A mundane life chained to the norm. The titular character Guy is just a regular happy-go-lucky gentle soul, happy to wake up every morning and get his favourite cup of coffee from his favourite barista before he heads to a very predictable day at work as a bank teller. After living every day knowing exactly what is going to happen, he soon discovers that he is actually a non-player-character (NPC) in a massively multiplayer online (MMO) video game called “Free City”. It’s within this “Free City” that Guy meets Molotov Girl, who is hell-bent on completing her own personal mission regardless of the risks. Through meeting her and discovering that his existence is as simple as 1s and 0s, Guy decides to break free and choose his own path – leveling up and becoming the hero of his game.
This movie start to finish has a lot of heart, as to be expected from a Disney film. In addition to its star-studded cast with plenty of small cameos made by even bigger stars (Tina Fey, I see you girl & WHAT STRINGS DO YOU HAVE TO PULL TO GET HUGH JACKMAN??) there are so many cute, funny, and downright iconic easter eggs and references for the gamers out there. I never thought I’d ever seen Ryan Reynolds wielding a Fortnite Rainbow Smash pickaxe but boy, has 2021 delivered. Being tied to Disney also paved the way for other amazing moments tied to other franchises as well, so look forward to seeing some other amazing references too. The film’s story itself moved at a pretty steady pace, at times there were a bit too many ongoing storylines happening at the same time as scenes switched back and forth, sometimes making it a little difficult to keep up. Ultimately, anything you might have missed you’ll still be able to understand where the movie takes you and why due to the simplicity of the storyline in the first place. Free Guy does an excellent job of keeping the audience engaged and sprinkling in a little bit of Reynolds’ trademark humor here and there.
While this movie does a great job of entertaining, with the exception of Guy, the majority of the characters lack depth. Very little effort is put towards character development and so it leads to many of them being very one-dimensional. Molotov Girl gets a bit more development than the rest of the cast, however, Jodie Comer’s performance certainly leaves you wanting more. Taika Waititi’s performance of Antwon hits a bit of a sore spot in particular, as he plays a very large role as the antagonist, and despite plenty of screentime, Antwon feels very superficial with very little real motivation for anything. It becomes confusing what really motivates this character and his actions besides “money”. The audience only really gets a bit of a peek under the mask towards the very end of the movie, during the confrontation between video-game programmer, Keys and again during the confrontation between Antwon and Millie, Key’s friend and ex-programming partner. All-in-all, Free Guy is a simplistic film and a perfect choice should you need a light chuckle and a good time. 7.5/10.
– Samantha Jolin
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