Review of Free Guy (2021) by Thequietgamer — 04 Jan 2022

The thing that impressed me the most about Free Guy was its dedication to the concept of being set in a video game world. It's evident the people behind the movie actually had some idea of how video games work, which leads to the whole synopsis of an NPC somehow evolving beyond his programing and becoming self-aware make a bit of sense and feel believable to an extent. The filmmakers' insight into the medium and culture can be seen in other things as well, like the presence of a player avatar realistically glitching out in the background of a scene or the appearance of significant streaming icons like "Ninja" and "Jacksepticeye" commenting on the events. Those aren't the most significant aspects, but are stuff the kids will love and help prevent the feature from coming off as blatantly uninformed to anyone who has picked up a controller before.

The plot itself is almost a direct copy of The Lego Movie in that it too tells the story of an average dude who's content to live out his mundane existence in a state of blissful ignorance until one day falling for a determined, brooding woman on a mission and inadvertently becoming the only hope of saving his world from a corporate narcissist. None of the characters outside of the protagonist and his best friend (as well as Channing Tatum in a HILARIOUS cameo) make much of an impression, and the romance component really shouldn't have centered around Jodie Comer and either of the two dudes interested in her, but rather Reynolds and Lil Rey Howery. A hill I will die on due to their perfect chemistry and already adorable platonic relationship that's practically begging to be taken further.

Still, the writing does its job of acting as a vehicle for the comedy. This isn't the funniest picture out there, but is ultimately amusing enough for me to recommend it even as things like the action fall flat on their face. Reynolds is such a naturally charismatic star and while this does seem more scripted and wholesome than were used to from him, that snarky, off the cuff wit he's known for still shines through at points. So does his potty mouth unfortunately, so parents may want to make note of that well-deserved PG-13 rating.

I'm not sure we're in desperate need of the already planned sequel, but I'd probably still turn up to watch it anyways. It's got that same affable, whimsical nature I've come to associate with Shawn Levy movies and is surely a crowd pleaser. This isn't the deepest piece of cinema around and is unlikely to blow anyone away. Sometimes all you need though is a light, enjoyable watch that can be easily moved on from afterwards, and Free Guy fits that bill perfectly. Plus, it comes with the added bonus of being the best film to make greater use of video games beyond just adapting them since the last Jumanji.

7.