Jenna Ortega and Taika Waititi Find Heart in Classic-style Sci-fi

WHO:

ComingSoon - Steve Buscemi is among the cast of *Klara and the Sun*.

A.V. Club - Dahvi Waller co-wrote the film adaptation with Taika Waititi.

A.V. Club - Mia Tharia plays Josie, Amy Adams plays her mother Chrissie, and Natasha Lyonne plays the manager of the store where Klara waits.

Collider - Jenna Ortega and Taika Waititi are associated with the film *Klara and the Sun*.

Collider - Kazuo Ishiguro wrote the novel *Klara and the Sun*.

Mashable - Taika Waititi directed the film adaptation of *Klara and the Sun*.

Mashable - Jenna Ortega is named in the review headline as an actor whose fans may want to avoid the film.

WHAT:

ComingSoon - *Klara and the Sun* arrived in theaters; the article describes it as a sci-fi drama exploring artificial intelligence and human connection.

A.V. Club - Jenna Ortega plays Klara, an “Artificial Friend” (AF), an older-model lifelike robot who hopes to find an owner.

A.V. Club - Klara is bought by Josie, a teenager who likes the outdated AF despite her mother’s objections.

A.V. Club - In the film’s fictional future, World War III follows the advent of internet access, and teenagers have access to “lifting,” described as social-genetic engineering intended to enhance children’s intelligence and abilities.

Collider - *Klara and the Sun* is a film based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of the same name.

Collider - The film takes cues from Hollywood classics; its headline says Ortega and Waititi “Find Soul in Classic Cinema.”

Mashable - Mashable’s review describes the film as a bland adaptation and calls it “one of the worst movies of the year.”

Mashable - Mashable characterizes Ishiguro’s source novel as a critically heralded science-fiction novel.

WHY:

A.V. Club - Chrissie is still grieving the death of her older daughter, whom Josie remembers only faintly.

Collider - The film draws on Hollywood classics, according to the article’s summary.

Mashable - The review criticizes the adaptation’s blandness and recommends that Jenna Ortega fans “respectfully look away.”

HOW:

A.V. Club - The film approaches its heartbreaking story as a whimsical, darkness-tinged sci-fi comedy.

A.V. Club - Waititi’s work is often bound together by themes of fractured, absent, or reconfigured parent-child relationships.

Collider - The film adapts Ishiguro’s novel and takes some cues from Hollywood classics.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 19:09 UTC)

Jenna Ortega stars in *Klara and the Sun*, Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s science-fiction novel, which has arrived in theaters. Ortega plays Klara, an older-model lifelike robot known as an Artificial Friend, who hopes to find an owner. She is bought by Josie, a teenager played by Mia Tharia, despite objections from Josie’s mother, Chrissie, played by Amy Adams. Chrissie is grieving the death of her older daughter, whom Josie barely remembers, while Natasha Lyonne plays the manager of the store where Klara waits. The film’s future is shaped by World War III and “lifting,” a form of social-genetic engineering meant to enhance children’s abilities. Co-written by Dahvi Waller, the story blends sci-fi comedy with darker themes of family and human connection. It also draws on classic Hollywood cinema, though one review calls the adaptation bland and advises Ortega’s fans to look away.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 11:05 UTC)

Jenna Ortega stars as Klara in *Klara and the Sun*, Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s critically acclaimed science-fiction novel. Klara is an older-model lifelike robot, known as an Artificial Friend, who hopes to find an owner. She is bought by Josie, a teenager played by Mia Tharia, who likes the outdated robot despite her mother Chrissie’s objections. Amy Adams plays Chrissie, who is still grieving the death of an older daughter Josie barely remembers; Natasha Lyonne plays the manager of the store where Klara waits. The story unfolds in a fictional future shaped by World War III and “lifting,” a form of genetic engineering intended to boost children’s intelligence and abilities. The film also draws on classic Hollywood cinema. But one review calls the adaptation bland and among the year’s worst films, advising Ortega’s fans to look away.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 23:10 UTC)

Jenna Ortega and Taika Waititi are associated with *Klara and the Sun*, a film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s critically heralded science-fiction novel. Waititi directed the film, which draws some inspiration from Hollywood classics. One review, however, delivers a sharply negative verdict, describing the adaptation as bland and calling it “one of the worst movies of the year.” It also suggests that Ortega’s fans may want to “respectfully look away.” Another account emphasizes the film’s connection to classic cinema, framing Ortega and Waititi as finding soul in those influences. The contrasting reactions put the spotlight on how the movie translates Ishiguro’s novel to the screen: one highlights its cinematic inspirations, while the other argues the result lacks distinction.