Rose Bialk/The Mossy Log
As AI slop becomes increasingly unavoidable, and the algorithms that control our attention are tailored to keep us in an endless loop of instant gratification, a movie that directly denounces artificial intelligence is inspiring. Director Gore Verbinski, best known for his work on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, debuted his new film, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” to mixed reviews. While the movie certainly has its moments of morbidly hilarious comic relief, it seems to be made solely out of frustration and exasperation with the trajectory of modern technology, a notion that many viewers will surely resonate with. Yet, the movie seems to be defined more by what it opposes rather than the human creativity it seeks to uplift.
While the climax features one of the main characters tritely stating the moral stance of the movie, there is little to no sign of an actual thesis. The movie feels like two hours of an old man screaming at the clouds, frustrated that his grandchildren are too busy scrolling through Instagram Reels to talk to him. While I wholeheartedly agree with the depiction of AI as unnatural and detrimental to the structure of society, the movie does not offer the viewer a substantial alternative to the inevitability of AI other than developing the same allergy to technology that Chuck convinced himself he had in “Better Call Saul.” While the movie is an exciting and entertaining journey, it is bursting at the seams with a vitriolic disapproval of the status quo it depicts while lacking any substantial solution to the issues it stands in opposition to. One of the most frustrating aspects of the film is its oversimplification and utter dismissiveness of why AI has attained such a prominent role in our society.
One scene depicts a substitute teacher attempting to obtain the attention of a class of high school students completely absorbed by their phones as they scroll through an infinite feed of short-form AI slop. While this is a harrowing and deeply upsetting image that instills sympathy for the teacher, my gripe with this scene is that it places the majority of the blame for this situation upon the students themselves, who are depicted as irritable and sassy, devoid of human compassion. While the reason for the teenagers’ apathy is explained by an intricate conspiracy later in the movie, the effect of the scene remains as a condemnation of the teenagers who have allowed themselves to succumb to the allure of AI. While I, myself, am not particularly sympathetic to those who choose to spend the majority of their time consuming AI-generated content, I believe the movie’s depiction of this crisis would have resonated with me more had it acknowledged the outside factors that influence the vast number of children and young people who choose to indulge in escapism in favor of the oftentimes bleak and upsetting realities of the world. Yet, the movie seems more concerned with how to solve this issue rather than dissecting its genesis. I would be perfectly content with this decision if the movie offered a solution with more substance than becoming allergic to our phones.
While the film is far from perfect, with a good deal of plot holes that are par for the course with any time travel movie, the original premise and morbid humor make it worth a watch. My favorite scene follows a grieving mother, Susan, shortly after she has lost her son to a school shooting. Still devastated by her loss, Susan accepts a company’s offer to clone her son. After the clone of her son fails to allay her feelings of grief, she attends a party of fellow parents that have found themselves in a similar position. Much to her surprise, Susan meets a couple who have lost and cloned their daughter four times, and have become exceedingly relaxed regarding the process. The couple details their experience of repeatedly cloning their daughter, the process eventually resembling the creation of a Build-A-Bear, with the parents choosing traits based more on their entertainment than accuracy of who their daughter originally was. The scene is equally harrowing and hilarious, and it is when the movie adopts this tone that it is at its best. The movie is at its best when adopting a tone that walks the line between harrowing and hilarious, and I found this scene to capture this sentiment perfectly.
While the movie is far from flawless, I believe anything made with this degree of passion and creativity, especially considering it is not merely another drop in the ocean of the countless remakes and sequels, is worth a watch. I was disappointed that the film’s depiction of the hot button issue of AI was somewhat lacking in nuance and depth, yet the fact that it is an original movie grappling with the imminent threat of AI does inspire hope for the future.
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