Free Guy (2021) Review

Free Guy (2021)

Free Guy follows Blue Shirt Guy, an NPC in the world of Free Town, who, after meeting the girl of his dreams, realizes there’s more to life and breaks the rules of the game to become the hero of his own story. 

I have to admit, when it comes to video game movies, especially after Warner Bros. has butchered the landscape with overloaded messes like Ready Player One, I’ve started to approach them with a certain level of caution. That said, Free Guy not only far exceeded my incredibly low expectations but even surprised a great deal with its deeper, introspective views on whether advanced artificial intelligence are worthy life, in their own capacity. Think the madness of games like GTA and Fortnite, paired with a thematic style that draws from the likes of The Matrix, Wreck-It Ralph, The Truman Show, and They Live, offering a meta-examination of fate vs free will in a digital world that may not be real, but the characters very much are, particularly as they grow and evolve into free-thinking beings. 

Aside from the deeper message it conveys, Free Guy is also just flat out fun. With so many moving parts, it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos, but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable chaos that puts emphasis on the story (and all of its moral quandaries), as well as the rebellious relationship that forms between Guy and Millie/Molotov Girl (that is clearly inspired by The Lego Movie). 

We get a super enjoyable cast here too, starring Channing Tatum, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Taika Waititi, Joe Keery, Jodie Comer, and Ryan Reynolds. If you’re a fan of Reynolds going full Ryan Reynolds, then you’ll love his turn as Blue Shirt Guy, who is just as snarky, hilarious, and charming as usual, but damn, if Comer doesn’t absolutely kill it with such a badass and alluring performance that you’ll sure to fall in love with. 

Free Guy, directed by Shawn Levy, is a highly entertaining mishmash of classic ideas and films, with loads of heart and humor and fun, that if it doesn’t get you with its zany antics, will certainly capture you with it’s interesting thoughts on the humanity of artificial intelligence. 

9.4/10