Death to 2021 is a mockumentary directed by Jack Clough and Josh Ruben with Ben Caudell serving as the lead writer. This show is a sequel to Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ Death to 2020 covering the same aspects of how the pandemic has affected the US and other things in the year 2021. The cast includes Hugh Grant, Joe Keery, William Jackson Harper, Lucy Liu, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Stockard Channing, Cristin Milioti and Diane Morgan. The entire special is narrated by Laurence Fishburne and the director’s voice is lent by Nick Mohammed. The runtime for the show is one hour long.
– Netflix’s Death to 2021 review does not contain spoilers –
Death to 2021: A Mockumentary We All Need To Recap This Crazy Year!
The bizarre year that 2021 has been, serving a sequel to the disastrous 2020, Netflix’s Death to 2021 is a dark and comedic representation of everything we went through in this year. In a form of a parody, the comedy special gives us unprecedented access to pretentious academics, prying journalists, melodramatic cable news opinionators, billionaire tech moguls (and, everyone knows who we are referring to here), scientists with so-called efficiency, influencers with their own TikTok beats and cultural commentators who are bound to cross the line and average citizens.
The show recounters all the hilarious and absurd episodes that occurred in the year 2021. We start off with the rage of Trump and Biden’s presidential elections that led to vandalism and then, move on to the new coronavirus variants and vaccines. Racism is addressed with much irony as Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton and the interview the Duke and Duchess of Sussex- Harry and Meghan had with Oprah that unleashed woke-ness in everyone.
Climate change and veganism are also covered as light is thrown on the documentary Seaspiracy and comments on the James Bond franchise don’t escape either. The 93rd Academy awards rendered poignantly unwatchable with COVID protocols and the cancel culture is addressed too along with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and anti-vaxxers in the US. The weather’s ‘jihad’ against mankind, gender pronouns, rich billionaires making money at people’s expense or at nature’s expense and more and shown in this one-hour special.
Image Credit: Still from Netflix’s Death to 2021 feat., Lucy Liu
Death to 2021: Final Verdict
Death to 2021 uses real-life footage as it uses its actors to enact certain parts and situations. The most memorable performances are surely going to be that by Hugh Grant, Diane Morgan and Cristin Milioti. They played their part so well that every line and scene can possibly light you up like a fireball with laughter. All the representations have been accurate and endearing, making this comedy special a must watch before we walk into 2022.
Mixing reality and fiction in a mockumentary format Death to 2021 gives us a chance to laugh and reflect on the unpredictability of the year that we are leaving behind. It is our mirror and our fiction to rely on and remember what the year has been like. This mockumentary release is surely one item that you can stream at any point of the day and feel entertained by the stupidity and apocalyptic nature of the year 2021.
Image Credit: Still from Netflix’s Death to 2021 feat., Cristin Milioti
You can watch the 2021 mockumentary Death to 2021 now streaming on Netflix. The prequel show Death to 2020 is also currently available on Netflix for streaming. You can read the review for the same by clicking here.
Also Read: Don’t Look Up: What Is the Meaning Behind the Mid and End Credits Scene?