Few 2026 releases looked better on paper than Klara and the Sun: a Taika Waititi-directed adaptation of a Kazuo Ishiguro novel, starring Jenna Ortega as an android and Amy Adams as her co-lead. Then the film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, and the verdict came down hard. With the film opening in the US and UK on October 23, 2026, here is what critics are saying — and why the response has become one of the season’s biggest surprises.
Klara and the Sun: Key Facts
| Film | Klara and the Sun |
| Director | Taika Waititi |
| Based on | Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel |
| Cast | Jenna Ortega (Klara), Mia Tharia (Josie), Amy Adams (Chrissie), Aran Murphy, Natasha Lyonne, Steve Buscemi |
| Release date | October 23, 2026 (US and UK) |
| Runtime | 1h 56m |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Genre | Sci-fi drama |
| Studio | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| Rotten Tomatoes | ~25% (early reviews; score may move) |
| Metacritic | 27/100, “Generally Unfavorable” (early) |
What Is Klara and the Sun About?
Klara (Jenna Ortega) is an Artificial Friend — a solar-powered android companion sold in a shop, waiting for a child to choose her. That child turns out to be Josie (Mia Tharia), a teenager battling a mysterious illness, whose relationship with her mother Chrissie (Amy Adams) has been fractured by loss. Klara’s innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family as she tries to understand what love really means — and what she is willing to give up for it.
The premise is delicate, philosophical, and quintessentially Ishiguro: told through the eyes of a machine, the story asks who we fundamentally are. It is exactly the kind of quiet, internal material that made the novel a bestseller.
What Are the Critics Saying?
The critical consensus has been bruising. Early reviews put the film at roughly 25% on Rotten Tomatoes from a dozen reviews and 27 on Metacritic — numbers that would make it the lowest-rated film of Waititi’s directing career and Ortega’s second-lowest-rated movie to date.
The recurring complaint is tone. Critics argue that Waititi’s signature quirkiness — the playful, jokey sensibility that powered Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok — clashes fatally with Ishiguro’s quiet, meditative source material. Slant Magazine called it “a faithful adaptation that nevertheless strips away everything insightful and affecting from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel.” The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gave it one star out of five, faulting its overbearing quirkiness.
Little White Lies accused Waititi of having “a juvenile habit of undercutting any hint at profundity with a jolt of silly humour or a comic rug pull,” while The Independent drew the sharpest line of all: “The book was about who we fundamentally are, now and tomorrow. The film is about the power of love and friendship. That seems like quite the downgrade.”
Not every review was negative. Screen International found it “an engaging fairytale with a distinctive otherworldly tone,” crediting the performances and imaginative visuals — even as it conceded “something is lost by widening the story beyond Klara’s tight perspective.”
The One Bright Spot: Jenna Ortega
Nearly every review, positive or negative, lands on the same bright spot: Jenna Ortega’s performance. Nerdspin summed it up best: the film is “entirely watchable, thanks to a delightful central performance from Jenna Ortega, but a hollow shadow of what it could be.” Her portrayal of the android — earnest, loyal, quietly heartbreaking — has been consistently praised even by critics who found little else to like.
The Bigger Picture for Waititi and Ortega
The score is a career milestone of the wrong kind for both names involved. For Waititi, it marks his lowest-rated film ever as a director — a notable fall for the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Jojo Rabbit. For Ortega, it continues a bruising run on the big screen: since Beetlejuice Beetlejuice delivered her last critically warm movie, Winter Spring Summer or Fall landed at 31%, Death of a Unicorn at 52%, and Hurry Up Tomorrow at just 14%. Klara and the Sun sits at second-lowest, just below Finestkind.
This is also a particularly awkward moment for Ishiguro on screen. Even as one adaptation struggles, the Nobel laureate is already teaming with Tim Burton on an untitled original film set in postwar Japan — a contrast critics have been quick to note.
Should You Watch Klara and the Sun?
If you read and loved the novel, the reviews suggest you should brace for a version that trades the book’s philosophical precision for fable-like warmth — a swap most critics did not accept. If you are drawn by Ortega, her performance is the one thing reviewers agree is worth seeing, and the film’s colorful, upbeat visuals make it far from unwatchable. Expect a gentle, slightly hollow fairy tale rather than the soul-searching drama the premise promises, and you may fare better than the critics did.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Klara and the Sun release?
The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15 and opens theatrically in the US and UK on October 23, 2026.
What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for Klara and the Sun?
Early reviews put it around 25% on Rotten Tomatoes and 27 on Metacritic, both labeled generally unfavorable. Scores may shift as more reviews arrive.
Is Klara and the Sun based on a book?
Yes — Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling 2021 novel of the same name, narrated by the android Klara herself.
Who stars in Klara and the Sun?
Jenna Ortega plays Klara, with Mia Tharia as Josie, Amy Adams as her mother Chrissie, plus Aran Murphy, Natasha Lyonne, and Steve Buscemi.
Why are the reviews so bad?
Critics broadly argue that director Taika Waititi’s quirky, comedic tone fights against the novel’s quiet, philosophical storytelling, and that the film sanded the book’s ideas down into something safer.