Taika Waititi’s ‘Klara and the Sun’ Receives Poor Reviews and Lowest Score Yet

Adapting a cherished novel is always a risk, and tackling a Nobel Prize winner’s subtly impactful sci-fi story is an even greater challenge. This is the task Taika Waititi embraced with ‘Klara and the Sun’, and the initial reviews have now surfaced.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel centers on Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend created to alleviate loneliness in children and teens. In Sony’s adaptation, penned by Waititi and Dahvi Waller, Jenna Ortega portrays Klara, an optimistic android eager to find her ideal home. Amy Adams stars as the mother who purchases her for her sick daughter Josie, played by Mia Tharia.

The film has had a lengthy journey to theaters. Announced in 2020, it wrapped filming in April 2024, and Sony recently decided to release it on October 23. Earlier this year, Waititi mentioned to Screen Daily that discussions with the studio were ongoing regarding its release timing and platform.

Making its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, the film has faced harsh criticism. It debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a mere 20% Tomatometer score from 10 reviews, marking it as the lowest-rated film of Waititi’s career. It also opened at 23 on Metacritic based on its initial six reviews.

This score is lower than ‘Next Goal Wins’, which stands at 46%, and the director’s ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, which was also deemed disappointing. This situation is compounded for Ortega, whose previous film, ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’, holds a 14% rating. The Popcornmeter has not yet been updated, so audience reactions remain unknown.

The film is set to open in the U.S. next Friday, just a week after its premiere, leaving Sony little time to shift the narrative. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes and is rated PG-13.

Critics have highlighted the discord between Waititi’s comedic approach and Ishiguro’s tender, melancholic narrative. The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times each awarded the film one star. The Guardian’s reviewer described it as an explosion of postmodern quirkiness, labeling it unbearably mannered. The Times deemed it hopeless, filled with sentimentality, and inferior to many earlier robot companion films.

Deadline also offered a negative assessment, stating the film fails to deliver on its promises and calling it a sporadically humorous meditation on life and premature death. Screen Rant’s Ben Gibbons rated it 5/10, arguing it does not capture the beauty of a well-crafted dystopian tale, presenting a heavy-handed sci-fi comedy with a hollow message.

Little White Lies noted that while the film is more enjoyable in its comedic first half, it falters when attempting to take a serious turn. The critic pointed out that Waititi seems to undermine any hint of depth with silly humor or comedic twists, suggesting that few directors would be less suited to the source material.

However, the reviews are not entirely negative. At least one critic described it as a lovely fable of hope regarding humanity, anchored by a charming performance from Ortega that makes it worth watching. This indicates that the film’s emotional core may resonate more with audiences than with critics.

the first trailer of “klara and the sun” starring jenna ortega and amy adams https://t.co/bZWQiuxsaz

— best of jenna ortega (@jennasfiles) June 22, 2026

The project has always been a stylistic shift for Waititi. He described this adaptation as his most dramatic and challenging work to date, aiming to showcase Ortega’s genuine charm and humor rather than her established persona. For Ortega, known for ‘Wednesday’ and horror roles, portraying Klara was an opportunity to play a bright, optimistic android and step outside her usual roles.

The film also features a strong supporting cast, including Natasha Lyonne as a store manager, along with Steve Buscemi, Simon Baker, and Aran Murphy. Ishiguro serves as an executive producer, indicating the filmmakers’ commitment to preserving the novel’s themes of loneliness, love, and humanity.

Early reviews can be detrimental for adult dramas, and ‘Klara and the Sun’ faces a challenging road ahead. The film’s trailers have highlighted warmth and friendship over killer-robot horror, which may attract families and fans of the book. Whether audiences will prioritize that narrative over critics’ concerns will be revealed in a week.

For Waititi, the stakes are high. Following a series of mixed receptions, he needed a comeback, and this was intended to be a bold shift in direction. Instead, it has become the lowest-scoring film of his career, at least for the time being.

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