You’ve got most likely seen this film earlier than. A matted man (Sam Rockwell) breaks right into a restaurant and threatens to blow it up except folks be a part of him. Very like in Groundhog Day, he is had this expertise many instances earlier than, and he shortly begins to inform the diner patrons particulars they would not in any other case know, as a way to win them over. Just like the 12 Monkees, he’s additionally from the long run. The well timed growth of Good Luck, Have Enjoyable, Do not Die is that as an alternative of a virus that destroys the world, we want assist stopping the start of an AI that may destroy humanity.
“Good luck” is extra of a primal cry than a considerate expression of the place the whole lot went unsuitable. There is a little bit of an “outdated man shouting on the clouds” vitality right here (director Gore Verbinski is 61 years outdated, screenwriter Matthew Robinson is 47), which inserts the movie’s satirical tone. Who would not need to look world wide right now and warn their previous selves in regards to the know-how business and the brand new ruling class it has created?
Rockwell’s character finally finds himself in battle with a ragtag staff of future saviors. Mark and Janet (Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz) are a highschool trainer couple. distraught mom Susan (Juno Temple); and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a tragic girl in a princess gown. There’s additionally Scott, performed by Asim Chaudhry, who primarily serves as comedian aid and does not have any actual backstory like the opposite characters.
Good Luck wastes no time fleshing out our present near-dystopian episode in episodic kind. It seems that Mark and Janet are additionally working away from smartphone-obsessed highschool children who spend their days endlessly scrolling by TikTok-like feeds. Susan finally ends up going through terrifying conditions round her son (I will not go into particulars right here, however that is clearly a uniquely American phenomenon). And Ingrid has issue adapting to the trendy world as a result of she is actually allergic to Wi-Fi and sensible gadgets.
Every of those situations performs out like a mini Black Mirror episode. Every part has risen to the purpose of absurdity, and all issues may be traced again to the unchecked invasion of know-how and capitalism. There’s nothing refined about it. A lot much less a glimpse of an apocalyptic future. All we see is a destroyed metropolis, folks trapped in VR headsets (trapped in an AI-generated actuality), and robots looking down anti-AI people.
Sam Rockwell’s “Good Luck, Have Enjoyable, Do not Die” (Briarcliff Leisure)
You are at your greatest if you’re merely having enjoyable. As Rockwell and his crew make their method to their last vacation spot, a toddler on the verge of inventing true AI, they encounter pig-faced assassins, Stepford-like dad and mom, and a lovably terrifying monster. Even within the face of half-baked scripts, Verbinski all the time manages to make a visible impression (consider the eeriness in Rings or the extremely amusing set items in Pirates of the Caribbean). That is as true as ever right here, with the ultimate scene evoking Akira’s hyper-technological chaos.
Good Luck, Have Enjoyable, Do not Die is harking back to traditional science fiction, nevertheless it nonetheless falls in need of the sheer horror of watching an AI unleash a nuclear bomb in Terminator 2. And regardless of its novelty, it does not attain the reckless heights of Gilliam’s Brazil or 12 Monkeys. However for those who’re uninterested in having AI merchandise shoved down your throat and suppose the idea of “true AI” is a farce, it is a enjoyable method to channel your anger.
