Don't Look Up

Don't Look Up, a dark comedy by Adam McKay, brings to light the indifference, ignorance, and wasteful nature of human beings when confronted with global crises. The plot revolves around the lives of two astronomers, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Dr. Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), who discover a colossal comet, approximately a mile in diameter, hurtling towards Earth at breakneck speed. The astronomers desperately try to alert the authorities, specifically the National Astronomical Observatory, but are met with resistance, dismissal, and bureaucratic nightmares. However, after gaining some initial traction, they are hastily ushered into the national spotlight by the President of the United States, who wants to use them to divert attention from her failing re-election campaign. Dr. Mindy and Dr. Dibiasky embark on a whirlwind media tour to warn the world about the impending catastrophe. Initially, the response from various talk shows and media hosts is lukewarm, and often overshadowed by more sensational topics. The situation further deteriorates when they release their findings to social media, but they're met with more ridicule and skepticism. Their media representative, Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett), and her producers use every trick in the book to polish the public image of the two scientists, capitalizing on their quirky and endearing personalities. This carefully crafted narrative has two secondary effects: on one hand, it helps raise awareness about the comet, although it's subtly compromised by outrageous demands for more sensational content that will capture viewers' attention, but sometimes simply amounts to clickbait headlines. Concurrently, the consequences of the comet's impending collision create a sense of panic within government circles. They grapple with alternatives to address the looming apocalypse and squabble over profit margins from possible emergency contracts for limited resources. The administration becomes increasingly petty as the seconds tick away, attempting to blame each other for their futility in responding effectively to such a global threat. Dr. Mindy and Dr. Dibiasky take part in late-night talk shows, high-profile interviews, and live press conferences. Despite growing alarm among some young people, the response of the general public barely improves. As a counterpoint to their futile efforts to make people care about the impending disaster, they also engage in existential musings and debates about their own lives. As time speeds by, Dr. Mindy starts experiencing intimate connections with a female astronaut (Ariana Grande) scheduled to be on the spaceship with two other astronauts in a bid to deflect the comet. Dr. Dibiasky sees the public's reactions to the emergency as a stark example of how human nature tends to favor entertainment over reality. They develop apathy towards their struggling professional life, which heightens as their attempts at saving humanity seem futile. At another level, some notable figures, such as tech mogul Peter Ishkhans (Mark Rylance), do become intrigued with the potential for profit in this unforeseen disaster. Their insatiable drive to capitalize on this unprecedented emergency accelerates more tragic decisions and, if needed, last-resort measures from the outgoing administration. The movie grapples with universally understood observations. At its core is a commentary on climate change denialism and our ability to choose superficial entertainment and comfort over information and logic. The 'lack of consideration' - Dr. Dibiasky characterizes the 'sheep' aspect, which depicts the non-remoteness - people feel when faced by far-off catastrophic events leads humans toward 'blissful ignorance'; an indifference which can have catastrophic outcomes. The film thus suggests that with calamities in the making, humans naturally go numb, unless they share similar and concurrent burdens with calamities.