We’re all doomed but a sly sci-fi satire, ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ offers parting words

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If you’re reading a physical newspaper and stumbled upon this review of Gore Verbinski’s wild and crazy movie, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” that’s a fun throwback!

If you’re reading this on your phone, Sam Rockwell is counting on you. He plays a time traveler who bursts into a Los Angeles diner late at night, shouting a warning: “I’m from the future, and everything goes terribly wrong!” People briefly look up from their phones at this disheveled man, who looks like a tech guru gone wild with wires tangled around his head. They really notice him, though, when he starts stomping on tables and kicking cheeseburgers, desperately trying to get their attention about the technological disaster he claims is coming.

We’ve all heard this message before – maybe even given it ourselves. Coming from the naturally engaging Rockwell, a talk about cutting back on time online feels less like a huge challenge and more like something we need to address right now.

He predicts half of humanity will perish, and the other half won’t even realize it’s happening. Unless, he insists, a small group of people will immediately help him fight for everyone’s ability to think freely. Predictably, no one volunteers – the one person who usually raises his hand has let him down before. This time traveler – and he truly is one – is accustomed to being ignored. He’s delivered this same speech in this diner 117 times, believing that some specific group within the 47 people present is destined to succeed.

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The movie’s beginning feels like a blend of “The Terminator” and “Groundhog Day.” The script, by Matthew Robinson, openly acknowledges these influences—even including a nod to Indiana Jones—but it quickly becomes complex, intense, and surprisingly bold. It’s remarkable that someone financed such an ambitious project, especially considering it’s directed by Gore Verbinski, known for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. It’s like getting funding for an incredibly elaborate, over-the-top creation—imagine a giant cuckoo clock with a sassy, heckling bird!

The team that eventually comes together is an unlikely bunch. It includes a couple of public school teachers, Mark and Janet (played by Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz), a grumpy rideshare driver named Scott (Asim Chaudhry), a Boy Scout assistant leader Bob (Daniel Barnett), an anxious mother Susan (Juno Temple), and Maria (Georgia Goodman), who just wishes she could enjoy a piece of pie. They’re also joined by Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a troubled young woman who seems to be seeking a final adventure. While the actors don’t necessarily stand out individually, they fit well into the story’s complex plan.

The time traveler doesn’t have a strategy, and he believes his life is the only one that truly matters. Everyone else is considered disposable, and many of them do die. As the group heads toward disaster, the director weaves in scenes from their past, showing their normal lives and the everyday frustrations they faced – and that’s where the film becomes particularly harsh and unsettling.

The movie cleverly examines how the initial optimism surrounding the internet has faded. One storyline features a company trying to get people to emotionally connect with a personal, talking advertisement – like a life-sized virtual pet. Another depicts a world where school shootings are so common that when Susan is called to identify her son’s body, the other mothers at the police station casually chat about everyday things until one bluntly asks her if this is her first time experiencing such a tragedy.

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The film initially plays on the familiar idea that phones are turning kids into mindless drones, almost like a zombie movie parody. There’s a memorable scene with a young actor playing a defiant teenager who dismisses an adult’s age. However, the director takes the concept in a surprising direction, suggesting that society has intentionally raised this generation to act like robots. The exact reasons for this aren’t clear, but the film hints at possible explanations.

Even healthy ways of dealing with stress are breaking down. Susan keeps encountering parents overwhelmed by hardship who have become bitter and are raising their daughters to be equally cynical, feeling it won’t matter if they suffer. Others see the world as a complete illusion. We also meet Tim, a young man working temporary jobs, who desperately wants to escape reality by living permanently in a virtual reality world. His story feels a bit hurried, but it’s clear he’s not malicious – he’s simply an idealist who can’t cope with the unpleasantness of modern life, asking himself, “Why would I choose this world over a better one?”

Verbinski doesn’t directly address the growing fear that we live in a society with constant, forceful, and unpredictable policing. Instead, he powerfully conveys this idea through a scene where police arrive and the main characters – who have only committed minor offenses like not paying their bills – immediately believe they will be shot. Their fear is, unfortunately, justified. The repeated phrase “Thank you for your service” adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

It’s simpler to criticize a well-known satire like “Dr. Strangelove,” which humorously targeted those who seemed eager to cause global destruction, than to confront a modern satire that makes us the target. Like with “Idiocracy” (and potentially “Eddington”), we might not fully grasp how funny and biting this comedy is for many years. However, even with time, I still don’t enjoy the film’s cinematography; while aiming for a harsh, unpleasant look, it simply appears dull and lifeless.

“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” seems to expect viewers will be critical. We naturally look for weaknesses in movies to justify feeling skeptical. The film anticipates this, prompting questions like why certain characters live while others don’t, and whether the movie itself is as superficial as it accuses the audience of being. While some minor issues are addressed, bigger questions are left unanswered, leaving viewers feeling unsettled.

“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” throws a lot at the viewer, and its two-hour runtime can feel chaotic and endless, like endlessly scrolling through bad news. The film even features a storyline about a powerful AI that creates bizarre, randomly assembled armies – think “Ghostbusters” mashed up with artificial intelligence. The ordinary people trying to survive desperately hope something positive will emerge, similar to scrolling through TikTok for a worthwhile video. But Rockwell’s character warns them that’s not going to happen – nothing good is coming. And when the inevitable arrives, it’s far more terrifying than even the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously – the director would likely scoff at any notion of it offering real solutions. But for those who remember life before smartphones, it evokes a feeling of nostalgia. We’ve all experienced a time when being disconnected was normal, and in a way, that makes us witnesses to a fading past.

But it’s OK if you’re on your screen right now. Just sit before a bigger one to see this film.

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2026-02-13 00:31