I have never lived through a society crumbling event, although I feel like it’s coming sometimes. I think it would be messy, chaotic and unhinged. That’s what most apocalyptic films tell us anyway (See Terminator, and The Matrix). Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is a rare, electrifying experience that is nearly as messy, chaotic and unhinged as the end of the world itself. This film is unruly in the best way, and a genuine contender for one of the best films I’ll see in 2026. I have been telling friends to find a way to watch this movie ASAP. The premise is deceptively simple. A man known only as the Man From the Future, played by Sam Rockwell, walks into a Los Angeles diner claiming the world is ending. For him this has happened many dozens of times in different variations, and he is desperate to find the right group of people to save the world from a rogue A.I. I know your eyes likely just rolled back in your head so hard you’ve almost lost consciousness as the mention of “rogue A.I.,” but stick with me. Rogue A.I. is not a new premise, in fact, it’s everywhere right now. I don’t want to give away the whole story. Just keep an open mind. Imagine if you took Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Time Cop, Groundhog Day, The Matrix and added a big helping of Rockwell acting genius. It’s like dipping fries in your Wendy’s Frosty, or pulling an Elvis and making a peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich. Weird but good all at the same time. Is it for everyone … no, but there’s no arguing with results.
Admittedly, some of the subplots do go on for too long and could be trimmed. These and a few other scenes could be tighter. It’s not perfect, but honestly what I saw was still far superior to what I’ve been getting out of most films. I was joking with my editor the other day about this. I reminisced about watching DVDs and seeing deleted scenes and wondering “Why would they ever cut this scene!” Now I watch a movie and only wonder, “Why did they keep this in?” It is so rare that movies get the editing right anymore. I didn’t feel this movie suffered from this. While parts overstayed their welcome, as a whole, it was all still very good.
The result is exhilarating. It’s messy in places, but gloriously so, in the way only a filmmaker swinging for the fences can be. Rockwell, delivering one of his most layered performances. He’s manic, profane, mission-obsessed, and with a glint of grief leaking through the cracks. Having witnessed countless deaths across timelines, his character reacts to catastrophe with unnerving nonchalance, creating moments of pitch-black comedy that somehow never undercut the stakes. Rockwell walks a razor’s edge between chaos and heartbreak, and he owns every second of screen time. It’s a performance that feels custom-built for him. Surrounding Rockwell is a vibrant ensemble that gives the film its emotional weight. Zazie Beetz brings warmth and sharp timing as Janet, grounding the sci-fi absurdity in lived-in humanity. Michael Peña’s Mark is hilariously indecisive yet deeply relatable. Haley Lu Richardson nearly steals the movie as Ingrid, a woman allergic to Wi-Fi, and Juno Temple continues her streak of magnetic performances as Susan, whose raw devastation in the face of normalized tragedy becomes one of the film’s most haunting notes.
Because beneath the absurdity, beneath the time loops, the rogue A.I., the surreal detours, including one bizarre giant cat creature, the film is grappling with uncomfortably immediate circumstances we all currently have staring us in the face. This is sci-fi rooted firmly in the present. Verbinski and company aren’t warning about distant dystopias; they’re exaggerating what’s already here. Visually, Verbinski is in full command. The film is bursting with color, momentum, and controlled chaos. The striking imagery isn’t decorative; it’s narrative. Every surreal flourish pulls you deeper into the puzzle. The movie demands attention, and rewards it. Not every swing will land for every viewer. Some sequences teeter on indulgence. The tonal whiplash may test patience. But originality often comes with rough edges, and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die wears them proudly. For everyone lamenting the age of sequels and reboots, here is your counterargument: bold, strange, funny, heartfelt, and unmistakably singular. Like the first time Everything Everywhere All at Once jolted audiences into remembering what movies could do, this film carries that same voltage. It doesn’t offer easy solutions. It doesn’t promise technology will save us or that humanity will suddenly course-correct. Its ending is ambiguous in a way that feels honest. The future isn’t fixed. It never was. Strap in. It’s weird. It’s loud. It’s occasionally devastating. And it’s an absolute blast. 8/10
