Don't Look Up Film Review (No Spoilers)

'Don't Look Up' Netflix

Director, Adam Mckay (The Big Short, Vice, Step Brothers) brings a star studded cast together for a uniquely suspense drama. This marks the first film that Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, American Hustle, Mother!) has taken part in since taking a two year hiatus from acting. This decision was due to the quality of work that Lawrence was receiving at the time and she felt as if she needed a break from the big screen.

Synopsis:

"Two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth."

What You See, Feel, and Hear

There's no question, after watching this film, why Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street) took this part. With his environmental focus and investment, this film falls right in line with how he occupies his time. There's very little bright energy throughout this film, instead you see a darker toned picture representing the emotions that were taking place. The main aspect that stuck out to me was the acting, which in certain ways was portrayed authentically and expressive while in other circumstances was portrayed a bit out of sync with the story that was taking place. Similar to his other films, Adam Mckay looked for opportunities to include humor with "witty" emotions, however I feel like those moments didn't sit well with this type of story.

You feel anxious throughout the film, and I would relate the feeling to my experience while watching "Uncut Gems." Though, anxiety is a tougher emotion for an audience to experience, the story did a great job of intertwining moments of character development and growth which allowed for those emotions to fluctuate. There's a solid authenticity about the film, both in the cinematography and in the story itself. As shown above, the story is "based on truly possible events" and there was a perfect comparison to modern day circumstances that allowed a more natural fear to set in. Once again, DiCaprio transforms himself into a character unlike many that we've seen him portray before and his range of expressions set the tone as his and Lawrence's on screen chemistry was executed beautifully.

The score wasn't a huge factor in this film (at least it didn't stick out to me). However, silence played a major role in dictating transitions and how Mckay wanted his audience to feel. I find it fascinating that with many "true story" films we feel an emotion for what once was, whereas "Don't Look Up" takes the approach of making you feel something for what may be, and I found that refreshing and original.

My Take

I found this film interesting. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting this type of story. The rhythm was a bit bland, the plot was appealing but the story execution was slower than it could have been. I admired Dicaprio and Lawrence's on screen performances together, and how they acted individually. I found the "witty" tone from Jonah Hill and Meryl Streep a bit out of sync with the other performances. The overarching story and casting will keep this film relevant but this isn't a "must see" film.

My Grade: 7.2/10