Don’t Look Up is an unsubtle, fairly depressing satire that will divide viewers. It’s well-acted by a star-studded ensemble, and features a fantastic score by Nicholas Britell, but if you do not like the comedy or the tone shifts, you simply will not like this movie. There is also no subtlety to be found in this film. In the first five minutes, you’ll likely be able to tell whether or not this film will work for you. Fortunately, it did for me. Don’t Look Up is a love it or hate it film, and I’m firmly in the love it camp.

Don’t Look Up’s screenplay is bound to be one of the most divisive elements of the film but I quite liked it. It’s incredibly on-the-nose, but I don’t think the message the film was trying to convey had to be subtle. There are scenes that were a bit too obvious what the point was to the extent that it took me out of the movie somewhat, but overall the lack of subtlety was not something that bothered me. The film also switches from being a funny political satire and a somber “ending of the world” drama multiple times, and these tonal shifts were, while somewhat abrupt at times, mainly well-handled. The story itself is fine, although there is nothing particularly remarkable or standout about it. However, while humor is subjective, Don’t Look Up to me was hysterical. I was able to have a lot of fun with the film and I thought most of the jokes landed well (Rylance’s Peter Isherwell in particular delivers some of the movie’s funniest lines). Another thing I liked about the screenplay were the character arcs of Randall and Kate. I especially liked what they did with Randall, as while I wasn’t expecting him to go down the route he did, it felt logical and in character nonetheless. Kate’s arc is definitely weaker, but I still enjoyed it regardless. Lastly, ending of the film was also really impactful, well executed, and has stuck with me.

However, the best part about Don’t Look Up has to be the performances. This cast is incredible, and there’s no real weak link to be found. Leonardo DiCaprio kills it as Randall and is easily the best performance in the film. He’s an entertaining yet sympathetic lead, and it’s hard to imagine this film working nearly as well without him. Jennifer Lawrence is also incredibly underrated in the film. She is a large part of the reason her character’s arc works as well as it does, as despite having a less well-written part, she gives it her all. The rest of the performances in this film are comedic parodies that are humorous and generally acted really well. The standouts from the supporting cast are Mark Rylance and Cate Blanchett, who brought a small level of humanity to these exaggerated characters while still being hilarious. Overall, this ensemble is excellent and the strongest part of this film.

Now, onto technicals. The score from Nicholas Britell is excellent and elevates many scenes without feeling overbearing. Both original songs in the film are great and serve their purposes well. Adam McKay’s direction is fine and it works for the film. The editing, on the other hand, is one of my few legitimate issues with Don’t Look Up, as it randomly cuts to stock clips too often and it took me out of a scene I was enjoying multiple times. It felt overdone and unnecessary most of the time.

Don’t Look Up is not a film that will work for everyone. There is a lot to like about the film (like the performances and the score),!a lot that will divide people (like the screenplay and the lack of subtlety), and a fair amount to dislike (like the editing). It’s not perfect, but if it works for you, you’ll likely have a blast watching it.

Score: 8/10