Free Guy

This movie was much better than I expected. It was enjoyable throughout, paced well, and cast exceptionally. The major strength of this movie is in how damn likeable this cast is. I'm not sure anyone could have done this other than Ryan Reynolds. I'd recommend a watch.

It gave me that Master Builder meets Neo vibe. Down to songs, "Everything is Awesome" and Mariah's "Fantasy" playing constantly in the background.

Nevertheless, I really, really enjoyed this movie with my wife and son, along with 3 others in the theater. It felt good coming back to an actual theater. I always waited at the end of a movie's run until I go out watch and this kind of felt like that. But, this was the very first movie I watched on opening day. And this was a real good one to watch.

I entered the movie expecting to laugh out loud, and I did. Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi are comedic geniuses. What I didn't expect is the great chemistry between Ryan and Jodie Comer. Their relationship carried the movie.

Also, the trailer and the first act made us believe that it's the generic "we live in a simulation" movie like many others. But, as we progress, the movie becomes its own thing. And it's fantastic.

While the majority of video game movies suck due to not being like the game they're based on, Free Guy has the advantage of being an original story based in a video game. Ryan Reynolds performance as Guy is great as per usual, the plot is original enough to be interesting, and the comedy (for me) hits right! Without getting into the spoilers, the pop culture references work better than expected. The only complaint I have is the streamer cameos were kind of dumb and they spent way too much time with them. Besides that Free Guy is a great popcorn movie and I highly recommend it!

For the first 20 or so minutes of "Free Guy" I was enthralled. As I watched the film on HBO Max, I called my wife over the watch and we both laughed and enjoyed the film. However, as the film progressed the movie lost some of its momentum...and this slowed to a crawl later in the movie. Why? Well, the same problem with "Free Guy" is the same with "Pokémon Detective Pikachu" (incidentally, both starring the likable Ryan Reynolds)....plot. Or, more like it, too much plot. Both films did great jobs world building but after that, they both seemed to insist too much on a plot involving a baddie...which is very formulaic but also reduced the magic from the story. I would have rather seen more of the exciting world in both...and less baddies.

The story is an odd one...one that is similar to combining "The Truman Show", "Pokémon Detective Pikachu", "They Live", and an online game that plays a bit like "Grand Theft Auto"! And, the main character, Guy (Reynolds), is an NPC (a non-player character) in a massive world created for online gamers. However, something odd happens.... Guy begins to develop consciousness...and it is driven home when he dons a pair of sunglasses. Suddenly, he can see power ups, health power ups and more! What's next? Well, a baddie...and one whose motivations were vague.

Overall, the film is still worth watching...it's good. But the momentum which is going so fast when the film begins just can't be maintained through the course of the film.

By the way, there are no extra scenes. When the movie ends and the end titles begins, the story is over...just in case you're tempted to keep watching.