Definitely NOT The Avengers: ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ Review

“How do you wanna do it?” It’s a fairly innocuous question, but, when presented to the right party, it can have far reaching consequences. Gore Verbinski’s ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ is that singular question boiled down to a 2-Hour existential acid trip of a movie. That is in no way a criticism by any means, it’s actually quite the compliment. ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ is the film you get when you mix ‘Groundhog Day,’ ‘The Terminator,’ ‘The Neverending Story,’ and ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ with a pinch of Dungeons and Dragons, a dash of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and then you hire Terry Gilliam to direct it. ‘GLHFDD’ is a mind bender of a film that you’re not going to want to miss.

The world is in danger. Fortunately, one man has dedicated himself to reliving the same moment over and over again until he complets his very specific mission. If ‘The Man from the Future’ (Sam Rockwell) fails at his mission, the world will end, ushered in by the ever growing presence of AI and technology. Surrounded by an ever changing team cultivated from the various guests in the diner that he is absolutely not robbing, he’ll complete his mission at whatever cost. If this feels like your last Dungeons and Dragons adventure, well then you’ve got the gist of how epic ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ truly is.

A Pinch of DND, A Dash of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ is a mind bender of a film if I’ve ever seen one. The mixture of different movies, pop culture and genres that permeate throughout the film gives the precise impression of chaos for a film of this stature to work. It is literally made up of a pinch of Dungeons and Dragons with a dash of LSD. ‘GLHFDD’ grabs the audience from the word go and takes them on an adventure they will never forget, nor should they. It’s fun and quirky, irreverent and mind bending, but it has a lot of heart too. There are moments of heartbreak that happen with the chaos. Those moments feel just as pertinent to the overall narrative as the rest of the acid trip that is taking place on screen.

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The storyline carefully composed by Gore Verbinski feels like it could be different with each successive watch. You will never see ‘GLHFDD’ the same way twice. It truly lives up to the feeling of being a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. A rogue stranger shows up in a pub and recruits the various people within it to complete a specific task. That is about as Dungeons and Dragons as you’ll ever get without having Dungeons and Dragons literally in the title. That ‘choose your own adventure’ style of storytelling makes ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ a film that anyone who sees it will go back to.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Films such as ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ do NOT work without the cast to back it up. ‘GLHFDD’ to its credit has put together one of the best casts of the year. Possibly the last two years. Top to bottom each actor puts on a clinic in their respective roles.

Of course, it all begins with Sam Rockwell.

Rockwell is a superb actor, who I’ve long been a fan of, and that fact is very apparent with this performance. The action, the comedy, the entirety of the plot all flow from Rockwell. He takes the reigns and takes not only his motley crew of terrified adventurers, but the audience as well, on a balls to the wall sci fi adventure that draws the audience in and leaves them wanting more. Rockwell is quirky and odd, but also matter of fact. It’s apparent this isn’t his first time attempting this mission and so it’s important to have a level of disillusionament and matter of factness. He’s quick to prove he’s who he says he is and that comes through clearly with how quickly he responds when the adventurers don’t exactly believe him.

Of course, this no ‘Moon,’ and thus Rockwell is not a one man show. His energy had to be met by each of his castmates. They deliver in spades. Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz were such a hilarious pairing that I hope they make more movies together. The chemistry is undeniable.

Haley Lu Richardson is another standout of ‘GLHFDD’ as Ingrid, the ‘what do I have to lose, I might as well go’ member of the group. It’s very clear there was more to Ingrid than what the film initially lets on. Richardson, who is from the current time, has no clue what her future holds, but can sense that there is more to her based upon things that “the man from the future” does and says. Richardson plays Ingrid as the girl boss that she is, stepping up at all of the right moments when she’s needed most. Her performance in this film was exceptional.

Final Thought:

‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ is one of the few films that I’ve walked out of and thought immediately, “I can’t wait to see the sequel.” With this film, I left thinking, “Man, I hope they make all of the different variants of the film I’ve been thinking about in my head.” The story is so full that it can go anywhere and everywhere all at once. It was an adventure through and through. ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die’ is one of the best experiences I’ve had not only in a theater, but with a film.

Put on your adventure pants.

Grab your backpack.

And head to your local theater.

Good Luck!

Have Fun!

Don’t Die!

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Have you checked out this film? What were your thoughts?