'Pirates of the Caribbean' Director Returned With the Most Relevant Sci-Fi Comedy in Recent Years

After a nine-year hiatus, Gore Verbinski, director of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, returns with a film that's hardly your typical Hollywood fare.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a dark sci-fi comedy in which Sam Rockwell attempts to save humanity from an AI apocalypse for the 117th time.

Verbinski, who got his start directing commercials and music videos, proves once again his ability to craft genre films is truly exceptional.

What Is 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' About?

A strange man enters a rundown diner and tells the patrons that he's from the future. His mission is to prevent a catastrophe caused by a rogue artificial intelligence program.

The problem is that this is his 117th attempt, and all the others have failed. He assembles a team of random people from the diner and sets out for a final battle against a system that is smarter, faster, and more ruthless than all of humanity combined.

'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' Looks Like a Full-Length Version of 'Black Mirror' – but Even More Relevant

The first and most obvious association while watching is, of course, Black Mirror. Verbinski and screenwriter Matthew Robinson seem to have distilled several short stories from the cult series into one movie.

We've seen themes of addiction to social media and recommendation algorithms, virtual reality as an escape from reality, and the rapid development of AI before, but rarely in such a concentrated form.

Most importantly, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die isn't about a distant, frightening future – it's about our present. The out-of-control technologies depicted here are already in our pockets, and the algorithms that decide what we watch and buy are already controlling our attention.

'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die's True Highlight Is Sam Rockwell's Portrayal of the Weary Messiah

If Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die rests on any one person, it's Sam Rockwell. His character is the perfect guide through this crazy world – he's a prophet, a loser, a cynic, and a romantic who, after 117 attempts, still hopes for the best.

Rockwell's performance, full of irony and self-deprecation, transforms a potentially depressing plot into a dark comedy while maintaining the seriousness of its undertones.

The supporting characters, played by Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Juno Temple, and Haley Lu Richardson, are given their own mini-stories that reveal the dark sides of this world through their personal tragedies.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die'?

• Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die has 84% from critics and 87% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.6/10.

• On Letterboxd, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die scored 3.5/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die'?

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is currently playing in theaters.