Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Taika Waititi
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% Critics, 94% Audience
Description: “In “Free Guy,” a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story… one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way… before it is too late.”
Short Version: A charming film in the vein of the Jumanji remakes, this film plays with common videogame tropes and creates a film that is comedic, charming, and interesting film. There were some difficulties in the world they created when actual game designing is considered, and the stakes were a little wonky, but it was a fun film, and I’m so glad they put it up on Disney+ so I could watch it.
Long Version:
So, I wanted to see this film when it was in theaters, but I never quite got around to it. I thought it was cute, and topical for a generation of people who grew up with games like the simulator “Free Guy” was based it. It even wrapped in cameos from famous youtubers and celebrities. The jokes and overall humor were well-rendered, but the movie just lacked in some crucial areas.
First, let me address the plotting of the story. The plot presents strange stakes, and ping-pongs between the real world and the game, and everything gets a bit messy. See, there are two sets of stakes within the film, the first is for Guy, and his world disappearing; the second is Millie and her need to win her lawsuit. Guy’s battle is world-ending, he and all his friends threatened by the impending switchover. Millie is simply looking to win a lawsuit, and we want her too, because it is a justified suit, but not a life-or-death matter. Millie must not be hurting too much if she spends all her days playing a video game. Guy is having a life-altering moment, an NPC becoming its own character in the game is a radical move, and super amusing too. The stakes on the outside are minimal in comparison, and the more the movie progresses, the more we move outside the game. It really messes with the pacing of the film, and make the end feel pretty anticlimactic.
Additionally, some writers needed to do their research about games and game design. There is the fact that servers don’t hold the game design, and destroying them wouldn’t pixelate the game, or the whole issue with rendering a second game into the first, which would cause lag and be a waste of time for any game designer. And smaller facts like a gathering of NPC’s would totally crash the server…. Lastly, the coders wouldn’t be able to update the game without rebooting their code into it…Anywho, some of this can be written off under suspension of disbelief, but guys, if you are doing a movie about a video game aimed at gamers… some research would be good. (The CG guys must have been looking at this going “If you think so boss, but this isn’t how any of this works”. Then laughing into their paychecks.)
On the good side of things, this movie is a beautiful follow-up to movies like Jumanji, where the characters fall into the game and have to dissect the game for themselves. It moves one step further into the gaming realm with the discussion of how games are made and the people outside the game. It just isn’t quite fully there. I think it was funny and charming, and it was refreshing to see Ryan Reynolds in a role so opposite of his time as Deadpool. I thought all of the actors were great with the characters they played, and I just wish the writers had pulled together something more cohesive and correct, while not forsaking the story line.
Favorite moments to wrap up:
- “That’s not his car… or his wife.”
- “He’s just resting, so sleepy.”
- “I waited outside by the murder train.”
- “You met God? God’s a dick?”
- The wrecking ball moment.
- “Is that a Glock in your pocket?” “No… it’s two Glocks.”
- “They don’t have thumbs, Phyllis. No thumbs.”
- “Even if I’m not real, this moment is.”
- The Captain America moment
All images belong to the film and production companies, thanks for stopping by and see y’all Friday!!!
Megan’s Musings 