Don't Look Up review: This grim satirical comedy strikes the right note

How would you react if you were told that the world is about to end in the next six months? While you mull that over, filmmaker Adam MacKay has painted a hilarious and savage picture in his Netflix film Don’t Look Up which is sure to hit home much the like the comet that the film’s leads, Randall Mindy ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) have been warning about.

The satirical comedy follows Leo and Jennifer’s characters as astronomers from the Michigan State University who have discovered that a comet big enough to destroy the world is heading towards the planet in six months. From getting NASA into the loop to being shipped to the White House to warn the President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep), these characters are then seen telling anyone who would listen that the world is about to end.

Don’t Look Up starts off on a slow note but quickly has you diving headfirst into the hilarious chaos that erupts as more and more people find out. From Meryl Streep’s non alarming reaction as President to her son Jason (Jonah Hill) The Chief of Staff at the White House, counting down with some hilarity the many world ending agendas they go though often, the movie surly but subtly reflects on the world around us and how little big world ending issues may mean to our distracted selves even if they have a big physical form of a hurtling comet.

Running to the media next, Kate and Randall announce the grim news of doomsday on The Daily Rip hosted by Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett) and Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry) who try to make the world’s ending sound fun. However, they are beaten in rating by pop star Riley Bina’s (Ariana Grande) breakup with DJ Chello (Scott Mescudi), while Kate’s meltdown trying to explain the gravity of the situation on results in a meme fest.

The only party not dismissing the news of this astronomical disaster is billionaire Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance) who wants to mine the comet for its rich minerals worth trillions of dollars and wants the comet to hit Earth. Any political effort to eliminate the looming catastrophe is diverted when Isherwell sells this comet hit as a money making opportunity.

The moments to crack you up are too many in the film to count while the starry cast delivers MacKay vision to perfection. Don’t Look Up perfect summarises the misplaced priorities of the world we live in today the grim possibility that we might be inconsiderate to the end is a punch in the gut.

Don’t Look Up is streaming on Netflix.