Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: Two low-level astronomers must go on a massive media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy Earth.
Review: Mars Attacks did it better.
I know that’s a weird statement to start this review out on and both movies, while having a science fiction theme thread, are vastly different. But what they do share is a sense of satire. Satirical comedy has to be the most difficult type of comedy to pull off. When it’s done well it can be the stuff of legend (Blazing Saddles and Dr Strangelove both come to mind) but when it’s bad it feels like you’ve wasted your viewing efforts. And with a runtime of over two hours, that’s the feeling I came away with after watching Don’t Look Up.
It’s too long yes, but I think the biggest misstep here (besides the lacklustre dialogue) is the cast. While big names like Leonardo DiCaprio (in his weakest performance I’ve seen in some time) as a socially awkward astronomy professor, Meryl Streep as a female version of Donald Trump in his presidential run, and Jennifer Lawrence (whose performance as a fearless doctoral student is by far the best here) will draw viewers in, this slogfest just isn’t funny enough to warrant the effort. I can’t help but feel if this was cast with more comedic talents like Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Bill Hader or Kristen Wiig in these roles it would’ve made for a much funnier movie where the politics and finger-pointing of how “disconnected” the masses are from reality are the main themes.
I also think they made the right call in not releasing this in theatres (it’s a Netflix original) because it probably wouldn’t have made a dent in the budget it must’ve cost to hire these A-listers.
In conclusion, any movie that has you reaching for the remote so you can fast forward to the ending is never a good sign. With the exception of Lawrence and Timothée Chalamet (Dune), none of these talented people (including Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry and Ron Perlman) work in their roles. None of the film is memorable and the obvious politics involved in the screenplay left a bitter taste in my mouth. No one likes being preached to and the funny part is I can TOTALLY see people calling this a great movie BECAUSE of the cast. But when you minus the talent involved all you’re left with is a dull movie. Don’t Look Up is disappointingly more of a Don’t Bother Watching.
Sommer’s Score: 5 out of 10
So what did you think of Don’t Look Up? And you can check out more comedy content below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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