Do not Look Up is about two astronomers who try to warn mankind of a coming comet which would wipe out human civilization. The great big joke is certainly on us, or will be soon. After Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) finds a comet is coming towards Earth, her professor Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds that it would destroy much of life on Earth if nothing is done. With her professor Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) , they realise that a new comet is heading towards Earth, causing extinction-level events across the entire planet within just over six months. Professor Randall Mindy (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), DiBiasi and NASAs Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan) try to convince President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her chief of staff son Jason (Jonah Hill) of a catastrophic-level event, who instead try to profit from the disaster alongside billionaire tech mogul Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance).
Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), coming off a huge success after discovering a new comet, is driven into the ground when the two college astronomers realize its orbit would send it hurtling toward Earth. Do not Look Up opening prank involves its biggest star, Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a lower-level Michigan University astronomer. In Do not Look Up, the President holds off taking any serious actions in order to ward off the alarm; DiBiasey and Mingys lack of media training hampers their efforts to sell the severity of the situation on TV; and the rest of the world, disinterested in the idea of complete doom, begins to doubt that the planet-killing comet is even a credible threat.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Don't Look Up Ending Explained
The film ends on a new decimated earth, and viewers are treated to three finales for this stellar film -- the first sees Randall, Kate, and her fiance, Yule (Timothee Chalamet), gather at the Mindy home for a family dinner, with Teddy. In the end, Dr. Mindy, her family, Kate, and her new love interest Yule (Timothee Chalamet) get together to enjoy a good dinner while waiting for the massive comet to strike. Most of the main characters, including Dr. Randall Mindy, Kate Dibiaski, Dr. Teddy Oglethrope, and Yule (Timothee Chalamet) are killed as a comet hits the Earth.
Jonah Hills character, Jason Orlean - the presidents son and chief of staff, whom Meryl Streep forgot when he ran away - which later emerges from the ruins in the post credit scene, having been thrown off track by the massive meteor that has crashed into Earth. When Americas salvation mission begins failing, President Orlean and Peter flee on a ship that is planning a search for Earth-like nearby planets, but forgets to bring along his son Jason (Jonah Hill), who is also his Chief of Staff. After Isherwell and Orlean abandon mission control to flee from Earth, and Orlean forgets that her new fiance exists, leaving him for dead, she offers a seat to her professor in a ship equipped with cryo-chambers that will be searching for a habitable planet.
The second end credits scene occurs after the credits, and shows ruins and destruction of Planet Earth, with President Orlean emerging from the ruins a survivor, and when he does not see anyone there with him, she begins posting to social media. In the last post-credits scene, President Jamie Orlean emerges from his booby-trapped Bunker 22,740 years ago on Earth and climbs out of the rubble with his cell phone - Jonah Hill makes up his unforgettable lines.
With such an end-of-the-world-and-the-powers-that-be message, the power-that-be is about to end it. It reminds viewers that not only is "The End" going to bring down not only movie stars, corrupt politicians, scientists, and us, but it is going to bring down everything. The Netflix movie has several elements working together to drive home that powerful message.
Message Behind Don't Look Up
Do not Look Up is a comedy of sorts about how politicians, media, and audiences are all ignorant to the reality that there is a gigantic comet destined to strike Earth and kill off all life on Earth. The Netflix film Do not Look Up is getting all sorts of reviews, many focusing on the films not-so-hidden message about climate action. Adam McKay-directed movie that is a very obvious climate-change satire on Americas failure to address it. Do not Look Up is chock-full of big, expensive names, often packing that many of them into one room.
If a movie with star power like Do not Look Up takes people to seriously consider climate change and shake things up, that may sound like a cause worthy of supporting. While I suppose in theory you could dismiss a movie with the cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, Timothee Chalamet, and Ariana Grande, it would seem that doing so would require the willpower to, well, do not look up from a screen for a long time. Netflixs Do not Look Up has been not just the biggest example so far, it is also the one that has an actual, explicit warning about climate change, which people who own platforms are keen to help propagate.
These details distinguish the Netflix movie from being an actual scary disaster film, to walking a fine line between being ironic and frightening.