Overview
- Released in U.S. theaters on Feb. 13 by Briarcliff, the film follows festival stops including a world premiere at Fantastic Fest and a Berlinale Special Gala screening.
- Critics are divided, with praise for Sam Rockwell’s charismatic lead turn and energetic visuals countered by complaints about length, pacing, and narrative sprawl.
- Verbinski describes the movie as a warning about AI’s encroachment on human creativity, saying the topic felt urgent as generative tools entered daily life.
- The director addressed a mid‑film school‑shooting storyline, noting the event is not depicted on screen and saying the sequence aims to prompt discussion.
- The high‑concept setup centers on a time traveler recruiting diner patrons to stop a future AI apocalypse, with an ensemble featuring Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Zazie Beetz, and Michael Peña.