Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. I was actually given an accessible screener for this title. It is possible.

Gore Verbinski hasn’t directed a feature since 2016’s A Cure For Wellness, and perhaps taking ten years off works for him. Instead of joining the ever growing list of directors who are past their prime, Verbinski boldly returns with a timely science-fiction dark comedy about how we are absolutely ruining our future.

Truly an ensemble piece with lots of moving parts, we first become introduced to our time traveler (Sam Rockwell) who returns to the past with dire information, and sadly no DeLorean. He tells a room full of strangers that our habits cause the collapse of society, and the slippery slope of having morning phone time in bed leads to never wanting to get out of it. Somewhere in this room is the exact combination of people to save the world, and he’s been coming back over and over to try new combinations. Despite his heavy knowledge of the people in the room, some still fear he’s crazy, so he uses the threat of the bomb strapped to im to motivate. The rest of his journey is largely a ragtag group slowly losing members along the way, but still hopeful enough will be there to save the world.

Other storylines feature a substitute teacher who is shocked by the amount of high school teachers on sabbatical, and a mother finding a way to keep the memory of her son alive.Aside from Rockwell, the ensemble is stacked with Michael Pena, Amy Lee Richardson, Juno Temple, and Zazie Beats. I’ve already seen this film twice, and it was a blast both times. Those who gird their loins at the sight of a longer runtime will fear the over two hours length, but the film feels so stuffed and intricately woven that the time flies by.

Rockwell’s performance is especially magnetic, as his frenetic energy and wild abandon push the film forward. he’s a blast, and a perfect casting choice. it is such a fun role, and Rockwell just devours it.

Getting to watch this in January makes “best of 2026” sound shallow, but it is. However, I do believe this would have been on my Top 25 of 2025 list, had it opened around the Oscar bait I just navigated through.Last year, our big fun early release seemed to be Companion, which while a solid distraction, didn’t leave me with the compelling decision to watch again. here, I’ve already clocked a second, and wouldn’t mind a third.

Without really going into any spoilers, the sharp script certainly knows how to navigate itself through some really bizarre and darkly humorous moments. Shockingly, this film pulls off a school shooting joke, which is almost impossible to do. It has some violence, nearly always played for a laugh, even if there’s a twisted nature behind it.

I saw this once without audio description and once with, and I can say for sure, the AD made a difference, and pushed the score up even higher. Initially i was able to guess the score, as this is so up my alley, but with all the stylistic choices made by Verbinski, that you don’t want to miss the side jokes as well.

Probably the best cautionary tale since Idiocracy, packed with a magnetic performance by Sam Rockwell, and a true return to form for Gore Verbinski.

Fresh: 8.6/10