We know the Earth’s imminent destruction by an asteroid can be entertaining or vastly stupid, depending on your feelings about Michael Bay’s 1995 acition/sci-fi/shlock Armageddon. Could the Earth’s destruction by an errant comet be funny? Netflix’s upcoming movie Don’t Look Up is going to give it a try, and by this first trailer, it stands a better chance than Earth does.
Written and directed by Adam McKay of The Big Short and Anchorman fame, Don’t Look Up “tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.” Some people are more chill about it than others:
The movie has a truly, absurdly over-talented cast, even excepting its Oscar-winning leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawerence. A few of them are blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em in the trailer, but there’s Timothée Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Ron Perlman, Arianda Grande, and Meryl Streep (playing the president, of course).
DiCaprio isn’t exactly known for playing meek, nebbish members of the hoi polloi before, but man if the movie hasn’t managed to shlub him down. His depiction of a man having a panic attack — presumably at his discovery of the Earth’s imminent demise — is quite authentic, but it’s also actually a little funny just to see the titular Wolf of Wall Street and Great Gatsby completely overwhelmed by anything, really. Or maybe that’s just me.
Don’t Look Back will premiere on Netflix on December 24, which will presumably make for a unique holiday movie experience. However, the movie will be coming to theatres on December 10, for a limited run that I’m extremely confident exists solely so the movie can be submitted to the Academy Awards. Still, looks good!