Movie review
December 8, 2021 · 138 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Don't Look Up is a satirical comedy-drama in which two astronomers discover a comet on a collision course with Earth and embark on a media tour to alert the public and leaders. The film satirizes societal, political, and media indifference to an existential threat, using the comet as a metaphor for climate change. The narrative features recurring activist-style institutional critique of capitalism, government short-termism, and media distraction, framed around environmental urgency and systemic failure.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Don't Look Up.
Woke representation / casting
Standard Hollywood ensemble with no audience-visible forced diversity or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Recurring explicit satire on political denialism, media superficiality, and government incompetence.
Identity-driven story themes
Narrative centers on class, political, and systemic dynamics rather than identity-based arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Dominant activist-style condemnation of capitalism, media culture, and political systems as flawed barriers to addressing existential threats.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Moderate backlash as heavy-handed liberal propaganda and climate sermon; widely discussed politically but not primarily identity-focused.
Creator track record context
Adam McKay pattern of left-leaning political satires; David Sirota progressive activist and Bernie Sanders advisor.
