Despite being Netflix’s second-largest Original film, Adam Mckay’s latest disaster film comedy Don’t Look Up has received a mixed response. However, lead star Leonardo DiCaprio recently opened up about the ending of the film and elaborated on why the film serves as an “alarm clock”.
With a star-studded ensemble cast, namely Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Rob Morgan and more, the film is a scathing satire infused with dark humour that serves as a climate change allegory.
In the film, a Michigan State University professor Dr Randall Mindy and his PhD candidate student Kate Dibiasky decide to embark on an audacious quest to warn the world about an impending disaster after Dibiasky chances upon a gigantic comet hurtling towards earth with the potential of destroying the entire planet. However, instead of being scared and worried, the vast, capitalistic and power-hungry responses of the US government and the media act as an expose of the current predicament of modern existence amidst a burgeoning growth of social media.
While many enjoyed the film, especially the absurd end credits, a lot of them criticised the poor execution and the shocking ending, with the latter sparking an intense existential crisis.
DiCaprio, who stars as Mindy, has opened up about the unforgettable premise and how McKay infused morbid humour into such a cataclysmic event to show the nonchalance and ignorance of humanity at large, even in the wake of mass extinction.
Talking about the shocking ending, he said, “I think it was incredibly emotional. And had this movie had a different ending, it wouldn’t be the story that it is.”
He said, “It’s [Don’t Look Up] a wakeup call. It’s an alarm clock. If it didn’t have that ending there’s no way we were going to be a part of it.”
The ending was indeed moving and sentimental and saw DiCaprio and Lawrence gathered with the former’s family and friends, awaiting their impending doom, trying to recollect things they are grateful for.
In response to the sluggish reaction to the global climate change crisis, McKay said that he felt the topic was of utmost importance and delivered a film that deserves a round of applause.
