Surname 1

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course

Date

Don't look Up" by Adam McKay

Introduction

Genre cinemas of all kinds always tend to respond to the needs, desires and fears of a

society. According to many experts, movies are often a reflection of the society in that they often

show the societal values, norms, fashions and trends of their time. Moreover, the attitudes and

actions of the characters in cinema films also often reflect the prevailing attitudes of the society

in which they are derived from. This is particularly attributed to the fact that filmmakers

normally take issue with the life and society before manipulating them into stories and characters

in order to respond to the needs, desires and fears of a society.

The film titled “Don't look Up" by Adam McKay” by Adam McKay(2021) is an

American science fiction film which attempts to respond to the needs, desires and fears of the

contemporary society by telling a story of two astronomers trying to warn the humanity and the

society of the impending destruction of the human civilization. The film particularly uses the

event as an allegory for the current climate change crisis and satirizes the indifference of many

contemporary governments, media and politicians to the growing climate crisis. This paper uses

the film “Don't look Up" to elaborate on how genre cinemas of all kinds always tend to respond

to the needs, desires and fears of a society with particular focus on the film’s historical context,

how it is reflective of society at the time the film was made, its productivity in terms of meaning
 Surname 2

as well as how it frames and attempt to explain the concerns that people had when the film was

initially released.

Understanding the Film “Don't look Up" in its Historical Context

At the time of the release of Film “Don't look Up” release in 2021, climate change was

one of the major issues affecting the society. Many experts concur that climate change is

currently the most important problem of our time, and we are at a critical juncture. Climate

change's effects are global in scope and unparalleled in scale, ranging from altering weather

patterns that imperil food production to rising sea levels that raise the risk of catastrophic

flooding. Adapting to these repercussions in the future will be more difficult and costly if

dramatic action is not taken today. As a result of climate change, humans and wild animals are

facing new survival problems. Droughts that are more frequent and severe, storms, heat waves,

rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warmer oceans may all hurt animals, ruin their habitats,

and disrupt people's livelihoods and societies.

Based on this historical context, the film “Don't look Up” uses satire to address the needs,

desires and fears of the contemporary society regarding climate change and calls attention to the

real problems being faced in the fight against climate change. Generally, the film tells of a

distracted society that fails to take heed of any warning and ends up in a disaster which

ultimately results in the end of human civilization. For example, when the society is told about

the coming of a planet killing comet by the two astronomers, the society proved to be unable to

act collectively and stop the catastrophe just like it has been unable to work together to address

the issue of climate change. In this regard, the planet killing comet has been used as a metaphor

for climate change. Generally, horror films like “Don't look Up” normally attempt to entice

viewers with imagination while reflecting society's worries and anxieties, and hence the
 Surname 3

audience's anxieties. Through dread and anxiety-inducing media, the trappings of fantasy make

these uncomfortable and tough issues digestible and compel satisfaction from the viewer.

How the Film Reflective of Society

There are a number of ways in which the film “Don't look Up” is reflective of the society

at the time the film was made. Firstly, the film talks of a huge comet hurtling downs towards the

Earth and the scientists have warned the people of the earth that they have approximately six

months before the comet hits the earth and shatter it into pieces and every living creature is likely

to perish in the catastrophe. However, this information felt on the deaf ears of the society and

everyone proceeded with their own duties without taking any necessary measures to tackle the

emergency threat to the planet. This is reflection of the contemporary society’s reluctance to take

heed to the warnings of scientist regarding the impending disastrous effects of the current climate

change crisis. For example, many of today’s leaders, governments and corporate organizations

have failed to take into consideration appropriate measures which can be used to mitigate or

reverse the effects of climate change.

Another way through which the film “Don't look Up” is reflective of the society at the

time the film was made is that it accurately highlights the role of scientists in informing the

public about the impending catastrophe. For example, it is depicted in the film that the scientists

were clear about the comet and gave accurate figures about its trajectory, size and speed as well

gave a grim picture about the effects of collusion with the other. This has been utilized to

satirically depict the current society where scientists have been consistently warning about the

impending catastrophic consequences of climate change caused by the increasing greenhouse gas

emissions, arctic ice melt, rising ocean acidity for several decades and there is a growing

consensus among the scientists that the threat of climate change if growing an alarming rate. In
 Surname 4

this regard, the film is reflective of the society at the time the film was made in that it highlights

the critical role scientists play in the contemporary society when it comes to warning about

impending catastrophes.

Moreover, the film “Don't look Up” is also reflective of the society at the time the film

was made in that it accurately depicts the failure of politicians, leaders and business people to act

together and mitigate climate change. For example, in the film, although the threat of the comet

was clear to the leaders and politicians from the onset, the President known as Janie Orlean

downplayed its severity and suggested that an action can be formulated against its threat in the

future. “What’s the rush?,” the president exclaimed as she moved towards comet denialism and

was the one who coined the phrase “Don’t Look Up” during one of her political rallies. This is a

reflection of the society at the time the film was released

In reality, politicians have failed to take the threat of climate change seriously
by indefinitely delaying climate action. They’ve also obstructed tangible efforts to
mitigate the crisis, and have actively denied its existence.   

. The media has failed to meaningfully inform the public. 

The news anchors in Don’t Look Up are more interested in Riley Bina’s (Ariana
Grande’s) relationship than the comet that’s hurtling toward Earth. Whenever Kate
Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) or Dr. Mindy attempt to explain the science of the comet
and the urgent need for action, they’re turned into memes and laughed away. The major
newspapers, meanwhile, seem more interested in maintaining ties with people in power
 Surname 5

than discussing the comet at length. In the end, social media becomes the primary mode
of information or (more often) misinformation about the comet. 
Media coverage of the climate crisis has been notoriously minimal and incomplete.
Even as wildfires worsen, droughts intensify, storms become more extreme, and
temperatures rise, the media as a whole has largely failed to inform and engage the
public on the subject. As a result, many people get their information and
misinformation about climate change through social media, whether it's infographics or
punchy videos. 
4. Sensible solutions have given way to unproven technologies. 
At one point, it seems like the threat of the comet will be neutralized by a missile. But
then the operation is called off because the tech billionaire Peter Isherwell (Mark
Rylance) sees an opportunity to make money by mining the space rock for resources. 
That’s a lot like the current situation we’re in, where the most sensible solutions
(phasing out fossil fuels and harmful industries, investing in a just transition) have been
sidelined in policy discussions by unproven technologies (in particular, carbon dioxide
removal technologies) that largely allow the status quo to remain intact. 

The goal of the movie was to raise awareness about the terrifying

urgency of the climate crisis, and in that, it succeeded spectacularly,”

said Genevieve Guenther, the founder and director of End Climate

Silence, an organization that promotes media coverage of climate

change.

 tells the story of astronomy grad student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) and her
PhD adviser, Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), who discover a comet – a “planet
killer” – that will impact the Earth in just over six months. The certainty of impact is
99.7%, as certain as just about anything in science.
 Surname 6

The scientists are essentially alone with this knowledge, ignored and gaslighted by
society. The panic and desperation they feel mirror the panic and desperation that many
climate scientists feel. In one scene, Mindy hyperventilates in a bathroom; in another,
Dibiasky, on national TV, screams “Are we not being clear? We’re all 100% for sure
gonna fucking die!” I can relate. This is what it feels like to be a climate scientist today.

The two astronomers are given a 20-minute audience with the president (Meryl Streep),
who is glad to hear that impact isn’t technically 100% certain. Weighing election strategy
above the fate of the planet, she decides to “sit tight and assess”. Desperate, the
scientists then go on a national morning show, but the TV hosts make light of their
warning (which is also overshadowed by a celebrity breakup story).

By now, the imminent collision with comet Dibiasky is confirmed by scientists around
the world. After political winds shift, the president initiates a mission to divert the
comet, but changes her mind at the last moment when urged to do so by a billionaire
donor (Mark Rylance) with his own plan to guide it to a safe landing, using unproven
technology, in order to claim its precious metals. A sports magazine’s cover asks, “The
end is near. Will there be a Super Bowl?”

But this isn’t a film about how humanity would respond to a planet-killing comet; it’s a
film about how humanity is responding to planet-killing climate breakdown. We live in a
society in which, despite extraordinarily clear, present, and worsening climate danger,
more than half of Republican members of Congress still say climate change is a
hoax and many more wish to block action, and in which the official Democratic party
platform still enshrines massive subsidies to the fossil fuel industry; in which the
current president ran on a promise that “nothing will fundamentally change”, and the
speaker of the House dismissed even a modest climate plan as “the green dream or
whatever”; in which the largest delegation to Cop26 was the fossil fuel industry, and
the White House sold drilling rights to a huge tract of the Gulf of Mexico after the
summit; in which world leaders say that climate is an “existential threat to humanity”
while simultaneously expanding fossil fuel production; in which major newspapers still
run fossil fuel ads, and climate news is routinely overshadowed by sports; in which
entrepreneurs push incredibly risky tech solutions and billionaires sell the absurdist
fantasy that humanity can just move to Mars.

After 15 years of working to raise climate urgency, I’ve concluded that the public in
general, and world leaders in particular, underestimate how rapid, serious and
permanent climate and ecological breakdown will be if humanity fails to mobilize. There
may only be five years left before humanity expends the remaining “carbon budget” to
stay under 1.5C of global heating at today’s emissions rates – a level of heating I am not
confident will be compatible with civilization as we know it. And there may only be five
years before the Amazon rainforest and a large Antarctic ice sheet pass irreversible
tipping points.
 Surname 7

Advertisement

The Earth system is breaking down now with breathtaking speed. And climate scientists
have faced an even more insurmountable public communication task than the
astronomers in Don’t Look Up, since climate destruction unfolds over decades –
lightning fast as far as the planet is concerned, but glacially slow as far as the news cycle
is concerned – and isn’t as immediate and visible as a comet in the sky.

Given all this, dismissing Don’t Look Up as too obvious might say more about the
critic than the film. It’s funny and terrifying because it conveys a certain cold
truth that climate scientists and others who understand the full depth of the
climate emergency are living every day. I hope that this movie, which comically
depicts how hard it is to break through prevailing norms, actually helps break
through those norms in real life. ollywood is learning how to tell climate stories that
matter. Instead of stories that create comforting distance from the grave danger we are
in via unrealistic techno fixes for unrealistic disaster scenarios, humanity needs stories
that highlight the many absurdities that arise from collectively knowing what’s coming
while collectively failing to act.

We also need stories that show humanity responding rationally to the crisis. A lack of
technology isn’t what’s blocking action. Instead, humanity needs to confront the fossil
fuel industry head on, accept that we need to consume less energy, and switch into full-
on emergency mode. The sense of solidarity and relief we’d feel once this happens – if it
happens – would be gamechanging for our species. More and better facts will not
catalyze this sociocultural tipping point, but more and better stories might.

Don’t Look Up effectively expresses their personal experience and calls attention to the very real
problems faced by our political leadership in terms of perverse incentives in the face of
 Surname 8

existential crisis, and the impossibility of truly getting the word out in this difficult media
landscape.

The irony of this disconnect is palpable. The media happily blames just about everyone except
themselves for us not considering climate change a major political priority, despite their being
the only institution of public life capable of communicating this. And now that a mainstream
movie has called them out on this, all of a sudden it’s not that important we listen to climate
scientists (on this one specific issue) after all.

No corner of the globe is immune from the devastating consequences of climate

change. Rising temperatures are fueling environmental degradation, natural disasters,

weather extremes, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, conflict, and

terrorism. Sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying, oceans are

acidifying, and forests are burning. It is clear that business as usual is not good enough.

As the infinite cost of climate change reaches irreversible highs, now is the time for bold

collective action.

upon how we can understand it in terms of its historical context.  How is the film reflective of society at the time the

film was made?  How is the film also productive in terms of meaning?  In other words, how does it frame and attempt

to explain the concerns that people had when the film was initially released?

script satirizes the forces that fail to respond to a preventable crisis. Politics,
media, science deniers and corporate interests thwart Mindy and Dibiasky’s
attempts to save the world from this cataclysmic comet.
 Surname 9

Don’t Look Up is a satire of real-life environmental concerns such as climate

change. In the script, McKay exaggerates the extent to which institutions
refuse to address science. In real-life politics, it may be a matter of voting
down environmental bills. In Don’t Look Up, Orlean’s staff blatantly changes
her position on the comet to serve her re-election.

One of the main arguments made for genre cinemas of all kinds is that they respond to the needs, fears and desires

of society.  using "Dont Look Up" and elaborate upon how we can understand it in terms of its historical context.  How

is the film reflective of society at the time the film was made?  How is the film also productive in terms of meaning?  In

other words, how does it frame and attempt to explain the concerns that people had when the film was initially

released?

script satirizes the forces that fail to respond to a preventable crisis. Politics,
media, science deniers and corporate interests thwart Mindy and Dibiasky’s
attempts to save the world from this cataclysmic comet.

Don’t Look Up is a satire of real-life environmental concerns such as climate

change. In the script, McKay exaggerates the extent to which institutions
refuse to address science. In real-life politics, it may be a matter of voting
down environmental bills. In Don’t Look Up, Orlean’s staff blatantly changes
her position on the comet to serve her re-election.

Film is a form of art; art is a controlled work with meaning, which seeks to comment upon what it means
to be alive in the world. Filmmakers take issues of society and life and manipulate them into stories and
 Surname 10

characters and make some kind of comment on society. Some films, such as major blockbusters, may not
contain such a level of social consciousness and thematic depth, but many filmmakers do seek to reflect
society in some way.

 think that movies are a reflection of society. As we look back upon major films, there are countless

examples of films that show the fashions and music of the time. Also, the actions/attitudes of the people

from the movies reflect the atitudes of the times on things like sexuality

film is an art form and all art reflects society in some way.
 

Cinema is a reflection of your society, what is happening (around). ... But beware,

cinema has started reflecting every part of your life today. They are no more narrating

bedtime stories," Gulzar said. The writer said it is wrong to look at films as something

which is going to teach morals to the audiences.

Horror movies lure the audience with fantasy while reflecting society’s fears and concerns (by

extension, the audience’s concerns). The trappings of fantasy make these uncomfortable and
 Surname 11

challenging topics palatable and command enjoyment from the audience through the fear and

anxiety-inducing media. A

Works Cited

Arking, Robert. Biology of aging: observations and principles. London: Oxford University

Press, 2006.

Mather, Karen Anne, et al. "Is telomere length a biomarker of aging? A review." Journals of

Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences 66.2 (2011): 202-213.

Mitchell, Colter, et al. "Social disadvantage, genetic sensitivity, and children’s telomere

length." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.16 (2014): 5944-5949.

Opresko, Patricia L., and Jerry W. Shay. "Telomere-associated aging disorders." Ageing research

reviews 33 (2017): 52-66.

Powell-Wiley, T. M., Gebreab, S. Y., Claudel, S. E., Ayers, C., Andrews, M. R., Adu-Brimpong,

J., ... & Davis, S. K. (2020). The relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic

deprivation and telomere length: The 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey. SSM-population health, 10, 100517.

 Surname 12