Gore Verbinski, the director who once turned pirate adventures into billion-dollar blockbusters and animated masterpieces with Rango, has returned with his most audacious and crowd-pleasing film in years. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die — a gonzo sci-fi action-comedy starring Sam Rockwell and Zazie Beetz — opened in theaters on February 13, 2026, and immediately earned a glowing 93% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on early reviews, with critics calling it “a wildly entertaining blast of pure cinema” and “the most fun you’ll have at the movies this year.”
The story kicks off in a retro-futuristic Los Angeles diner late at night. A frantic, disheveled man (Rockwell, in gloriously manic form) bursts through the door and announces to the handful of late-night customers that the world is hours away from total annihilation — courtesy of a rogue artificial intelligence that has seized control of every connected system on Earth. The twist? He’s from the future, and the only people who can stop the apocalypse are sitting right there in the diner: a burnt-out waitress (Zazie Beetz), a washed-up musician, a cynical truck driver, a conspiracy-obsessed retiree, and a few other gloriously mismatched strangers.
What follows is a single, chaotic night of high-stakes absurdity. The group is thrust into car chases through empty freeways, surreal detours through abandoned malls, improvised weapons, time paradoxes, and increasingly unhinged confrontations with agents of the future timeline who want to make sure the apocalypse happens on schedule. Verbinski directs with his trademark visual flair — sweeping crane shots, cartoonish practical stunts, and bursts of splattery violence — while the script (by Matthew Robinson) keeps the tone perfectly balanced between laugh-out-loud comedy and genuine stakes.
Sam Rockwell is the beating heart of the film. His time-traveler is equal parts manic prophet, reluctant hero, and walking punchline — delivering the title line “Good luck, have fun, don’t die” like a mantra that grows funnier and more desperate with every repeat. Zazie Beetz grounds the chaos as the reluctant leader of the ragtag crew, bringing sharp wit, emotional depth, and effortless star power. The ensemble chemistry is electric: Haley Lu Richardson as the wide-eyed musician, Michael Peña as the dryly sarcastic truck driver, and a host of character actors who make even the smallest roles feel memorable.
Critics have praised the film for its originality in a landscape dominated by franchises. The Hollywood Reporter called it “a joyous, inventive return to form for Verbinski — proof that mid-budget, original action-comedies can still pack theaters.” Variety highlighted the “perfect tonal tightrope: hilarious without becoming silly, thrilling without becoming generic.” Audiences have responded with equal enthusiasm — early exit polls show 88% “definite recommend,” with many viewers reporting they stayed through the credits just to hear Rockwell deliver one last line.
The film also arrives at a perfect cultural moment. In an era when AI fears and existential anxiety dominate headlines, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die turns those anxieties into raucous, cathartic entertainment. It’s not preachy or alarmist — it’s a celebration of ordinary people rising to impossible occasions, even if they’re arguing the whole way.
At 134 minutes, the movie never drags. Verbinski’s direction keeps the energy high, the jokes land consistently, and the emotional beats hit when they need to. The practical stunts — including a spectacular diner-to-freeway chase that feels like a love letter to classic car movies — are a refreshing antidote to CGI fatigue.
Early box-office projections are strong, with analysts predicting a solid opening weekend and strong word-of-mouth legs. If the current trajectory holds, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die could become the sleeper hit of early 2026 — a reminder that original, high-concept, character-driven action-comedies can still thrive in a franchise-heavy landscape.
In short: Sam Rockwell yelling “Good luck, have fun, don’t die” while the world ends around him is exactly the kind of joyful chaos audiences need right now. Gore Verbinski has delivered a film that’s wildly entertaining, surprisingly heartfelt, and — above all — pure, unfiltered fun.
