After a long break from directing, Gore Verbinski offers an entertaining sci-fi comedy, which is also weak.
Gore Verbinski made his big breakthrough in 2003 with “Pirates of the Caribbean”: The pirate film became a huge hit and launched one of the most successful cinema series of the 2000s. The director then turned to new projects. While his animated film “Rango” (2011) grossed more than $200 million and won him an Oscar, his last films fell far short of expectations.
In 2013, Verbinski worked with Johnny Depp again, but “The Lone Ranger” flopped mercilessly at the box office. After the next flop “A Cure for Wellness” (2016), the 61-year-old took a creative break. After ten years of silence, the director is now back with the genre mix “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”.
Scene from “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”
That’s what the sci-fi film is about
A decrepit man (Sam Rockwell) storms into an American diner, wrapped in a plastic coat and with what appears to be a bomb attached to his body. There he announces that he comes from the future – with a mission: He wants to save humanity from an impending AI apocalypse. He warned that the cause of the downfall was, of all things, smartphones. People became more and more preoccupied with their screens until they couldn’t get out of bed. The time traveler claims to know the solution, but he needs supporters: volunteers from the diner who want to embark on a daring adventure. It’s not his first attempt – he’s stood in this exact location 116 times before, looking for his ideal team. But this time, he is convinced, everything will be different.
One of the film’s greatest strengths is the acting ensemble, which harmonizes perfectly with each other. The cast is led by Rockwell, who often shines in supporting roles and even received an Oscar in the “Best Supporting Actor” category in 2019. This time he gets to prove his qualities as a leading actor – and he does it brilliantly. Rockwell convincingly embodies a manic character: he not only causes laughter with his over-the-top manner, but is also touching in the quiet moments. The supporting roles are also strong: Haley Lu Richardson once again shows her talent, Zazie Beetz and Michael Peña adapt wonderfully to the absurd tone of the film. But above all of them stands Rockwell, who is the heart of the film and carries it on his shoulders.
Scene from “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”
Ambitious story, but not perfect execution
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is a funny and biting satire that pokes fun at society’s obsession with technology. Whether virtual worlds that are preferred over reality, endless doom scrolling, the rapid development of artificial intelligence or the addictive algorithm of social media – the film comments on all of this with a lot of humor and sometimes acts as a kind of warning to the audience to detach themselves from all of this.
As it progresses, however, the plot becomes increasingly lost in its own complexity: the flashbacks prove to be far more entertaining than the actual story in the present. Even Rockwell’s strong performance can only partially conceal the script’s weaknesses. The foundation is right, but the story remains half-baked in terms of content. The film has an unexpected twist, but it doesn’t have the intended effect because not much time was spent developing the relationship between the characters in question. In the visual finale, however, the film goes big again: the third act impresses with spectacular images, but the ending leaves some questions unanswered.
Scene from “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”
Conclusion
In terms of craftsmanship, the production of “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is convincing across the board. Creative ideas, a good pace and numerous pop culture references ensure that the sci-fi comedy remains an entertaining experience despite its narrative weaknesses.
3 out of 5 dead rodents next to coffee cups