Gore Verbinski delivers a refreshingly original sci-fi comedy with heart and humor
Director Gore Verbinski (The Ring) has had an eclectic career with several hits, but some misses as well. His Pirates of the Caribbean contributions became extremely successful, as did The Ring, and showed that he could be equally as comfortable with action/adventure films as with horror ones. He even won an Academy Award for his critically acclaimed and audience-acclaimed animated feature, Rango. However, his film adaptation of the beloved television series The Lone Ranger didn't do well in theaters despite casting Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) in the lead role. This month, he offers up a sci-fi, time-traveling comedy starring Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) called Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die.
In a diner, late at night, a man shows up claiming to be from the future (Rockwell). He explains to those in the restaurant that the future is a mess, and he comes back constantly to get the right combination of diner patrons in order to stop the machines from destroying the World. Having been there numerous times before, he decides to take 6 people with him to get to central control in order to stop it. He explains that many of them won't make it and that this mission has failed hundreds of times before and likely will again...hence the title, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die.
Verbinski assembles an ensemble cast that is enviable. Starting with Rockwell, who plays the "time traveler", the cast of characters is a wacky group that somehow works together. Michael Peña (Ant-Man) and Zazie Beetz (Joker) play a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus) portrays Ingrid, who has a very strange allergy, and Juno Temple (Atonement) as Susan. These veteran actors make the most of a script filled with terrific lines and great scene setups. Writer Matthew Robinson (Love and Monsters) gives them so much juicy material to work with, and they make the most of it.
The visuals, from Rockwell's, Richardson's, and Temple's costumes to the "central control area", are incredible, colorful, and bizarre to say the least. Verbinski gives the audience a lot to digest, and I, for one, was there to nibble it all up. The script also gives the viewer something to chew on, which makes the film even more intriguing. It is a cautionary tale of technology misuse and overuse, but it offers the message in a humorous way that makes the bitter pill easier to swallow. Ok, maybe I should stop with the digestive references now.
What is the best thing about Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is how refreshing and original it is. In a world full of sequels, trilogies, and franchises, this film has something new to say and makes us think while entertaining us. If nothing else, that is the lesson to take away from the movie.
If you aren't a fan of time travel, sci-fi, or wacky, off-the-wall concepts, then this movie definitely isn't for you. However, if you want to escape, laugh, and suspend belief for a few hours, Verbinski's latest release is right up your alley.
Of course, I'm sure Rockwell, Verbinski, and Robinson want the audience to take so much more from watching this movie, and I'm certain most viewers will, but there will always be those naysayers who think the whole thing is just too weird. And whether or not you are a fan of technology, I'm sure you will find some small piece of this movie to keep in the back of your mind to dissect at some point later in your life.
At least we will all walk away with a new life lesson. Remember...Good Luck, Have Fun, and Don't Die.
Grade: B+
