“Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever” – Documentary Review
- Colton Gomez
- Jan 13
- 3 min read
Review
By Colton Gomez | 01/013/25 | 5:18 P.M. Mountain Time
Documentary | Rated PG-13 | 1 hr 28 min | "Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever" Release Date: January 1, 2025
Here is a man unwilling to compromise. From relationships to natural cause, “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever” is an interesting documentary about trying to not age, or at least, not as quickly. This is a bizarre study of a health-nut that will either encourage you to better your diet, activity, and overall health-consciousness, or if you’re like me, you’ll be watching in detached fascination while reaching the end of a box of crackers.
Bryan Johnson is the subject of this documentary about a millionaire spending all his efforts and time to avoid his meeting with Death. Johnson was a devout Mormon but found its practices to viscerally contradict his entire being. He left the church and, in the process, his family, who chose to remain faithful. Johnson’s son, Talmage Johnson, moves out to live with his millionaire dad after he also left the church. The pair engage in awkward conversations that are sometimes very meaningful. They live the same lifestyle of ingesting dozens of supplements each day, eating carefully portioned tins of veggies, and working out in their home-gym as Talmage prepares to go off to college. We track Bryan’s health journey as a specimen for modern anti-aging studies who claims to have slowed down his process of aging.
Bryan Johnson as he presently is, is the vague idea of what you would think of when someone says the word “human.” He looks to me like the beginning model of a character-creation screen in a video game. He lacks any identifying features that make him stand out as a person with a personality. This is along the lines of what his entire brand is about. He has given his life over to an algorithm that has planned his meals, supplements, work out routines, light exposure, hearing therapy—all of it. He wants so badly to live forever but what is he living for?
You’ll hear criticism from many angles about what Johnson is doing and how he’s doing it. He gets his dad to participate but his mother remains distant. People think he can spend his money better by funding actual scientific studies, since he’s claiming to do this for science. As is the case with powerful rich people, those around him seem to be hiding opinions that wouldn’t serve their paycheck well. Different kinds of doctors are presented with varying opinions. We get the Harvard medical professional who has a completely different respect for health science than the doctors hired by twenty-somethings who practice their brand of health science on a remote island, citing “legal issues.”
I wish we heard from more doctors and authorities than we did. There’s a more interesting conversation that we didn’t get to finish. Director Chris Smith engages us in some topics of conversation, but they’re all too surface-level to really get a good idea of what Johnson is doing and how it will change the industry. To be fair, this is a character study, but I wish it showed more perspectives to help me shape my own about the man.
This is an interesting story that I feel wasn’t quite finished. We get an episode of Bryan Johnson’s journey to live forever. I’m sure much will change in two or three years from now. With more fame as a health-nut than a millionaire businessman, Johnson is doing what every hypochondriac wishes they could do: spend a fortune outfitting your house with the latest in medical technology and living each day in a sterile bubble away from humanity in a rigorous routine. What could be seen as an intense overreaction to a religion he disagrees with, is definitely a case for the most intense mid-life crisis. Some buy cars, Johnson buys life.
He claims to be the happiest he’s ever been. After a rough separation from the church and his family, he seems to have found a new religion in health science. Even though he smiles and laughs a lot, I hardly see it in his eyes. He is becoming one with the algorithm. Here’s a human who’s trying to live forever but oddly lacks a warmth of humanity.
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Review by Colton Gomez
Colton Gomez earned his BA in Film Studies from Weber State University. He owns and operates ColtonGomez.com. Here, he covers new releases in theaters and on streaming. For short versions of his reviews, check out his LetterBoxd
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