Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is a sci-fi action-comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski, who helmed some of my favorite movies from childhood, including his debut film Mouse Hunt and the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Verbinski returns to the scene nearly a decade after his last film, A Cure For Wellness, with a chaotic ensemble romp coming out hard against AI in a time when it feels way too ubiquitous.
The painstaking attention to detail in the visual worldbuilding is very admirable here, and reads as a middle-finger to the corner cutting technology AI bros are pushing in our faces relentlessly. From intricate props, costuming, and production design, to grand VFX moments, to stop-motion animated bots, a lot of care went into crafting even the silliest throwaway gags. There’s an undeniable charm suffused through Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die that buoys it even when the script occasionally lags.
If you like silly ensemble comedies like Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, you’ll have fun here, though Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die isn’t as drum-tight as those films. Sam Rockwell is clearly having a blast playing a man from the future stuck in a Sisyphean time loop, recruiting different combinations of strangers from a diner to try and stop a nine-year-old boy from creating a rogue AI that takes over the human race.
Occasional Speed Bumps
The time loop element is one part I wish the film’s writer, Matthew Robinson, explored more deeply. The film delivers its concept in a Show, Don’t Tell monologue, though at least the very silly and charming Sam Rockwell is doing the telling. If we had seen more cutaways to random failed attempts, it could have brought home the futility and seemingly insurmountable challenge of the mission more.
We get a few flashbacks that explore the backstories of a few of the unwitting participants in this scheme to save humanity. The tech satire of these scenes occasionally felt on-the-nose, with one showing high school students zombified by an algorithm on their phones, and another depicting a romance that’s destroyed when one becomes immersed in a VR environment.
I think the darkest flashback in the trio was the most effective, with Juno Temple playing a single mother desperate to bring her son back after he’s killed in a school shooting. She signs up with a company that produces clones for grieving families, and due to financial strain, she has to settle for a plan where her son Darren’s new clone occasionally spouts ads. Darren’s actor, Riccardo Drayton, plays the part of the clone in a perfectly off-kilter, blank-faced fashion that really sells the sequence.
Fun Despite the Flaws
While this isn’t a perfect film by any means, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is absolutely coming out at the right time to provide a cathartic viewing experience with other people in a theater. Even if it could have used another rewrite, I felt the passion of hundreds of talented artists coming together for this project. That feeling on a film set is infectious, when everyone above and below the line is at the top of their game, having fun, and doing good work together.
In the spirit of appreciating some of the other artists who worked on this film, I’ll take some time to name them. Production Designer David Brisbin elevated the film a huge amount with some gorgeously conceived sets, and Costume Designer Neil McClean outdid himself with his work on Sam Rockwell’s bizarre time travel suit. Cinematographer James Whitaker composed some beautiful shots that gaffer Oliver Witner designed excellent lighting for. Ambitious VFX from companies like Crafty Apes, Ghost VFX, Ingenuity Studios, and many talented humans, took my breath away. In the spirit of not just naming department heads and faceless companies, I also appreciate the contributions of crew members like Set Dresser Renate Schulz, Makeup Artist Saarah Harris, and Production Assistants Sydne Japtha and Jai Mokwena.
It’s not reinventing the sci-fi satire wheel, but a solid cast that’s game for the hijinks and occasional flashes of potent visual brilliance hold Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die together as a worthwhile watch. Even if you don’t catch it in theaters, it’s best enjoyed with a couple of friends. Hell, make it event, have a luddite-inspired “Fuck AI” screening at your place when it comes out on VOD.
Image Credits
Film Promo Images: Briarcliff Entertainment
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