At first glance, Adam McKay’s latest film is a scathing satirical commentary on the state of the world and the way humanity, or more specifically Americans, have a seeming inability to care about the impending doom looming over the planet, but it lacks the subtlety and cohesion to really be considered great.

Filled with A-list stars, it is stacked with fine performances and good moments, but they don’t follow through, save for one of the final scenes, which is beautifully orchestrated.

McKay has delivered stellar commentaries like “The Big Short” and “Vice,” but “Don’t Look Up” feels more like a Facebook rant than the kind of satire it seems to be trying to be.

This is not to say I don’t agree

with McKay’s take on the state of the socio-political landscape or the story he’s weaving, it’s just not very well

executed.

The story follows astronomer/professor Dr. Randall Mindy and PhD candidate student Kate Dibiasky (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) as they discover a planet-killing comet that is hurtling toward Earth and, as any good scientists would do, they have their findings checked, then alert the proper channels to get some kind of plan organized to save the world.

Unfortunately, those channels are headed by a brash, inept and nepotistic president (Meryl Streep) who chooses to ignore and deflect the truth because it would potentially ruin numbers for the midterms.

So Randall and Kate leak the info to the press, going on an entertainment-driven news show to tell the world what’s happening, but the world cares more about the on-air engagement of two pop stars than Armageddon, while the White House denies any knowledge of the comet. When they finally do conduct a plan to destroy it, the mission is cancelled after mega-rich smartphone innovator Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance) informs the president the comet’s rare materials are worth trillions of dollars. The money-hungry president is convinced into blowing the rock into pieces so it may be harvested, and they decide to use Randall and his good-looks to convince the world. He sells out in favor of a slice of fame and an affair with TV host Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett).

The decision divides the country, with campaigns coming from both the science-driven community stating that this is clearly something that should be dealt with quickly, while the other side tells their fervent red hat-wearing base that they are being lied to by the “elites,” and to not look up.

The point it’s trying to make is not exactly subtle. It’s that lack of subtlety that I have the biggest issue with. When satire works, it should sting the subject it’s satirizing, but here it’s so overt it makes the story much less impactful and feels more like McKay is preaching to the proverbial choir than making any great effort to comment on the state of the world.

I also have issue with the mechanics behind the film, with editing that feels disjointed and the greatly improvised script lacks direction on a macro-level with some underdeveloped characters and others that are plain caricatures.

The performances, as you would expect by the roster, are all pretty solid, and it is hilarious to see these actors in some of their roles, like Rylance and Streep, along with Jonah Hill being perfectly annoying as the president’s chief of staff/son Jason.

After that initial viewing, I actually sang the film’s praises much more, but as time wore on and it sat in my brain longer, the less I found to sing about.

Overall, if you are on the same side of the fence, it does feel like a giant fist pump in the air to watch this, but on a deeper level, it falls apart, because there’s nothing deeper about it.

They’re clear, the allusions McKay is making to climate change (the comet), political divisiveness, the mega-rich in decision-making roles, society’s obsession with celebrity, and the scads of misinformation that have been circulating in recent years. But with all the subtlety of a hammer, “Don’t Look Up” quickly loses its luster.

Movie review: ‘Don’t Look Up’

138 minutes

Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content, graphic nudity and drug content.

3 stars