A solid attempt at a Terry Gilliam-style sci-fi movie that has something to say about the rise of AI and social media in general that mostly works and only occasionally feels like an old person tediously going on about 'screens'.

Sam Rockwell stars as 'the man from the future' who appears, dressed like Robin Williams just escaped from a version of Jumanji that merged with a Cyberdog, in a Los Angeles diner and demands that six people join his 'army' to fight against the AI that will doom the world.

As a time traveller, Rockwell has been here before, 116 times, and uses his knowledge of the patrons (plus the threat of a bomb strapped to his body) to convince a new batch to volunteer.

As we journey to the AI, which is due to be 'born' thanks to a 9 year old kid living in the suburbs, we learn a about the volunteers in flashbacks that play out like short episodes of Black Mirror. There's electricity-allergic Ingrid; Susan, whose son was killed in a school shooting but has been 'resurrected' in clone form; and school teachers Mark and Janet, among others. Each has a crucial connection to the AI or a skill that will ensure the mission's success.

The cast are great. In particular, Rockwell treads a convincing line between deranged and heroic, and Juno Temple is excellent as bereaved mum Susan. The actual events that ensue sometimes seem a bit AI generated themselves and indeed there is a 'choose the form of the destroyer' moment that leans hard into ChatGPT prompts.

This mostly works and the film is always entertaining even if it sometimes feels a little preachy and occasionally rushed.