2020 was a terrible twelve months full of natural disasters, widespread misinformation and high social tensions, and that’s nothing to laugh at. But now that it’s reaching the end of its run, Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones have decided to tackle the year with a Netflix Original mockumentary featuring a star-studded cast and all the satirical jabs you’ve come to expect from their work.
Death to 2020 sees fictional characters – played here by well-known actors – discussing real events from 2020 with a mixture of truth and misinformation. Samuel L. Jackson portrays a newspaper reporter, Hugh Grant appears as a historian, Joe Keery has some fun as a millennial, and Lisa Kudrow parodies a conservative spokesperson – and those are just a few of the many celebrities who show up to satirize this past year.
As one might expect, Death to 2020 focuses heavily on the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which has now affected more than 81.5 million people worldwide and killed nearly 2 million. However, it certainly doesn’t shy away from tackling many of the year’s other events, such as the Australian wildfires, the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, the controversial US election and plenty more.
Critics haven’t particularly enjoyed the film, calling it bland and unfunny and leaving it with only an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of Netflix’s most popular titles, as it’s currently sitting at #3 on the most-watched movies list on the service. Of course, with everyone being so fed up with this year, it makes sense that the mockumentary would draw in quite a crowd.
Death to 2020 is available now for your viewing pleasure and if you’ve already seen it, be sure to let us know what you thought of the pic in the comments section below.