Movie Review – Free Guy – Great Quirky Fun
Table of Contents
My Rating – 3.5 out of 5
Plot Summary (Storyline) – Free Guy
Ryan Reynolds has made a glittering career based on this stuttering, unsure type of comic-action hero, who always comes out a good guy in the end, and this one’s no different. The premise of the movie is rather quirky, though not entirely novel. It’s a rather heady concoction of real-life and virtual gaming life, with obsessed gamers making it look more real-life than the makers even intended. In a nod to the current decade’s gaming developments, it embraces AI technology, at times highlighting how that can go ahead of its creator and seem to nurture a life and thinking of its own! On to the story then…
Guy is a normal person but a meticulous creature of habit. Every day he wakes up, wishes Good Morning to his pet goldfish, wears the same uniform to the bank where he works, carrying the same coffee from the same barista in the same cafe! Only when you watch his bank get robbed frequently, and everybody around looks bored and unconcerned, that you realize that this is all a set-piece – part of a Video game called Free City. Guy is an NPC in that game i.e. a Non-Playing Character, who cannot be a gamer – is one of the people who can get killed or simply part of the background. But this is where the lines between reality and fantasy blur!
When Guy comes across the woman of his dreams, walking away from him, – Jodie Comer as Molotov Girl or Millie (she’s an actual Gamer), things start turning upside down. An NPC is supposed to develop a mind of its own and act out those fantasies, but that’s how it’s turning out to be here. Millie is also a game developer, along with her pal Keys (Joe Keery), and works for an organization called Sunami – headed by an eccentric Antwan (Taika Waititi). Both Millie and Keys feel that their original gaming code was stolen by Antwan and incorporated into Free City and he’s cheated them of millions that he’s made from the sale of the game. But they have no proof.
As Millie and Keys realize that the AI within Guy is actually developing a mind of its own and going beyond the control of its developers, they also realize that Guy may be their only chance at retrieving the code that could prove that at the heart of Free City, lies the code that they developed. If they can get that code, then they could prove in a court of law that Antwan has stolen their idea and claim compensation or their due share of profits. Realizing that Antwan puts every possible obstacle in their way and would go to great lengths to prevent the duo’s attempts to get the code out. Chaos results!
Conclusion – Free Guy Movie Review
Though consistently thin on logic or reason, Free Guy touches on a few pertinent topics. Today’s generation focuses way too much on their online presence, on Avatars that are far from their real-life personas, and gaming activities that are violence-laden or illegal – it’s a world tilting dangerously towards fantasy and illusion (and not always the good kind). Emotions are bottled and sidelined (mostly the positive ones) and we are letting our lives be taken over by the imaginary – as our realities are fraught with anxiety, stress, and mental pressure. In its rather unusual way, it emphasizes on an oft-forgotten principle, that all things in life are not decided by violence or trickery.
With all its failings, Free Guy still manages to be quite watchable, and Ryan Reynolds is good as usual (though getting a little stereotyped, in my opinion). But his thunder is easily stolen by Jodie Comer, who with her dual role characteristics (as the vulnerable Millie and strong and confident Molotov Girl) is quite outstanding. This movie is definitely an above-average watch and strongly recommended!
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