I’m freshly double vaccinated and ready to start heading back out to the cinema (but continuing to wear my mask) on a regular basis. Inspired by the excessive use of Fantasy by Mariah Carey in the trailers I decided my first trip would be to see the newest action comedy from the studio now known as 20th Century Studios: Free Guy. You may be happy to know that Mariah song is also used very prominently in the actual film too.
Plot
The film follows Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who is an NPC in a violent video game and repeats the same thing over and over every day as he is programmed. When he meets a woman known as Molotov Girl (Jodie Comer), who is actually a woman named Mille in the real world playing the game, he breaks out of his routine in order to become a hero in hopes of getting to know her. They must then work together to find some hidden code that will stop the owner of the game (Taika Waititi) from shutting it down to release a sequel, thereby erasing Guy’s whole world from existence.
Of the bat the plot sounds quite like The Lego Movie (2014) crossed with Wreck-it Ralph (2012), with a side character in game is stuck in a loop who realises they can break out of that mould and become a hero in their own right, creating their own story. That plot is definitely present here, as similarities to other movies are hard to escape, but the plot worked then, and it works now. What makes it stand apart though (which you need to be able to do) is how it focusses on the story of Millie and her goals. It shows us the implications that guys actions have for not just the game itself, but for those in the real world who are both playing and running the game, which I found to be a really intriguing angle.
Characters
Ryan Reynolds is on top from in this move, he’s by now very well known for his comedic talents, which are on full show here. He has the familiar wit and silliness of a Ryan Reynolds character, but what’s important is that he’s not just Deadpool in a video game, he’s a different kind of character. Guy is unbelievably naïve and just very nice, which makes him endearing. His motivations aren’t to be the best or become famous, but he just wants to explore, and he wants to fall in love. Seeing him learn about the world that he didn’t realise he lived in, getting scared and getting excited, is part of what makes the film a fun journey.
If you’ve seen Killing Eve you know that Jody Comer is brilliant. Her role in Millie may not be as flashy as Villanelle, but I think what made her successful is that she was so believable and likable. They could easily have made Millie this glamazonian supermodel that happens to be a computer whiz, but they didn’t fall into that trope. She was just a real person who dressed like a person would when they play a video game and was comfortable and confident in her demeaner. She felt like she could be one of my friends and I liked that. Her video game persona was also not super sexualized which I appreciated (I mean she would have made that avatar herself) and I’m sure a lot of the female audience will appreciate too.
To be honest the only character I didn’t really vibe with was the villain. Taika Waititi is a funny man, and he was here, but I just didn’t understand the character’s motivations. I don’t understand why a game developer focussed on getting people to buy his game would seemingly have no interest in his game being good or having anyone enjoy playing it. Now, this may be a commentary on game devs that I don’t get cos I’m not a gamer, so if that’s what they were going for I can kind of see it. But even then, a man seemingly motivated money was all too willing to completely destroy his own game (and source of income) over an NPC and a lawsuit.
References
Another notable thing about this movie is its use of video game easter eggs and references. Now while I do enjoy a good video game, I don’t claim to be any type of gamer and its not a community I’m actively involved in. So, while I didn’t quite catch every game reference, there were some I recognized like Portal and Mega-Man. They also used real gamer youtubers as people livestreaming and commenting on the game which (though I didn’t know any of them) i think is cute for that community and added to the plot cos it made it seem more real.
This trend of references to pop culture has become pretty prevalent in movies recently with varying levels of success. The most similar to this I would say is probably Ready Player One (2018) as it was also based on a video game. I really didn’t like the way that movie let its references and easter eggs to 80s movies and video games completely consume the movie and distract from the genuine point which was actually that you shouldn’t let your life revolve around the media you consume and live in the real world. Free Guy accomplished it much better because the easter eggs we’re just that, things you can spot but don’t need to and they don’t have any impact on the plot itself.
Being that this is a former Fox movie that was of course bought buy Disney while it was still being made, they also managed to squeeze in a few Disney branded references in too. They didn’t go full Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) but they were a little too in your face compared to everything else for my liking. Although there is a cameo that comes along with one that is genuinely hilarious and unexpected.
Tone
I think the prevailing thing I enjoyed about this movie is that it was just a lot of fun. It was silly, but not to the point of being stupid. The plot never stopped dead and the characters never lost motivation, but there was room for gags and jokes that kept the feeling light and allowed you to have a good time. I find sometimes movies nowadays get quite caught up in being dramatic and having powerful moments that they forget to be fun for the audience, and this movie never forgets that.
The comedy of this movie really fits into Ryan Reynolds brand of humour, being irreverent and referentially silly. It’s clear that he had a lot of involvement in the creation of this movie and probably worked closely with the screenwriters (Matt Lieberman & Zak Penn). If you enjoy his humour you will enjoy this movie. But what I think is really important is that this movie shows that Reynolds’ comedy and brand doesn’t need to be pigeon holed into adult comedies like Deadpool (2016), but can work for a wider age range and be accessible for everyone. That is especially important for his relationship going forward with family-friendly oriented Disney.
I’d definitely recommend this movie if you want to go to the movies for a good time and a lot of laughs. You don’t need to know anything about video games to enjoy it, but if you do you might even like it more than I did.
The delta variant is starting to tank some movies at the moment, and I really hope this movie can break through this curse and entice those people who are being safe and are comfortable being back in the cinema.
Jeremy Greer 