Netflix knew what it was doing when it slotted Chris Smith’s new documentary “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever” to release on Jan. 1. We want to start the new year working towards “better” versions of ourselves, and that usually means starting a new health regimen regarding diet and exercise. But before we eat a salad and hit the gym, perhaps we want to check in on Bryan Johnson, the wealthy entrepreneur who has turned himself into a guinea pig in his quest to live forever. Is he the picture of health or is there something a little sadder and lonelier beneath the washboard abs?
To Smith’s credit, he doesn’t dismiss his subject as an outright kook even as Johnson goes through the rigorous amount of pills, tests, procedures and other routines in his quest to slow and reverse the aging process.