Don’t Look Up

“Don’t look up! Just don’t look up!”

Don’t Look Up (2021) is an R-rated dark comedy about how people ignore science and the truth, mirroring how many today dismiss the scientific evidence of climate change and other environmental problems. The story follows two scientists, Kate Diabiasky and Dr. Randall Mindy, who discover a comet that will destroy Earth in six months. When they inform the President, she dismisses the news because she is focused on her public image and the next election. The scientists go on TV to warn the public, but their warning is treated as entertainment. Arguments, memes, and political slogans turn the crisis into a debate about belief rather than evidence. A wealthy tech CEO convinces the President to mine the comet for profit. The film begins chaotically but ends quietly as Dr. Mindy and Kate share a final meal with their loved ones since there is nothing left to do.

Through its mix of humor and tragedy, Don’t Look Up shows how modern society fails to confront large-scale problems like climate change. The movie highlights climate denial by showing politicians and everyday people ignoring scientists, even when the evidence is directly in front of them. The scientists in the movie struggle to explain the danger in a calm and persuasive way, and the media turns their warning into entertainment. This shows how climate communication sometimes needs stories, emotion, and cultural connection to help people care. This connects directly to the real world, where many people still deny the science of global warming and where communication about the climate crisis can be difficult. The film mocks how people get distracted by fame, politics, and money, even when the truth is right in front of them. Its fast pace and exaggerated characters create a sense of chaos that mirrors the real world’s nonstop media cycle. In the end, it’s a warning, not just about comets, but about what could happen if we keep ignoring the planet.

In Don’t Look Up, the comet doesn’t just threaten humanity, it shows how human greed can make things worse. The people in power—such as rich tech CEOs and politicians—care only about profit and their own survival, reflecting real issues of environmental justice. This idea becomes clear in the movie when the powerful find a way to escape while ordinary people are left behind, showing how those with fewer resources often suffer most during climate disasters. Overall, Don’t Look Up can help students understand how misinformation, power, and inequality all affect the way we respond to global problems. Watching and discussing this movie can make people think about what it really takes to create change, and how we can act before it’s too late.

©2026 ClimateLit (Olive Yonko)

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Publisher: Hyperobject Industries, 2021

Audience: Ages 14+

ISBN: N/A

Pages: 138 minutes

Format: Films

Topics: Anthropocene, Climate Change, Climate Change Denial, Climate Disinformation, Energy, Environmental Justice, Social Inequality, Wealth Inequality