It's time. Time to defend a movie nobody liked starring actors nobody liked about topics people allegedly don't like (even though decades of democratic election results kinda implies the total opposite?). Theoretically, no-one cares or remembers enough by now and will leave me the fuck alone cos "the discourse" back then was appealing as a pool of pissed off piranhas. Hopefully everyone's too depressed and dissociated now to come at me for something I don't have the energy to be dragged into a back n forth with.
*downs morphine n whiskey cocktail*
So, Don't Look Up had one consistent criticism I never quite vibed with. From ppl I generally respect also, that it's not gonna convince anyone that ain't already somewhat in the sphere of, well, believing climate change is real? If we're going by the commonly accepted metaphor anyway. And for most other subjects I would completely agree a different approach would've improved it.
However, by this point, by the time it released, somewhere between a trump presidency and the growing popularity of qanon as it slowly seeped into the mainstream conservative political parties across the world...the topic of climate change scientists regularly warned us since 70's - through 80's - 90's - activists warned - the 00's - journalists/columnists/media figures and some sidelined politicians warned - the 10''s - an emotional plea to the world by a teenage girl warned but was treated with sniveling contempt and creepy sexualised memes by politically motived trolls to demean n diminish any possible credit they could, approaching the 20's - the age conspiracy started to take hold - it became clear no-one was listening who'd be able to do something about it at all, it didn't matter who the message was coming from, the money and power was just too good!
So, seriously, actually think: who the fuck was still on the fence by that point, who could've been swayed to admit climate change is a real threat?
It wasn't trying to win anyone over, there wasn't anyone left. It was expressing an existential frustrated scream into an all consuming pitch black dead void like Drew Barrymore's scene in Donnie Darko;
Which I thought was made obvious by the whole, like, you know, plot and ending emphasising utter helplessness, as they slept stumbled into their own extinction. But evidently at the time others didn't quite see it. Perhaps they still had hope?
