Close Reading – Don’t Look Up
Don’t Look Up (1:3:40 – 1:7)
The first thing that I noticed when re-watching this scene, was how disjointed everything was. There were several locations and people shown in short segments. The video switches from a distant view of the rockets and a close-up multiple times (with subtle hints of patriotism with the US flag flying in frame with the distant rockets). There is media footage of the “launch challenge” in small clips moving across the screen with emojis of hearts and rockets everywhere as well. The videos themselves are grainy and shaky, showing the clumsiness of those filming. These small clips are a throwback to the multiple times a dumb gimmick has caught on and spread through the media, such as people eating tide pods, trying to swallow cinnamon, etc. Then there are the changing perspectives of those in the office, the NASA mission control room, and the public audience. Immediately after the launch begins, the only thing we see of the office are photos of the group celebrating before continuing with videos. In most cases, photos are used to remember a momentous occasion, showing the group celebrating and happy was an important moment for them because at this point they believed that the planet was going to be saved. Once we start to see video from the office again, there are multiple things happening simultaneously and almost all the shots are from over someone’s shoulder, demonstrating how cramped the room is (both physically and content-wise). The other two locations – the control room and the public audience- are relatively calm comparatively.
There is almost too much happening in this scene at once, it took several watches to catch everything listed above, and the main reason I can see behind it is to demonstrate just how chaotic this experience is/would be. This mission is crucial to save humanity and everyone in the world is riding on the success of the mission. It would be a stressful position to be in, yet the characters are mostly excited and happy because they believe all is going to plan. Until Peter comes in to convince the president to end the mission.
Several characters are shown in this scene, and each has their own purpose for the plot, however, they are showcased in a way that is much different than other movies. We would think the person in charge is the president, yet the only thing she does in this scene is make a short announcement, leave the room, then come back to say that the mission has been altered. Peter is the true shot caller of the scene. He comes in and asks to speak to the president and even yells at her when she doesn’t come outside soon enough to which she is very apologetic for, further demonstrating the influence he has. What’s also important is that the entire conversation between the president and Peter happens off-screen, demonstrating the influence of those in powerful positions and how the average person, not even the scientists who discovered the meteor and a way to stop it, has no influence on the decision-making process.
Kate, being the scientist who made the discovery, should be in a higher position than what the movie puts her in. People don’t take her seriously in the movie despite being the most concerned of the group about finding a solution. Her purpose in this scene is purely for comedic affect; she rolls her eyes when Peter comes into the room, makes a largely exaggerated expression when Dr Randall and Brie kiss, and gags/pushes Jason away at his advances.
Drask also seems to be a character used for comedic affect, but in a very different way. He makes several racist comments on national television to which the general says “it’s a different generation” even though he is around the same age, highlighting the hypocrisy in this statement and that age doesn’t give one the excuse to be racist. No one we see is supportive of these statements, but it is glossed over, and he isn’t reprimanded or anything for saying such things on live television. This could almost be something important to address in a politically motived movie, yet it is done in such a satirical way that it is ineffective and unnecessary to the plot.
This scene is a good example to showcase the various power-dynamics that are seen throughout the movie. The scientists who discovered the comet and the control center at NASA should have been in control of everything related to the mission’s progression, but Peter swayed the president who made the decision to turn everything around. The rich have the most influence, even scientists who are experts in their field are overlooked while the general public has zero say. One could argue that the public has influence in that they vote for presidency, however, they only see what the president wants them to, which is also shown throughout the president’s candidacy in the movie with how she presents information to the public.
There is also a position of power Brie has been placed in simply because of her sexual/romantic interest in Dr Randall. In this scene we see an attempt at a scholarly character from her, speaking French and trying to sound smart, which impresses Dr Randell, but doesn’t impress the viewer (me) due to what we know about her prior to this. People respect her because of her status, not the fact that she has four degrees (confirmed in a scene prior to this one). It is partially because of her status and the power she holds over Dr Randall he becomes the spokesperson for the mission and convinces the public that there is no severe issue, that the best scientists are working to find a solution, when everything they worked on was highly theoretical and there was no proof that it would work.
Dr Randall himself holds somewhat of an influence over Kate as her teacher and a man. He is the one everyone looks to for answers even though Kate is the one who discovered the meteor and has the same information that Dr Randall does. The president even has him address the public in this scene because it is “his discovery”. Kate cannot speak up about anything, which is another reason why she has almost no lines in this scene. However, we can see throughout the rest of the movie that when she does try to speak up, that she is immediately silenced. Despite having the purist intentions of the group, being one of the smartest, and having discovered the meteor, she is the one in lowest position of power.
Don’t Look Up, while having a meaningful message about the current political world and our need for climate action, begins to undermine its own position with the amount of satire and jokes throughout this scene. It isn’t completely changing or dismissing their message, but it does distract from the intention of the film. Launch day could have just been the group talking about the success rate, president changes mind due to peter, and then rockets turn around. Instead, there are several subplots throughout, racist comments that are left unaddressed, and jokes that don’t do anything more for the plot. When approaching the movie as just something funny to watch this probably wouldn’t impact the viewing experience, however, for those who are coming with strong opinions (either for or against climate action) the lack of seriousness can completely change the opinion of the movie.
