“Don’t Look Up” is the film of our generation. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I was instantly intrigued, and after seeing the cast list that featured Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, I knew it was a movie I needed to watch. Going in with high expectations, “Don’t Look Up” did not disappoint.  An astronomy professor and his student from Michigan State University find a comet that is heading towards Earth and could potentially cause mass destruction of the planet. After taking it to the President of the United States, played by Meryl Streep, astronomers Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky are quickly dismissed. After they try to convince the world with intense television appearances, articles, and their influence on social media, their newfound information creates a divide in humanity.
All the propaganda, arguments, and political dispute made me think of how similar the storyline was to our society. The comet, a symbol for climate change, the irrefutable President Janie Orlean, standing in for former U.S. President, the incompetent Donald Trump.

Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky are the environmentalists and realists of our world. President Orlean quickly dismissed the astronomers’ world changing news saying, “Let’s sit tight and assess.” President Orlean only cared about the cost of the comet and how it would affect her role as president, a similar response to how President Trump acted during his time in office.

After time had passed and the comet situation worsened, the astronomers claimed that you could see the comet in the sky, and immediately urged people to,“Just look up”. President Orlean took it upon herself to urge her followers to do the opposite and created the, “Don’t look up” campaign. The scientist party, who I presume to be the Democrats in this situation, held a rally to raise awareness about the comet. Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi performed and spoke as activists, the astronomers shared their insights, and attendees came together to show the world what was happening was in fact real.

On the flip side, President Orlean and her son, the Chief of Staff, held a rally that looked identical to a Trump rally. The leaders spoke as the crowd shouted and made fun of the other side. Merchandise was made that read, “Don’t Look Up” and buttons with arrows facing down were worn. I felt like I was being taken back to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

“Don’t Look Up” is the ideal movie for our generation. It had the perfect balance of factuality, comedy, and bias that any political comedy should have. It gave viewers the opportunity to choose sides and think about how the film could impact our world, or how it is similar. Even if you don’t like politics, “Don’t Look Up” is an entertaining movie to watch and I highly recommend it.

It is important to watch movies that reflect our society because it can give people the opportunity to think about how influential economic, political, and scientific decisions made impact our everyday lives. I know I would have looked up, would you?