The blockbuster movie 'Don't Look Up' with its star-studded cast (including Leo, Jennifer, Meryl and a few more of my closest friends) was released in late 2021 and quickly became Netflix's second most popular movie. Of course I forced my family to watch it with me soon after it launched, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I found it funny and relished the scathing criticism of the US media and political system. My family tolerated it, but they were not overly enthralled. To me it was everything I had been expecting - it was witty, cutting, dark, funny, and at the same time very engaging. However after reading some negative reviews in the media it seems that to those who don't feel so strongly about our current plight it missed the mark in terms of pure entertainment value.
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 56% rating (for comparison, the latest prank-filled 'Jackass' movie scored 85%!). Rotten Tomatoes is certainly not the gold standard of film review sites, but it does provide a barometer of public sentiment, so if wide public acceptance of the message within 'Don't Look Up' was the goal, then it missed the mark!
Many critics panned the film. Charles Bramesco at The Guardian lambasted it, but made a very pertinent point, saying that the "script states the obvious as if everyone else is too stupid to realize it and does so from a position of lofty superiority that would drive away any partisans who still need to be won over". After reading this review I realised that most of the positive reviews I had seen had come from people who were climate scientists or activists themselves, and that to the general public the movie was a snore-fest. Mission NOT accomplished...
So what would I have done differently I hear you ask... well thank you for asking Kind Reader. Well firstly making fun of the people from whom you are trying to gain support is probably a bad idea. I would have tried to highlight the value of positive, balanced journalism in dark times. Likewise, a politician taking a chance, showing honesty and making a difference might have been an inspiration. This would have had to be subtle and not detract from the general satire, or else the movie would have turned in to another Armageddon, but perhaps some positive examples could have been injected into the script.
And a happier ending may have helped too. Without wanting to spoil it for those who haven't yet watched it (go and watch it!), the ending is rather bleak. Assuming the primary audience is American, I would have shown the Chinese or Russians saving the day at the last minute when the ineptitude of the Americans was clearly leading the world toward destruction. Look at what the space race did for getting a man on the moon - maybe a bit of climate competition between the major nations would benefit all of us global citizens. Lord knows that Americans love to win!
'Don't Look Up' is definitely one of my all-time favourite movies, but it seems to have slightly missed the mark. I would love to see more new mainstream movies and series adopting similar pro-climate messaging in the future. Perhaps a little more subtle, and hopefully more optimistic, but there nonetheless. Make the message omni-present and the masses will start to buy into it... a bit like Coca Cola advertising!
Until next time!
Doug
aka The Regeneralist
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