GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is an ambitious, totally insane and wholly original film that audiences don’t see enough of anymore, but with the well developed and exciting screenplay of Matthew Robinson, a perfectly selected ensemble cast and the talented direction of Gore Verbinski, it delivers the exhilarating big screen experience we need as a society now more than ever.

With the world readily embracing artificial intelligence in many aspects of our day to day life, Gore Verbinski’s latest film could not be coming out at a better time. While its cautionary message about artificial intelligence is nothing new to the science fiction genre, having been the central idea around many popular science fiction films over the last few decades, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is more timely now than ever with its satirical commentary on humanity’s dependence on and addiction to technology and the alarmingly rapid rate at which it could surpass us as the dominant intelligence on the planet if we aren’t careful. Even though the future that the film depicts is bleak to say the least, what unfolds is a hilarious and bonkers adventure to save humanity full of exciting set pieces, shocking twists and turns, and a memorable cast of characters brought to life by a great ensemble cast, ensuring that every second of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is endlessly entertaining and thrilling.

Every once and a while, there is a film that comes out that is absolutely wild that you can’t help but sit there and question “what is happening” while watching it, and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is that film in the best way imaginable. Set over the course of one night, the story revolves around a mysterious man from the future who recruits a group of seemingly random individuals from a diner and leads them on a quest to prevent a rogue artificial intelligence from gaining consciousness to save humanity from extinction. It is evident from the very beginning that there is something larger at play as writer Matthew Robinson slowly reveals more of his master plan through flashbacks of each individual that has joined the Man from the Future on his quest, indicating that their being on this mission is more than mere coincidence. But, the mystery that Robinson builds is only half of the genius of the film. At the same time, Robinson’s unleashes a biting commentary on technology and society’s unhealthy dependence on it, from the horde like hive mind of the teenagers on their cellphones to the dangerous artificial intelligence technology presented as the harbinger of death for the human race, interwoven with a wicked sense of humour and exciting action sequences that keeps the excitement high throughout the film.

As the film reaches its climax, Robinson brings everything together seamlessly and creates an unforgettable ending. Driving home the cautionary messaging that he had been developing over the entire course of the film, culminating in one show-stopping set piece where every craft from the sound design, musical score, production design to visual effects is giving the sequence everything its got, its an exhilarating conclusion that such a smart science film not only deserves, but has earned. Though, it’s the chilling note that the film ends on that will have audiences talking long after they leave the theatre, as it defies everything we have come to expect from modern storytelling. It’s one of those clever endings that is bold, takes the audience by surprise, and is not concerned about the picture perfect wrap up but having something real to say, making this original concept one daring story from start to finish. It is the type of story that Hollywood used to bet on repeatedly back in the 1990s and 2000s but has sadly forgotten about in recent years while looking for sure fire box office success, but what Robinson has written in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is the type of ingenious storytelling that the industry desperately needs to revive interest in going back to the movies.

With a film taking such a big and wacky narrative swing with the story it is telling, a talented cast able to balance humour, terror and hyper focused character development is required, and there is no question that Verbinski has assembled the perfect cast for this film. Rockwell is known for bringing to life some truly eccentric characters, making him the perfect choice for The Man from the Future as he effortlessly switches between the comedic aspects of the screenplay and its far fetched science fiction elements, giving a central performance that pulls the entire film together. Juno Temple is a treat as Susan, playing perfectly off the rest of the ensemble cast’s comedic energy and delivering the killer comedic moments she is best known for; while bringing a sense of urgency to the film as she explores the stakes of her character’s backstory that has motivated her to join what seems like a suicide mission.

Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz are great fun as Mark and Janet, revelling in the chaotic energy of the screenplay with a sure fire comedic timing, while Dino Fetscher is brilliant as Blaise in his unforgettable scene with Temple, driving home humanity’s absurd over reliance on technology with a pitch perfect dry sense of humour that evokes the essence of Robinson’s screenplay. Though, it is Haley Lu Richardson who is the standout of the cast as Ingrid, bringing the greatest sense of mystery of any cast member amongst the chaos as the story begins. Wearing her princess dress with not a damn given, Richardson’s blunt presence plays perfectly off the over energetic performances of her castmates. But as her character’s backstory is explored and her significance is revealed, there is an aching emotional depth that Richardson develops that becomes the beating heart of the film’s story, ensuring that Robinson’s vision for the story’s final act is every bit as emotionally intense as it is meant to be.

Being a science fiction based story, the technical crafts are incredibly important in making the overall experience believable, and Verbinski and his team more than deliver. The production and costume design does a great job mixing our world with the bizarre, incorporating both elements of the future and the enslavement caused by technology into each scene of the film to develop the potential future in which this story takes place. Geoff Zanelli’s musical score, featuring a great choral chant of “good luck, have fun, don’t die” captures the ever mounting stakes of the characters’ mission and blends it with a ticking urgency that enhances the film’s quick moving pace. Only in the film’s CGI department does its technicals slightly stumble, as while some of the film is brought to life by great use of practical special effects and animatronic work, there are some ideas so far-fetched that CGI has to bring to life and there is no way to make it feel real against the rest of the film. But luckily, given the bizarre tone of the film, these moments of spotty CGI feel like a natural extension of the sinister artificial intelligence that has generated these elements within the story, allowing its visual shortcomings to play out as an extension of the evil, generative trickery that the film is warning against and being less distracting as as result.

Given Briarcliff Entertainment’s track record of releasing controversial films, it seems only fitting that they are the studio releasing Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die and calling out the dangers of artificial intelligence as it continuously builds its grip on our society. Matthew Robinson not only has written an exciting film that delivers all the big screen excitement that is requisite for a fun night out at the movies, but has done so with a satirical sense of humour that delivers big laughs while reminding audiences of the dangers of artificial intelligence… even as we as a species embrace it without second thought about how it could one day become the dominant intelligence over us. Led by the exceptional performances of Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson and Juno Temple, there is not a moment of the film where the wackiness, chilling and thrilling writing of Matthew Robinson does not come to glorious life, allowing Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die to become both a thrilling spectacle of pure entertainment as well as a chilling warning about artificial intelligence that audiences urgently need the reminder of in today’s world.