Satire is supposed to highlight the idiocies, hypocrisies and flaws of those in power using comedy, often with comedic exaggeration, to make these points and when done well, can be a powerful force in shaping public opinion. How did this film shape public opinion? It is hard to say, especially from 2025, but the Cold War did not end in nuclear armageddon, so there’s that. Moreover, any reference to nuclear weapons and nuclear war will trigger the absurdity of Dr. Strangelove in the minds of those in the audience. Politicians who wanted to increase the nuclear arsenal of America to add a few more thousand warheads would be confronted with pushback influenced by Dr. Strangelove.

Satire To Bring About Change

Don’t Look Up is a comedy written and directed by Adam McKay in which scientists discover a planet-destroying asteroid is heading towards Earth, and their struggles to be heard and when they are heard, for action to be taken. The film is shot through with criticism of the media – who at first treat the impending disaster as some kind of puff piece; incompetence in government with the president played by Meryl Streep portrayed as an idiotic, vain and selfish leader; and tech billionaires with Mark Rylance playing such a figure who wants to manipulate the situation for his own benefit and is utterly consumed by arrogance and hubris. The film is very clearly about climate change; it is not especially subtle, but it doesn’t seem like McKay was trying to be. Part of the problem of Don’t Look Up is the idea that despite the fact that the danger has been pointed out and more or less understood and accepted, nothing is being done, the message has not motivated change, and how will the film do that? Part of McKay’s solution to this seems to be simply abandoning being subtle. Did Don’t Look Up shape public opinion? This seems mixed; it was very successful but likely preaching to the converted, but one thing it did perhaps achieve by its intentional lack of subtlety was to try and drive home the drastic nature of the climate change problem.

Satire To Learn From The Past

Death of Stalin is a film by one of Britain’s greatest comedy writers and political satirists, Armando Iannucci, who has been involved in The Day Today, Alan Partridge, The Friday Night Armistice, The Thick Of It, In The Loop and Veep. The film is based on a comic loosely based on the death of Joseph Stalin and the turmoil that followed as various people tried to scheme their way to power. The Death of Stalin is not exactly trying to satirise Stalin and his government, after all he’s been dead for 70 years, but rather show the ridiculousness of power and tyranny. How the genuinely terrifying dictators are also stupid people who did stupid things. In the film, Stalin lies for hours after having a stroke with no medical assistance, despite people hearing him collapse, as they are all too scared to enter his office. And even when the other soviet leaders find him, they want to be quorate before they vote on calling a doctor, and even then…most of the medical establishment was caught in Stalin’s purges. It also shows how the seemingly invincible can be brought down spectacularly quickly. Beria, as head of the security services, was poised to take over, but instead was arrested and shot within minutes.

Satire To Bring Down The Powerful

A recent Oscar contender was The Apprentice, a satire about Donald Trump, but not President Trump, the much younger real estate businessman being mentored by right-wing demagogue Roy Cohn. Presumably, the film is a contest about who can be the most objectionable person in America. It has often been said that Trump is beyond satire, and perhaps this is why this satire didn’t focus on his recent political career but on his earlier business career. Is Trump’s political career unsuitable for satire? After all, this was a person whose right-hand man organised a press conference about how the election was “stolen” at Four Seasons Total Landscaping opposite an adult book store rather than the Four Seasons hotel. That is beyond Spinal Tap levels of ridiculous incompetence, and perhaps how every music documentary since This Is Spinal Tap has had to make sure they didn’t have a Spinal Tap moment, every filmmaker wanting to make a satire about Trump with have to wrestle with the problem of using comedic exaggeration against a man who long ago passed any imagined exaggeration. How did it shape public opinion? It will be very interesting to see how/if it does. Most people are in very definitive camps regarding Trump, but it is possible this film could successfully change how Trump’s business career is seen. His supporters will often say he is a billionaire businessman, obviously, he knows what he is doing, could this undermine the foundations of his supposed brilliance?

The post Why Political Satire Remains Crucial in 2025 appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Looking and Leaving

Don’t Look Up follows a group of scientists trying to warn everyone about a comet that will destroy the world. Only to find that American media is too interested in distracting the public, politicians are too willing to delay acting so that they can eventually use the situation to favour them electorally and billionaires use the situation to test hastily created tech which hasn’t been peer-reviewed. All of which eventually results in the world ending.

Leave The World Behind sees a family escaping the city for the country when strange things start happening. They witness an oil tanker running aground, the internet going out, the TV not picking up signals and the father and daughter who supposedly own the house (though they don’t have ID) turn up at the door. All of which puts them on edge as they try to navigate what is going on. By the end, we are not sure if the US is being invaded, if this was down to hackers, a satellite fault or all or none of the above. The only certainty is that humanity has been decimated physically and mentally by the technology we rely on.

As of April 28th this year both films are among Netflix’s most popular English-language films.

Where Fiction Meets Reality

Despite their differences, both films have several common themes. They talk about how little the world is prepared for disaster. They mistrust how pivotal modern technology is to our lives, particularly those fronted by high-profile self-obsessed billionaires. While also acting as critiques of American policy (both domestic and overseas).

And given many recent events like Western politicians continually backtracking on climate pledges despite much of the world already feeling its effects, the disasters brought about by products owned by high-profile people like Elon Musk, US politicians pushing policies and rhetoric that can put their constituencies at risk and facilitating imperialist actions like backing the alleged genocide in Gaza, it’s easy to see why the films would continue to speak to audiences.

But both these films also showcase something else, apathy. 

Apathy in Film and Politics

Don’t Look Up mainly focuses on the apathy of politicians, who are portrayed as only caring about serving people when the situation can benefit them. Meanwhile, Leave The World Behind reflects the apathy of general people (or at least a subsection who can afford to get away at the drop of a hat) towards politics. The film’s central family only becomes concerned with the wider world when events and people intrude on their lives. Never recognising that for other communities (like people of colour) politics is something that affects them all the time.

Recently stories like the US President finally paying attention to the tragedy that happened in East Palestine due to it now being an election year and the marginally shifting rhetoric from some politicians regarding Gaza because of threats to their job security, among many others, have shown the clear apathy of politicians to people’s safety. Plus the move to neuter trade union activity and the bids to demonise Palestine marches helps to further insulate people privileged enough to be apathetic about the state of the world. Both films hit the nail on the head when it comes to capturing political apathy in a way reflective of real life and given the stake so many people have in politics its easy for many to see their fears laid out plainly in these narratives, which could be a factor in their success.

Conclusion

Don’t Look Up and Leave The World Behind speak about many big political fears today. But the theme that underpins both stories is the lack of care for how political decisions impact others. And given how reflective they seem of real-world attitudes it’s easy to see why they remain popular.

Also Read: ‘American Psycho’ to ‘The L Word’: Guinevere Turner Details Her Transformative Storytelling

The post Fiction Mirroring Reality: Modern Cinema, Politics and Apathy appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

The Contenders

Moonfall is a classic Roland Emmerich disaster movie. Having directed films such as The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and 2012 Emmerich has defined the disaster movie genre. His latest sees a mysterious force knock the moon out of its orbit, causing it to “fall” towards the Earth. It’s full of cliches as the characters fly to the moon to try and save the world. Full of one-liners and scenes of destruction. Emmerich is well known for these types of films but seems to be having diminishing returns with each film. With only two features, one of which is Independence Day being certified “fresh”. From the title and first trailer, audiences knew what to expect. It’s big, loud and dumb, which is part of the charm, depending on your view.

By contrast, Don’t Look Up is a very different film. Focusing on the media’s (especially American) reaction to the end of the world. Scientists desperately try to warn people but are unable to get their message across. It’s more of a satire than a straight comedy, as people react with disinterest and mockery. McKay is known for directing many of Will Ferrel’s features, such as the Anchorman films and Step Brothers. Recently he has moved into more serious works, with Vice and The Big Short looking at real-world events and corruption. Though it’s not very subtle, it has an important message and some good laughs

Why The Reception?

The reaction to both films has been mixed, but for the most part, Don’t Look Up is fairing better with critics and audiences. It also has an Oscar nod for Best Picture, something McKay has now managed three times. Moonfall is currently considered a flop, opening with a less than $10 million gross against a $150 million budget. The Oscar conversation and message of the former is doing a lot to increase its profile, whilst Moonfall appears to be struggling at the box office.

Whilst most of Emmerich’s films haven’t been critical darlings, they have been huge at the box office. His films are designed to be seen on the big screen, with wide shots of cities being destroyed or characters looking on at the devastation. It is possible that the pandemic is responsible for the poor box office, as many people are still unsure about returning to cinemas. The other explanation is that audiences are simply tired of it. Emmerich’s disaster films have a formula, often with the same character dynamics each time. This has led to them all feeling predictable. There are also some moments that can be seen as sending the wrong message. Elon Musk and Space X are mentioned several times, and one of the main hero characters is a conspiracy theorist. With all that has happened in recent years, conspiracy theorists and the end of the world don’t seem like a fun afternoon at the movies.

Whilst Don’t Look Up isn’t much cheerier, it allows audiences to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The characters are intentionally enhanced and absurd for comedy and satire, rather than feeling underdeveloped. The cast is made up of several Oscar winners and nominees, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett. Combined with McKay’s recent success, it seemed almost destined for an Oscar nomination. The film is very of its time, poking fun at the current media and political landscape and the fears of concerns people have, as well as the divisions. In short, things look scary, and some things seem less scary if you can laugh at them.

Also Read: The Formula For A Perfect Movie Trailer

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