This is less a review of the film and more of an analysis of its social commentary. I’m not great at reviews. So suffice to say it’s a really good, fun film. If you liked Adam Mckay’s ‘The Big Short’ and ‘Vice’ you know pretty much what you are getting and you will like this. It’s unabashedly political so depending on your views you will be screaming at certain parts for different reasons. The look for the film is great. Nothing really flashy, or mind blowing visually but is great for the story it’s telling. The soundtrack is top notch and is toe tapping good in places. Even the fabricated pop song that is sung by Ariana Grande, who plays a vapid celebrity, at a concert promoting a call to action is spot on. Most of the performances are great. Meryl Streep looks like she is really enjoying her role as a populist, self-indulgent president. If you have Netflix I recommend it.
******WARNING********
This movie is totally based in a fictional reality and it in no way resembles the actual reality we live in
This is a reality in which most power is not earned or democratically given like it is in our reality, but power is your birth right, as when Cate Blanchette, an influential presenter on daytime TV gives her backstory. Which in no way resembles that of the American “news” presenters Tucker Carlson, or Chris Cuomo.
A reality in which power comes not from what education you excelled at but where you went to school. Unlike nearly everyone in power in the House of Commons, who are fully qualified for the roles they excel at. A world in which the silly, shallow romance of 2 celebrities gain more interest than world changing, cataclysmic events. A world where power that is given through nepotism, as in the president and her chief of staff, who is also her son and he has something to tell the world about the sexiness of the president, mum.
Power that is bought by a billionaire who has the clout and position to make decisions that can affect billions of people for profit, thinly disguised as improving people’s lives and ending poverty. This is a fictional film in which society confuses wealth with expertise. Unlike our expert billionaires who have a deep understanding of education, environmental issues and how to recue children trapped in an underwater cave.
In this fictional reality, that is nothing like ours, a vocal, influential minority confuse facts and science as conspiracies and propaganda, with their factitious ulterior motives that has no evidence. We are so lucky to have media personalities and pundits and influencers who understand that “Climate Change” has 2 sides that are both valid. That change always happens and we all just need to sell our houses before they are underwater. We sensibly understand that it’s some other chumps problem.
In the silly reality of this film, the head of NASA is totally unqualified for the position she is in, but because of her position is easily able to convince large swathes of the population that the actual evidence and science is wrong and is willing to fall on her sword when it becomes politically convenient for those with more power than her. In this work of fiction science and expertise is distrusted unless it conforms to a certain narrative and is presented in a way that conforms to the masses and if you say anything different you are turned in to a monster through memes on social media…. IMAGINE….
Yes.. So unbelievable
Who am I kidding… The only thing truly fictional about this movie is the technology. In fact there is some funny and even sad parts but none of it is even close to as sad and funny as the reality we live in right now. The reality this is parodying is so much more preposterous, even more nuts than what is in this movie. In fact the horror of this film is how it has become impossible to ridicule this Tweet fed, emoji ridden, celebrity obsessed, conspiracy infested, populist path we are on…
I recommend you watch ‘Don’t look up’ which is available on Netflix, if for no other reason than to realise how moronic those we empower are and ridiculous our reality is.
