Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
January 30th, 2026
MOVIE: GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE
STARRING: SAM ROCKWELL, ZAZIE BEETZ, HALEY LU RICHARDSON, MICHAEL PEÑA, JUNO TEMPLE
DIRECTED BY: GORE VERBINSKI
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 134 MINUTES
The films of Gore Verbinski have long walked the line between massive big-budget spectacle and bold attempts to subvert what mainstream studio filmmaking can deliver. His Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy remains one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time, while The Lone Ranger and A Cure for Wellness were far less fortunate- perhaps because those films dared to deviate from the status quo. Verbinski’s newest film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, may be his most singular work yet. It’s a science fiction adventure in which a man from the future travels back to save humanity from its own self-annihilation. Packed with technology, AI, giant monster cats, and killer robots, the film is both cerebral and exhilarating. It’s Verbinski doing things entirely his way.
The premise begins in a Los Angeles diner, where a “man from the future” (played perfectly by Sam Rockwell) bursts in and announces that he’s there to save everyone. He explains that this is far from his first attempt and that assembling the right group is crucial to saving the world. That group includes two high school teachers (Zazie Beetz and Michael Peña), a single mother named Susan (Juno Temple), an angry mechanic (Asim Chaudhry), and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a woman in a princess dress sitting quietly in a corner booth. Whether they are truly the right people for the mission remains uncertain, and all we can do is wish them good luck.
As science fiction goes, GLHFDD doesn’t dazzle with groundbreaking new technologies; instead, it speaks directly to the anxieties of our current moment. Matthew Robinson’s screenplay fragments the narrative, weaving in backstories for each character to help us understand what drives them to trust the wild proclamations of a stranger. In each story, characters are shaped by cell phones, doomscrolling, the numbing normalcy of school shootings, and even the prospect of resurrecting the dead. Verbinski has never been one to handle subjects delicately, and his condemnation of AI, phone addiction, and the erosion of education is delivered with unmistakable force.
The adventure itself unfolds like an old-school video game, with the group advancing from one perilous “level” to the next. First, they must escape the diner. Then they fend off zombie teenagers while being pursued by killers in pig masks. At any given moment, it’s unclear who will survive, but it’s abundantly clear that Verbinski is holding up a mirror to our collective reality- and what it reflects is far from comforting.
If Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die falters, it does so in its pacing. The constant shifts between high-octane adventure and character backstories occasionally stall the momentum. Still, those quieter moments allow Temple and Richardson to stretch their dramatic muscles, while Rockwell serves more as a charismatic guide than a traditional protagonist. What ultimately can’t be denied is the film’s inventiveness and urgency. It feels rare to see a movie willing to so openly condemn the state of the world while also urging solidarity among those trying to survive it. At the very least, we can hope for some good luck- and maybe even a little fun. Just try not to die.
3 ½ STARS
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
