I've always felt that when it comes to high-concept, visually stunning, highly cinematic escapist fare, filmmaker Gore Verbinski comes close to the impressive craftsmanship and flair of Steven Spielberg. I've been a strong defender of Verbinski's last couple of films, which were critical and box-office bombs — "The Lone Ranger" and "A Cure for Wellness" — but Verbinski's weakest work, in my eyes, is way more entertaining and immersive than many films with high Rotten Tomatoes scores.
His films are all led by characters that don't follow the norm — eccentric characters that are subjected to extraordinary circumstances; individuals who are forced to step out of their comfort zones and take risks. Besides, Verbinski is one of the rare filmmakers working today who knows where to put the camera and how to move it with a great sense for lighting and atmosphere.
His latest, "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die", which sees him back in the director's chair after a decade, is no different. It has been seen as a "comeback" by many critics, and I can see why. Unlike the characters in his last couple of films, there is an endearing quality to some of them, aside from, of course, the central concept, heavy on thought-provoking science fiction combined with pitch-black satire. It's basically The Terminator-meets-Dr. Strangelove.
But the films and ideas evoked by Verbinski's film are not just limited to what those two titles made us feel. The influences run the gamut from H.G. Wells' seminal time-travel fiction "The Time Machine" to "Indiana Jones" and possibly the cinema of John Carpenter, George Romero and Dario Argento. Oh, and a bit of Terry Gilliam too ("Brazil", anyone?). There are enough genres and moods to make one's head spin... in a good way, of course.
While it doesn't quite approach the extreme zaniness of an "Everything Everywhere All at Once" — not that it's a bad thing — but, despite the amount of wild scenarios endured by Sam Rockwell and the rest of the members of the motley crew he assembles to save the world from an approaching dystopia triggered by human beings' increasing dependence on technology, the film finds an impressive way to balance all its tones without making it seem jarring. Verbinski and his writer, Matthew Robinson, have a good sense of where to put what and when.
"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" also manages to do something that we normally credit TV shows for: giving enough attention to each character's backstory that we get a clear sense of their emotional landscape and the motivation for why they wanted to be involved in the journey of someone who claimed to be from the future — it happens the weirdo was indeed telling the truth!
In doing so, the film also embodies the characteristics of an individuals-on-a-mission adventure, with each player having a fair amount of memorable qualities, staring with Sam Rockwell's determined, trauma-driven protagonist, who has a lot in common with Jack Sparrow from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies which catapulted Verbinski to the league of esteemed blockbuster directors. Only here, every traumatic event is tied to technology. One of the characters is allergic to — wait for it — mobile phones and Wi-Fi! And another character, a mother, experiences something similar to what Spielberg explored in his 2001 film "Artificial Intelligence".
It takes some crazier detours in the third act that can be described as mindf*** of the best kind, but mentioning all that would spoil the fun. "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is essentially "The Matrix" or "Inception" of 2026 — unless, of course, a far superior film arrives to take its place.
Film: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Juno Temple
Rating: 5/5
