Jenna Ortega's new sci-fi branded "mind-meltingly dreadful" and "hopeless" in brutal first reviews

Taika Waititi is returning to the director's chair for the first time in three years with Klara and the Sun, but it doesn't look to be a successful comeback. Despite boasting a stacked cast including Jenna Ortega, the sci-fi has been panned by critics.

The film is based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel of the same name, with the story taking place in a dystopian society where humans have been divided into strict and isolated groups based on social class.

Ortega plays the titular character, an android hoping to find a suitable home. She soon comes across Josie (Mia Tharia), a sick girl who has a fraught relationship with her mother Chrissie (Amy Adams), and the pair develop a bond.

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Directed and co-written by Waititi, who is known for Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, the sci-fi had its world premiere at the 70th BFI London Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release next week.

But despite Ishiguro's original novel being praised, the adaptation hasn't had the same fate, with the majority of critics disliking Waititi's film as they branded it "hopeless" and "mind-meltingly dreadful" in some brutal first reactions.

You can read a selection of reviews below:

The Daily Telegraph

"Klara and the Sun is mind-meltingly dreadful... Ishiguro's thoughts on the ever-evolving relationship between technology and humanity are tossed away like so much thematic confetti."

The Times

"Kazuo Ishiguro's novel drowned in sickly syrup... It's a hopeless film, slippery and mendacious, full of gross Hallmark sentiment, and has been bettered by a myriad of previous robot companion flicks."

Deadline

"Everything about Klara and the Sun is face-palmingly obvious... [It] is a great idea, a way for adults to explain mortality to their kids while bracing themselves for redundancy. It's just a shame that film didn't get made."

Little White Lies

"This potentially rich subject matter is squandered by Waititi who has a juvenile habit of undercutting any hint at profundity with a jolt of silly humour or a comic rug pull. He seems unable to take the core ideas in the text."

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The Guardian

"Taika Waititi detonates an explosion of postmodern quirkiness and ironic dorkiness in this unbearably mannered, unspeakably acted film. It's a slice of sentimental whimsy-futurism and non-satire."

Flickering Myth

"Klara and the Sun is simply a lovely little fable of hope about what it means to be human, anchored by a delightful performance from Jenna Ortega that makes it just about worthy of your time."

Klara and the Sun is released in UK cinemas on 23 October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.