‘Don’t Look Up’ Satirizes Political Tensions

With a rockstar cast and a convincing message, Don’t Look Up has rung in $442.2 million in the box office during week one. The movie’s premise starts with a professor and a Ph.D. candidate, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence respectively. They have just discovered a comet plummeting towards the earth, threatening to destroy the earth and all of its inhabitants. 

Many argue the “comet” symbolizes climate change or other wedge issues, like Covid. 

Junior, Bella Steinley, had similar thoughts claiming, “I thought it accurately depicts how we have seen science being polarized through politics with climate change and Covid because there is one group that always wants to delegitimize the science and just ignore it, and other people who want to take action and solve the problem when it really should be everyone coming together.” 

This movie definitely is a call to action. Polarization has divided our country and has nullified real-world problems that are detrimental to our health and society. 

Social media as expressed in the movie has become an unhealthy escape and could evolve into a much more detrimental issue. 

People on both sides of the political spectrum should watch this movie to get perspective. If American political culture does not find some middle ground especially on life-threatening issues, the American people will be contributing to the demise of this country and our Earth.