Jenna Ortega’s latest science-fiction outing falls short of the book that inspired it.
After a relatively low-key year for the busy Scream star, Ortega returns this season in the cinematic adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling 2021 novel, Klara and the Sun. The story takes place in a dystopian future and centers on Ortega’s titular artificial companion as she attempts to form a connection with a sick child named Josie (played by Mia Tharia). Though the film won’t reach wide release for another week, it debuted at the BFI London Film Festival and critics’ early reactions have started to trickle out.
Early reviews — the first ten critics tallied on Rotten Tomatoes — give Klara and the Sun a tepid 20% score. That number will likely change as more critics submit reviews, but for now the movie ranks as one of Ortega’s lowest-rated projects to date, sitting just above her 2025 film Hurry Up Tomorrow. It also marks director Taika Waititi’s poorest-performing title on the site, eclipsing the long-standing low set by Green Lantern (25%), in which he had a role.
Many reviewers argued the film struggles to translate Ishiguro’s delicate, contemplative novel to the screen. Rather than preserving the book’s understated, philosophical mood, critics say the movie leans into the eccentric, broadly comedic sensibility commonly associated with Waititi — a tonal mismatch that undercuts the source material’s subtler emotional registers. Still, Ortega’s portrayal of Klara drew praise for its vitality and devotion, and several critics singled out the movie’s bright, optimistic color palette and production design as visual highlights.
| Jenna Ortega’s Five Lowest-Rated Films | Critics’ Rotten Tomatoes | Audience Score (Rotten Tomatoes) |
|---|---|---|
| Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) | 14% | 60% |
| Klara and the Sun (2026) | 20% | N/A |
| Finestkind (2013) | 27% | 58% |
| Miller’s Girl (2024) | 30% | 47% |
| Winter Spring Summer or Fall (2024) | 31% | 71% |
In ScreenRant’s own take on Klara and the Sun, reviewer Ben Gibbons echoed much of the disappointment from other outlets. He argued the film “doesn’t capture the carefully built beauty of Ishiguro’s dystopia,” and described the adaptation as favoring clumsy sci-fi comedy over the novel’s more resonant ideas, with a finale that feels ironically stiff. Still, Gibbons pointed to strong work from Tharia and Ortega as the movie’s most compelling elements, even if the script fails to support them fully.
Klara and the Sun continues a streak of mixed-to-negative critical responses for Ortega. Her 2025 projects received lukewarm reviews: Death of a Unicorn sits at 52% from critics, while Hurry Up Tomorrow fared worse. She also appears in The Gallerist, directed by Natalie Portman, which has drawn mixed notices around the mid-50s. Taken together, Ortega’s last several films have leaned toward average or unfavorable critical reception; her most recent widely “fresh” title remains Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which earned a 76% critics’ score.
Audience reactions have often been kinder than critics’. Viewers tended to respond more positively to Ortega’s films — for example, Hurry Up Tomorrow holds a roughly 60% audience rating and Death of a Unicorn about 76% — so Klara and the Sun could perform better with general moviegoers than its critical score suggests. Some industry estimates currently project an opening weekend in the $6–10 million range for the sci-fi release.
The film’s theatrical rollout is set for October 23, 2026. Taika Waititi co-wrote the screenplay with Dahvi Waller. The supporting cast includes Oscar nominee Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, and Natasha Lyonne, among others.
Offscreen, Ortega has additional projects lined up: she’s shooting The Great Beyond, a sci-fi feature directed by J.J. Abrams and co-starring Glen Powell, and she’s confirmed to return as Wednesday Addams for Netflix’s Wednesday season 3.
Klara and the Sun opens in theaters on October 23, 2026.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
