Gore Verbinski Finally Returns with Refreshingly Madcap Adventure

I didn’t realize just how much I missed Gore Verbinski until I was in the theater watching the straight-up bonkers final act of his latest film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die as the final secret screening at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. I’m not going to spoil just how insane this movie goes; even if I did, I’m not sure you’d believe me. 

And that’s exactly what made me realize what we’ve been missing with Verbinski’s hiatus. There’s something about the way he assembles a film––both populist and weird as hell––that feels so refreshing in this moment where most of our movie options seem dictated by a faceless board of execs. If it didn’t sound so pretentious I’d use the term “auteur,” which is usually reserved for film schools diving deep into French New Wave or Italian neorealism. Yet it’s accurate. There’s zero doubt, watching this film, that it was made by a madman.

From the moment Sam Rockwell busts into a full diner clad in what can only be described as a do-it-yourself time-travel outfit comprising steampunk gadgets covered with a filthy clear raincoat, it’s clear you’re not in for a movie made by committee. What begins as a possible hostage situation quickly turns into a quest to save all of humanity from a rogue AI that is on the brink of total human takeover––if you can believe a word coming out of Rockwell’s mouth, among them a complicated scenario involving resetting the timestream with a very specific combination of companions pulled from this very diner. If he picks the right group of people, perhaps humanity can be saved. If not, he’ll just have to try again and again and again until he gets it right. 

Before you know it, he’s assembled his group for this go-around that is just as eclectic as the bearded lunatic who gathered them all together. You have two exhausted school teachers (Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz), a belligerent man (Asim Chaudhry) who doesn’t buy a single thing this guy is saying, a quiet woman sitting by herself (Juno Temple), a Boy Scout leader, a lady who just wants to finish her perfect piece of pie, and a young punk chick rocking a fairy tale princess dress and some Doc Martens (Haley Lu Richardson). Things only get wilder from there, the narrative jumping between the quest this ragtag group of strangers go on together and their individual backstories as we learn about the events that put them in this diner at this particular moment in time.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die has a lot on its mind. Beneath the thrill of the chase is a dark, satirical lens on humanity’s obsession with technology. Tech addiction is a real thing and this movie doesn’t just use it as a plot point, but rather a mirror held up to the audience who more likely than not will be sneaking glances at their phones as they fail to resist two whole hours without checking our email, sending off a quick text, or scoping out the latest social-media horror show.

Social commentary, outrageous character comedy, and a sense of fun adventure call to mind Terry Gilliam at his best, but this is unquestionably a Gore Verbinski movie. Every character in this ensemble stands out. Verbinski doesn’t gloss over Matthew Robinson’s idiosyncratic character beats in favor of rushing the narrative forward. Just like his work on Pirates of the Caribbean, all the ensemble get a moment to shine, which might bloat the runtime a bit, but the trade off is you get to actually know and care about these characters, which is crucial once the really insane stuff starts happening. The audience has to become a true believer and buy into his unbelievable story if this movie has any chance of working, and thanks to Verbinski’s sharp eye for framing and his attention to, and love for, his weirdo characters, he succeeds. 

It’s clear Verbinski hasn’t lost a step in his nearly 10-year absence from the big screen. For good or ill, this is a Gore Verbinski movie through and through. A little overlong? Perhaps. But it’s never dull, in part because it’s so hard to predict what’s coming next. Assassins in animal masks? Why not? Zombified teenagers? Clones? School shootings? And that’s just stuff from the first act! I’m leaving out the real outlandish stuff. 

I had a blast with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, a salve for anybody tired of by-the-numbers theatrical experiences. 

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die premiered at Fantastic Fest and opens on January 30, 2026.