States. I will admit that Ron Perlman got some laughs out of me as a jingoistic astronaut. Jonah Hill is pretty obnoxious but I think that's the point. Though it doesn't mean I enjoyed his performance much at all.

The movie does clock at almost two and a half hours. So there's a lot of different subplots running in between the key worldwide catastrophe. When it gets back to that and the impending doom that no one seems to notice until it's too late, it's actually enjoyable. The rest of it seems like filler.