REVIEW: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
An unnamed man walks into a neighborhood diner and asks for volunteers to help him save the world. But, it can’t be just anyone; it has to be a specific combination of people at that moment, 10:10 p.m. Once assembled, they need to go a few blocks over to insist that a nine-year-old boy install safeguards on the AI he’s developing, otherwise the world will end.
Oh, and this is the 117th time he’s tried this since he’s been traveling back from the future.
Matthew Robinson’s script for Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is a head-spinning cautionary tale that arrives at a moment when everyone is talking about the dangers of AI and society spending more time scrolling than actually speaking to one another.
The film, directed by Gore Verbinski in a pleasing comeback, is well worth a look. Out now on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment, the film demands you put the phone down and pay attention.
And that’s fine, considering the cast assembled to save the world. Our protagonist is Sam Rockwell, who is always worth watching. He recruits Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a teacher couple, Mark (Michael Peña) and Janet (Zazie Beetz), Susan (Juno Temple), who lost a son to a school shooting, but a numb world doesn’t offer her comfort, and Scott (Asim Chaudhry), whose story remains untold. Those with backstories wind up offering commentary and representations of today’s preoccupation with the digital world rather than with one another. It’s telling that when the man-from-the-future walks in, no one is actually having a conversation, scrolling instead.
Verbinski’s visual presentation is that of controlled chaos, more akin to his Pirates of the Caribbean films than misfires such as The Lone Ranger and Tonto. With Rockwell, Verbinski has a conductor to organize the mess and strive for the best possible outcome.
The 2160 high-definition transfer is crisp, capturing skin tones and the color palette well. The 2.39:1 aspect ratio looks good on the home screen, as does the Dolby Vision. Similarly, the Dolby Atmos audio track complements the visuals, making for a pleasing experience.
For an ambitious film like this, the Making of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (5:07) is way too short and leaves you wanting to know more.
