Don't Look Up Review - Profit from Disaster!

Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up" (available on Netflix) has been one of the most controversial films of the year, sparking outrage among reactionary right-wing and so-called "progressive" liberals alike.

The idea of ​​the film is very simple, as we follow astronomer and PhD student Kate (played by Jennifer Lawrence) and her research professor, Professor Mindy (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), as they discover a massive comet heading straight towards Earth, and then try to warn The world estimated that the risk of destroying the earth is 99.7%.

The comet is a clear allusion to climate change, and the probability of 99.7% is an indication of the percentage of scientists who agree that climate change is a real event and that human activity is responsible for it.

But as with the impending climate catastrophe, the 'Don't Look Up' ruling class can see no further than its nose, ignoring the looming threat to serve its own narrow interests.

The story

The movie "Don't Look Up" is basically about how the capitalist class - despite having the resources and technology to solve the deadly crises facing humanity - always prioritizes its profits over the lives of billions of simple people.

For this purpose, this film, like a contemporary version of Doctor Strangelove, is good at exposing the cynical accounts of the official establishment.

The US President (Meryl Streep) is presented as a caricature of Donald Trump, with some Hillary Clinton traits added. When the two astronomers first tried to alert the president to the existential danger posed by the comet, she began calculating the potential impact of the news on the upcoming midterm elections, concluding that telling people about the comet might not be helpful to her campaign.

Likewise, the film shows the bankruptcy of the capitalist media (of all stripes), which is more concerned with sales of newspapers and advertisements - and the preservation of the status quo - than with telling the truth.

Frustrated by the president's negativity, the two scientists tried to speak directly to the media. But they found that their news was barely remembered. Instead, he told the world's television presenters that they should present the horrific news in a "moderate, light and pleasant" way. While, at the same time, they are questioned about whether the comet is really real, whether it is not all a lie, and whether planet Earth is really in danger.

Meanwhile, the liberal newspapers decided not to publish the story, and social media analysts met with little discussion online, and thus little chance of attracting advertisements.

No wonder so many well-known film critics have received the film - and its political message - so negatively.

Trying

Incherwell's plan to extract rare metals from the comet and smash it into several harmless pieces fails. However, he and the Chief, as well as a few hundred members of the ultra-wealthy elite, had a back-up plan: escape from Earth on a spaceship and settle on another planet far away, leaving everyone to die.

Indeed, today we see that while billions of people face the dire consequences of climate change, billionaires like Musk and Bezos are taking to space to satisfy their egos. In other words, the capitalists cannot be trusted to save this planet, they are already living on another planet.

Problem

At the same time, we find that the movie “Don’t Look Up” works - whether consciously or unconsciously - to shed light on the bankruptcy and impotence of liberalism and liberals.

When the comet became visible in the night sky, astronomers launched a "Look Up" campaign to persuade the president to destroy it.

But instead of seeking to change society through mass struggle, this campaign is based on liberal activities, i.e. by “raising awareness” through pop parties etc., and by politely asking politicians to do something, without any interference from the masses.

Kate, for example, tells the President, Trump's lookalike: “I didn't vote for you. But this is clearly much more than my suspicions. So I will be 100% behind this effort. No matter where I stand with you.”

In other words, it says that this is not a political issue, that their differences should be put aside and united together.

Finally

Don't Look Up presents a stark portrait of the ruthlessness of the ruling class in the face of disaster. But what the film failed in was its failure to provide any solution to the crises facing humanity. This is ultimately due to the fact that the film was made from a liberal, not a socialist, point of view.

To politely demand that the capitalists relinquish their profits by launching a pacifist campaign was a doomed attempt. When their campaign failed, as might be expected, they surrendered to their fate, returned to their families, and sought solace in religion.

However, this film was released at a time when millions of protesters from all over the world are taking to the streets because of climate issues, black lives matter and against austerity... But it completely ignores the possibility of the working class taking power into its own hands to solve the crisis.

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Posted using CineTV