Free Guy (2021) is an American science fiction comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi.
The film follows Guy [Ryan Reynolds], an NPC (non-playable character) in the fictional game Free City. The game is an MMPORG and looks something like Grand Theft Auto meets Fortnite – you can tell there’s probably a lot of microtransactions. The setting was very reminiscent of The Lego Movie (2014) and some instances even reminded me of The Truman Show (1998).
The secondary protagonists are Millie played by Jodie Comer [Killing Eve] and Keys played by Joe Keery [Stranger Things]. After making a startling discovery, Guy, Millie, and Keys, work together to protect the future of the game from the deceptive Antwan, played by Taika Waititi [Jojo Rabbit].
There’s lots of action throughout the film, and although the special effects are extremely over the top, it doesn’t really matter because it’s supposed to be emulating a video game. It’s bright and colourful and there are a few fun cameos to spot too.
Free Guy is fun and entertaining to watch, however I think the runtime is a bit long for the limited scope of the film. Moreover, although its enjoyable, the film doesn’t push the boundaries of what we are used to seeing in comedy sci-fi. The thematic content surrounding the nature of artificial intelligence is very limited, and although the characters sometimes speak of wider repercussions, this is not really explored within the film. That being said, there are lots of sweet moments, especially between Guy and Buddy.
It’s pretty charming, worth watching, and available to watch now with a Disney+ subscription in the UK.
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