Carl Roberts 
“A complete mindf**k, hilarious, colourful, and totally bats**t crazy, Gore Verebinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is superb entertainment.”
How can I describe this? Here goes. Imagine you are very sick. Imagine you have a high-fever. Try to consider what kind of fever dream you would have. Now, combine it with The Matrix. And you still wouldn’t be close to the craziness of Gore Verbinski’s new movie, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. The film is one crazy fever dream, there’s no doubt about it. Featuring a cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Tom Taylor, and Juno Temple, it’ll be hard to say that you’ve seen something like it before. Therefore, that’s the beauty of it. You’ve never seen anything this bats**t crazy before!
PREMISE
Time is running out. Are you ready to join the revolution? A man claiming to be from the future takes the patrons of an iconic Los Angeles diner hostage in search of unlikely recruits in a quest to save the world.
THOUGHTS
From the opening moments until the end credits, the film is one wild ride. It is something so surreal that the audience can’t help but be drawn in. The visuals are terrific, the craziness hardly stops, and the film has us roaring with laughter. With an incredible leading performance from Sam Rockwell, delivering a performance for the ages, the film has a strong foundation to anchor it. Simply known as The Man from the future, Rockwell is so unhinged, so nuts throughout, that we can’t help but enjoy the journey. However, there is a darker backstory to his character. This is one that comes into play later on. It isn’t hard to see what it is, but it adds more meat to the bones of Rockwell’s character.
Of all of the cast, it is Haley Lu Richardson as Ingrid that has the meatiest role of all. Ingrid has an allergy to electronic devices and wifi, something that comes into play at various junctures. From the second we meet her, her quiet nature, her strength and her backstory draw us to her. Her performance is exemplary, delivering a character that we can’t help but like and enjoy. There is just something about her performance that blows us all away. That is the second stabilising anchor the film needs to hold itself down and make it as enjoyable as it is. Again, with a backstory that defines her character, Haley Lu Richardson turns in a strong, heartwarming and subtle performance that sticks with us as we leave the cinema.
A GREAT SUPPORTING CAST
The remainder of the supporting cast is completely enjoyable and comedic in their respective roles. Each has their own backstories that are shown in flashback. Juno Temple as Susan gives an understated and sad performance. In her flashback, we discover that Susan’s son was killed in a school shooting, devastating her. However, she is offered a lifeline when several of the other mothers who lost their children tell her of a cloning service that can bring her son back to her. Taking advantage of the service, she is alarmed when her son is returned to her. However, her son comes back to her with a completely different personality. However, she is given an alternate AI that can resurrect the dead virtually. This, again, is a plot point that comes into play later on. Juno Temple leans into her role superbly, fleshing out Susan as only she can.
Michael Peña as Mark and Zazie Beetz as Janet are also good. It is left to Peña to have the chunkier role. Both characters are teachers, with Mark filling in for one who has gone on ‘Sabbatical.’ Despite telling everyone that teachers shouldn’t go on sabbatical during the semester, the other teachers don’t pay much attention. However, when Mark touches a student’s phone, it brings into play all students, becoming almost Zombie-like and stalking the teachers, especially Mark. The comedic tone suddenly takes on a more sinister and dark tint, one that permeates throughout the rest of the film. Both actors are good in their roles, giving the film a stronger backbone. As Scott, Asim Chaudhry doesn’t have much to do, but he makes his mark with cutting wit, some comedic acting, and a lot of condescension.
THE UNDERLYING TONE AND THREAT OF AI
The film’s plot is a topical one, with the core of it based solely on AI and the threat it may pose. The man keeps returning from the future to put a stop to the threat which it will cause the world in the future. Again, this plays into The Matrix territory and storyline. It again poses the question: what is real, and what is fantasy? Are we too reliant on AI in our daily lives? Who is controlling whom? Are we in charge of AI, or is AI in charge of us? How can we tell what reality is? While this is dealt with mostly in a comic way, the underlying question is still there, under the surface, lying unanswered. With all the teenagers constantly hooked to their phones, the film pokes fun at what we see every day.
What would happen if their phones suddenly stopped working at the same time? The film has them standing around, looking confused, not knowing what to do or where to go, what to think or feel. Would this really happen if technology, and AI in general, suddenly vanished? How would the human race survive without it? Even Ingrid’s story shows us how AI and technology can ruin our lives, even if we don’t realise it. Ingrid’s boyfriend decides to quit real life, leave her and live in an AI-generated fantasy world. She loses the love of her life to something artificial. Could or will this really happen in future years, or is it starting to become a reality now? Your guess is as good as anyone else’s, but the threat remains regardless. Maybe it isn’t as far-fetched as we want to believe.
WRITING AND DIRECTION
The screenplay by Matthew Robinson is, as I said before, almost like someone’s fever dream. By taking the premise of The Matrix, adding in some very topical themes and worries, giving it a dark but extremely humorous tone and edge, he has delivered a terrific script. It is as strong as steel, giving the film a vital backbone which supports and sustains it from start to finish. Even in the more dramatic and, some may say, confusing scenes, the script never dips, never lets up, delivering something that is sublime.
There isn’t anything more that I can say about Gore Verbinski and his directorial style. The director takes the premise, his cast, and the many visual effects, and turns them into a brilliantly enjoyable movie that never flags. With his background directing the first three Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, Mousehunt, and The Ring, Verbinski is perfect for handling everything that Robinson’s screenplay can throw at him. He deftly handles the whole project like a duck taking to water, with ease and grace.
VERDICT
A complete mindf**k, hilarious, colourful, and totally bats**t crazy, Gore Verebinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is superb entertainment. It hits the ground running and hardly stops. It delivers a brilliant night at the movies, one that the audience will have loads of fun with. Despite some heavy plotlines and comments on the world we live in today, it is light in tone, often comedic, and totally out there. It is one of those time loop movies that actually makes a lot of sense, despite the outrageous premise of it all. To be honest, we fall into the trap of actually believing what we are seeing could turn out to be true. Or is it a trap, or a chilling prediction for what lies in store for us in the future?
With a great score from Geoff Zanelli, some crazy imagery (a giant cat made from other cats, anyone?), and some great comedy, all combined, the film is something Terry Gilliam would be proud to have made. In another strange twist, we could associate the film with Gilliam’s Brazil, except this one isn’t as far out there. With a crazy solution that strangely makes sense in the great scheme of the film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die makes its case for the craziest, nuttiest, and potentially best film of 2026 so far. You won’t need good luck to enjoy the film. You certainly won’t die. But you will certainly have fun.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is in U.S. cinemas now, and will be in UK cinemas from February 20th, courtesy of Entertainment Film Distributors.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
