Free Guy had to wait a year to come out. But I'm glad it's here now. It's a delightful video game-inspired comedy from director Shawn Levy and writers Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. Here's the review, at long last:
That's because Free City is an online video game. Guy is one of its many NPCs. One day, Guy meets Molotov Girl, the avatar of programmer Millie Rusk (Jodie Comer), and decides to deviate from his pre-programmed routine. He stops the next robbery and steals the player's sunglasses which lets him see power-ups, the HUD, etc. Guy decides to level up with good guy missions. He becomes an internet star overnight.
It turns out that Free City was built with stolen code that Millie and her ex-partner, Walter (Joe Keery) developed. She needs proof, though, and Guy is the perfect partner for her mission. She doesn't have much time as the game's publisher, Antwan (Taika Waititi), is ready to release Free City 2. And that means a digital apocalypse for Free City 1.
Its main Guy is walking optimism, which is bound to captivate and/or frustrate cynical players. His existential quest inspires other NPCs to reevaluate their lives. His existential crisis halfway through leads to an interesting discourse on the reality of fictional characters. Overall, he's sure to endear himself to his real-life audiences. The script's only flaw is Guy getting rebooted and temporarily memory wiped; it disrupts the flow of the impending digital apocalypse.
What about the supporting cast? Millie and Walter have a strong romantic subplot, while Antwan is a perfectly funny and dangerous manchild. Molotov Girl and Guy's own digital romantic subplot is as real as any great romcom's. The wanton mayhem in Free City and its NPCs' chipper reaction to it all is hysterical. It gets profound when they reevaluate their digital lives; it's especially so with Guy's NPC best friend, Buddy (Lil Rey Howery).. The best surprise is Antwan's secret weapon, Dude, played by Aaron Reed with Reynolds' deepfaked face.
Oh yeah, the deepfaked face. It's so seamless and unnerving at the same time. It's an hysterical combination. There's also some obvious CGI used for some outstanding video game feats. A highlight is a scene where Guy evades two moderators (Walter and his co-worker, Mouser) in a shifting construction site with super shoes. Production Designer Ethan Tobman perfectly renders Boston into Free City. Editor Dean Zimmerman gets a few laughs by switching between worlds. Let's not forget a good score by Christophe Beck.
Free Guy seems like a bright and earnest action comedy. It actually is. It's also a smart and profound existential video game-inspired story. Free City's world gives one a lot to think about. See it in theaters if you can; stay safe if you do. It'll also make a great home matinee once it's ready. Just see it on the biggest screen you can. It's sure to be a winner in this dour year.
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