Neil deGrasse Tyson jokes that Netflix's his expertise on all manner of scientific topics. He was the host of the scientific docu-series, Cosmos, which ran for two seasons, including Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and Cosmos: Possible Worlds, and regularly hosts a radio show called Startalk. In addition, Tyson appears on numerous news, late night, and commentary programs, typically as a subject matter expert.
Don't Look Up is the latest comedy from director Adam McKay, which is a satirical look at how the world responds to the doomsday threat of an impending comet collision with Earth. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, and Jonah Hill, the film makes a commentary on the state of social and political tropes that currently pervade modern society. Spinning the apocalyptic event into a showcase of ridicule that translates as biting satire on all things government, politics, social media, news media, etc., Don't Look Up has had divisive reviews, with scientists, politicians, and celebrities all weighing in on it.
Taking to Twitter, Tyson says that he finally saw Don't Look Up and shares his own take on the film, noting, essentially, what the film is trying to convey. Tyson says that the "fictional tale" about how pop-culture, news cycles, talk shows and, ironically, social media, have divided the nation, is more of a documentary than a work of fiction. Noting the division of the general public to "heed dire warnings of scientists" is a notion Tyson can relate to. Here's his full tweet:
While Tyson is a renowned scientist in his own right, his popularity has seen him appear in multiple film projects, frequently as himself or some other variation. In 2016, he appeared in both Zoolander 2 and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice as himself. He has also appeared in multiple TV and animated projects, including guest spots in The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bojack Horseman, Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
So far, Don't Look Up has inspired a multitude of reactions from viewers, with some loving it, some hating it, and some finding it to be an on-the-nose representation of the state of the world. While the film is hardly a factual representation of real-world events, it does draw on a lot of modern-day equivalencies that fit its satirical nature, which Tyson, like many viewers, picked up on. There's much to debate and mull over in how Don't Look Up presents the way the world would handle a real-life apocalyptic scenario, and Tyson's commentary only adds more fuel to the debate.
Source: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
