Don’t Look Up, the latest film fromThe Big Shortfilmmaker Adam McKay, began streaming on Netflix on December 24th after a brief theatrical run. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but is nonetheless a player in this year’s awards circuit and has become a popular streaming choice for Netflix users—though some eagle-eyed viewers have spotted what appears to be an editing error in the film. But Adam McKay responded to those who noticed the error, revealing that he left it in on purpose as a commentary of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on film productions.
Adam McKay’sDon’t Look Upfollows MSU professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and doctoral candidate Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) as they discover proof of a comet’s imminent collision with Earth and team up on a media tour to convince humanity to take action against the asteroid before time runs out. Thedivisive climate change allegoryalso stars a slew of celebrities and A-list actors including Rob Morgan, Mark Rylance, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Jonah Hill, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande, Ron Perlman, and Timothée Chalamet.
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The editing mistake in question is a shot in the film that shows the film crew in its background, with all of them shown wearing masks. Adam McKay kept this moment in the film, as he believes the moment “commemorates [their] strange filming experience.” The production was undoubtedly made strange by the COVID-19 pandemic, as filming guidelines had to be strictly followed throughout the production process, and McKay himself admitted that “none of [the filmmakers would] show up unless [they] were safe.”
Don’t Look Upisn’t the only modern film or television production to include a highly-publicized editing mistake. Season two ofThe Mandalorianinfamously showed half of a crew member’s bodyduring episode four, “The Seige”. And in episode four ofGame of Thrones’s eighth season, the internet was quick to react aftera Starbucks coffee cupwas found during a pivotal Daenerys scene. Though unlike the deliberate nature ofDon’t Look Up’s editing mistake, the mistakes inThe MandalorianandGame of Thronesappear to have been accidents.
Even thoughDon’t Look Updoesn’t have the best reviews, details such as the inclusion of the crew separate the film from many others. It’s an adventurous and unconventional creative choice that, if nothing else, serves to define McKay as a filmmaker whose interest lies in the relevant situations of modern times.
