"We're all 100% for sure gonna fucking die!": Comparison of Apocalyptic Portrayals in The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Don't Look Up (2021)
Author
Neergaard, Ida Kragh
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-30
Pages
80
Abstract
Hollywood has a strong appetite for end-of-the-world stories. For example, between 2012 and 2013 it released fifteen disaster and apocalyptic films. Historically, such works help people navigate crises and comment on political, environmental, and social realities. This thesis explores why these stories are so compelling by comparing two different apocalyptic depictions: The Day After Tomorrow (2004), a post‑9/11 piece of climate fiction (cli-fi) about abrupt climate change, and Netflix’s Don’t Look Up (2021), a satire about a comet hurtling toward Earth. The analysis examines similarities and differences in how the films present apocalypse, the threats they emphasize, and whether they draw on traditional theological end-times imagery or more contemporary portrayals, including how threatening the events are shown to be. It also considers when the films were made: The Day After Tomorrow arrived soon after the 9/11 attacks, while Don’t Look Up was produced during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Using a comparative method, the thesis situates the films within American political and environmental history, identifies features of political films and their effects, and assesses how closely the stories echo real crises. Finally, it discusses how differences in tone and endings — more tragic in The Day After Tomorrow, more comic in Don’t Look Up — may shape audience responses. Findings: The Day After Tomorrow’s explicit portrayal of climate change mirrors the current environmental crisis and related political conflicts, while resonating with post‑9/11 anxiety. Don’t Look Up caricatures the power and state of U.S. politics and, beneath the humor, reflects the handling of the pandemic and global warming. Both films warn against the drive to overuse Earth’s resources, which hinders meaningful action to avert catastrophe. Taken together, they underscore the need for solidarity in times of crisis such as climate change, 9/11, and COVID‑19, and they link on‑screen apocalypses to contemporary political and environmental conflicts in America.
Hollywood har en stor interesse for dommedagsfortællinger. For eksempel udkom der femten katastrofe- og apokalypsefilm i 2012–2013. Historisk har sådanne værker hjulpet med at håndtere kriser og kommentere politiske, miljømæssige og sociale forhold. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvorfor disse historier fascinerer, ved at sammenligne to forskellige filmiske dommedagsscenarier: The Day After Tomorrow (2004), en post-9/11 klimafiktion (cli-fi) om brat klimaforandring, og Netflix’ Don’t Look Up (2021), en satire om en komet på kollisionskurs med Jorden. Analysen ser på ligheder og forskelle i, hvordan filmene fremstiller apokalypsen, hvilke trusler de betoner, og om de trækker på en traditionel, teologisk endetidsforståelse eller en mere nutidig fremstilling, herunder hvor truende begivenhederne skildres. Afhandlingen tager også højde for, hvornår filmene blev til: The Day After Tomorrow udkom kort efter terrorangrebene den 11. september, mens Don’t Look Up blev produceret under COVID-19-pandemien. Med en komparativ metode placeres filmene i amerikansk politisk og miljøhistorie, der peges på kendetegn ved politiske film og deres virkning, og det vurderes, hvor tæt fortællingerne spejler virkelige kriser. Til sidst diskuteres, hvordan forskelle i tone og slutning — mere tragisk i The Day After Tomorrow, mere komisk i Don’t Look Up — kan præge publikums reaktioner. Konklusionerne er: The Day After Tomorrow’s tydelige skildring af klimaforandringer spejler den aktuelle miljøkrise og tilhørende politiske konflikter og taler samtidig til den usikkerhed, der fulgte efter 11. september. Don’t Look Up karikerer magt og tilstand i amerikansk politik og viser, under humoren, håndteringen af pandemien og den globale opvarmning. Begge film advarer mod trangen til at overudnytte Jordens ressourcer, hvilket hæmmer mulighederne for at afværge katastrofen. Samlet set symboliserer de nødvendigheden af solidaritet i krisetider som klimaforandringer, 11. september og COVID-19, og de forbinder skildringerne af dommedag med aktuelle politiske og miljømæssige konflikter i USA.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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