Film Review: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Welcome back to the blog readers. The world has long been missing director Gore Verbinski since he directed the film A Cure for Wellness (2016) and, as the kids say nowadays, dipped for a decade. Hearing about this film absolutely intrigued me since I am very much against the use of artificial intelligence at all, and I love a good amount of people in this film. Would my expectations be met or would I wind up being disappointed? Stick around to find out.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die was directed by Gore Verbinski from a screenplay by Matthew Robinson. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Tom Taylor, and Juno Temple. In the film, a man who claims he is from the future tries to recruit the patrons of a Los Angeles diner in his fight against a malevolent artificial intelligence.

Given my anti-AI stance, seeing a film in which AI is the antagonist is refreshing, especially when we have had films like Mercy (2026) that treat the program like a good thing. I had seen the reviews coming out of this film, and they were glowing, so I was very excited to see this film. Thank goodness I ventured out all by my lonesome on a gloomy Valentine's Day night to see it, because I truly loved this film. The performances of Sam Rockwell and Haley Lu Richardson were excellent, as was the timely story of the film and the music.

The first aspect of the film I want to talk about has to do with the performance of Sam Rockwell. What is there to say about the Academy Award-winning actor that has not already been said? From his award-winning turn in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) to Iron Man 2 (2010), Jojo Rabbit (2019), and Frost/Nixon (2008), Rockwell has been delighting audiences for decades. But his turn as an unnamed man claiming to be from the future is the most wild and unhinged I have ever seen him. I can tell he is clearly having a ton of fun in this role and really believes in the material he is helping bring to life, and his unique charisma lends itself perfectly to a role that is an unserious serious guy.

The final performance I want to praise is that of Haley Lu Richardson. Richardson is someone who has never really made it big in the business like some of her castmates, but I believe that her time is coming. And taking on the role of Ingrid in this film comes with bringing a lot of complexity to the role. And I truly believe that she was able to rise to the occasion and deliver a satisfying performance that gave us that multi-layered character that was really able to shine in such a character-driven film. There is determination where there needs to be, grief when it is required, and pure emotion throughout, and I cannot wait to see what she is able to give us next.

The next thing regarding this film I have to praise is that of the music of the film. Our man with the wand for this film is Geoff Zanelli, who has been around the block a time or two. From working with director Gore Verbinski to Kathryn Bigelow and Ron Howard, Zanelli was given a chance this time around to be able to deliver something special, and to quote my boy J. Robert Oppenheimer, "I believe he did." That was not the actual quote, but bear with me. For a film that is not supposed to take itself too seriously, Zanelli delivers a score worthy of some of the epic films that are expected to come out this year. A bombastic score for a bombastic film, and this one will stay with you.

Speaking of things staying with you, I now want to talk about the story of the film. But before I do, I think it is about high time I remind you how anti-AI I really am. The only AI I will even really use is Siri or Alexa, and that is only because those have been a part of my life for most of my life. I think from the last time I gave you this rant in my review for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023), our situation with artificial intelligence has only grown to be more reckless and carefree. Our blind acceptance and embracing of AI is really terrifying, and I fear it is only a matter of time until the reality of this film becomes the true reality, and there may not be any Sam Rockwells to be able to travel back to prevent this from happening. I mean, James Cameron warned us of this four decades ago and we failed to heed his warnings. When I was walking out of the theater, I went on record to call this film the scariest non-horror film I have ever seen.

In conclusion, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a slick, yet terrifying look at the possible future of humanity that features stellar acting and story. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.