Mini Film Review – Free Guy

I have just seen Free Guy; and it was really good! Directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Joe Keery; Free Guy is a comedy about an NPC (Non Player Character) in a video game, who realizes that he and the world he is in is not real! The premise to the film is very familiar, as it’s basically the same idea as the book Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw; which also follows the life of an NPC that becomes self aware. Free Guy is set in a different world though, and from the start, is soo funny (not saying Mogworld isn’t, as it too is rather funny, but you may struggle to get the jokes if you’re not into video games)! It begins by showing train wreck levels of action, as a city is under siege, but at the same time paints the life of our hero as an ordinary character in the game. The story develops at a nice pace too, starting off small before ending in an epic fashion, and this is all built on a superb cast that includes (but is not limited to) all the above, as well as Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi. Many of the game’s clever quirks are built on the real lives of gamer and online culture, creating really cool parodies of this life style. The inner workings of the game world though is where the real action is found. The film in many respects is like many things that has come before it. From a foundation level it’s a cross between Deadpool and The Lego Movie; but set in the world of the Saint’s Row video game series. But as the film builds pace, it gets bigger, and climbs to an epic scale; featuring some of the essences of the most standout comedy movies of the last decade; including both Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It’s a comedy epic, with lots of laughs, and many things that would bring a smile to your face; but it doesn’t forget to add a little bit of heart too!