It's always a rewarding feeling when a film that doesn't look very good upon first glance from the trailers, ends up genuinely surprising with it's quality. It helps that the films charismatic lead is a reliable star in the action-comedy genre. With Free Guy, director Shawn Levy takes a concept that bears strong similarities to films like The Truman Show and Ready Player One and makes it feel fresh with Ryan Reynolds as the lead. Originally planned to be released in 2020, the film was delayed in release due to last years pandemic with the film now landing in theaters. Those wondering whether the film is any good will be pleased to hear that Free Guy is worth the wait as it not only surprises as a slick action-comedy, but puts a clever spin on its concept.
Free Guy's plot centers around a bank teller (Ryan Reynolds) discovering that he's actually a background player in an open-world video game. He then decides to become the hero of his own story in a version that he can rewrite himself. Free Guy's concept works as being an ideal vehicle for Reynolds given that it capitalizes on his hugely likable persona, while adding enough charm to make its plot appealing. Despite elements of its story feeling lifted from other films, Free Guy feels like solid Popcorn-filled entertainment that doesn't take itself seriously while serving as Bubble Gum for video game fans with its showcasing of impressive special effects while providing clever self-aware humor.
The key ingredient that makes Free Guy work is the charming performances by its main cast with Reynolds delivering a charming performance. He feels perfectly-casted in his role as Guy with his character feeling similar to that of Jim Carrey's from The Truman Show with him providing the heart and soul of the story. Giving Reynold's strong support is Jodie Comer as Guys love interest Millie Rusk/Molotov Girl. Comer is charming in her role with the two sharing likable chemistry. The rest of the supporting cast back the main leads with colorful characters, who are appealing in the story. Joe Keery shines as video game developer Walter, whose code was stolen from his creation titled Life Itself and used to develop the open world named Free City. Lil Rel Howery is fun to watch Guy's best friend and co-worker Buddy, whose oblivious to the fact that they're both background characters in a game world. Taika Waititi is effective as crooked video game developer Antoine, who tries to shut down both Guy and the game as well. Other noteworthy performances include Utkarsh Ambudkar as Walter's friend/partner in creating the latter's game world, and Channing Tatum in a hilarious cameo as an in-game Avatar. The performances from Free Guy's cast has much to do with why it's so enjoyable to watch with Ryan Reynolds being allowed complete freedom to put his charismatic presence on full display in a way that makes his character completely relatable and engaging.
On a technical front, director Levy gives the story the appropriate look and style which makes audiences believe that they're in the gaming world themselves. He gives the film an upbeat mood that makes the story feel both cheerful and energetic, while providing game-style violence consisting of typical shootouts, explosions, and car chases. Free City is given a crisp look with colors which not only give it a bright presence, but also a sense of heightened reality. That combined with the films set designs help direct the audience in knowing when they're in the real world and entering the game one. The film carries a strong sense of pacing with it knowing when to pause the action to develop the characters before presenting the next big action sequence. The soundtrack consists of unexpectedly fun songs that add to the hilarity of the plot with one example in particular being the inclusion of Mariah Carey's Fantasy being cleverly inserted with the pay-off being rewarding. On a directorial note, Levy does a fine job of crafting a story that feels like a love letter to gamers while making the experience exciting for audiences.
The screenwriting is serviceable with the films main issues stemming from the familiarity of its plot, including a heavy reliance on elements from previous films with similar concepts. Guy's character is presented as being paper-thin with him not carry much backstory, prompting Reynold's performance to help make him an effective lead. The plot often finds itself feeling formulaic though Guy's romantic subplot with Molotov girl is fairly well-established to where the audience does care about their dynamic. Other areas where the script showcases its strength are its attempts to be twisty in playing with both reality and fiction in a style similar to both The Truman Show and Last Action Hero. The moments involving the fleshing out of the key characters in between the action are where the film truly works such as the audience witnessing Guy's reaction to figuring out that he's a background character in Free City, along with him asking his friend Buddy about his feelings towards being an extra in a video game. Characters such as Antoine however, feel like cardboard cutouts from other films, but still manage to be serviceable thanks to the actors performances. Some of the scripts fun bits include pop culture references and hilarious twists such as Guy fighting a more muscular version of himself along with surprise cameos that'll thrill audiences. As a whole, Free Guy's writing is decent with the writers structuring a story that's not only energetic but speaks to gamers in a way that's thoroughly entertaining and ultimately enjoyable.
With Free Guy's plot, the film was always going to rely on its lead star to elevate it as solid popcorn entertainment, along with making his character relatable to audience. The filmmakers choose wisely with Ryan Reynolds giving the film the soul it needs with the action accompanying the story. Although it doesn't earn full points for creativity, Free Guy still delivers as a charming and sweet action-comedy that's made with a strong sense of appreciation for the gaming world, while providing audiences with an all-around good time that's largely attributed to its talented cast and Shawn Levy's skillful filmmaking in crafting an exciting frivolous experience for audiences.
Final Verdict: SEE IT
Images Courtesy Of Disney
No comments:
Post a Comment