Every time a new video game movie comes out there’s the underlying fear of how bad it can turn out to be. However, judging from first impressions across several media outlets and critics, it seems like Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy has struck in-game digital gold.
Rather than adapting a well-known video game franchise, Matt Lieberman’s original screenplay (The Addams Family) focuses on Guy, an NPC character whose in-game life is suddenly rocked when he finds out the nature of his existence. Free Guy adopts GTA open-world gaming standards that, when mixed with Reynolds' masterful advertising, modern Fortnite references, and Deadpool's long-awaited MCU crossover, have really ramped up expectations for the film.
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For example, over at Collider, Steven Weintraub even theorized the idea that Free Guy “might be the best video game movie ever made” for the way it makes audiences feel that they’re actually inside Free City, overall plauding the film for how fun it is and including a few unexpected surprises. This feeling was echoed by Fandango’s Nikki Novak, who praised Reynolds for his Ted Lasso-type role and called for his co-star Jodie Comer to get movie star status in future Marvel projects.
Rotten Tomatoes editor-in-chief Joel Meares defined Free Guy as “one of the freshest-feeling, genuinely funny, and surprisingly moving big-budget adventure movies in years,” which really bodes well for it to achieve a certified fresh rating once it officially releases on August 13. Meanwhile, Gamespot’s Chris E. Hayner complimented the movie for just how over-the-top it can be, plus the way it crams so many gaming easter eggs and jokes that will surely resonate with a full theater crowd.
Despite Free Guy being overwhelmingly liked for its video game credentials, most reviewers pointed out that it won’t alienate non-gamers from enjoying what is simply an incredibly fun and light-hearted feel-good movie. Besides Reynolds being joined by Taika Waititi and the rest of the cast, Free Guy also features plenty of high-profile cameos by Dwayne Johnson, Hugh Jackman, John Krasinski, Tina Fey, Ninja, and Pokimane, as well as a posthumous appearance from the late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.
It bears repeating what Deadpool said in his trailer reaction video because Free Guy will not be available on Disney Plus, it is only being screened as part of its theatrical release for now. From the looks of it, Free Guy definitely has more in common with Disney's Wreck-It Ralph rather than Monster Hunter, so for those who can do it safely, it's very well worth watching inside a movie theater, as stated by so many critics.
Free Guy is scheduled for release in theaters on August 13, 2021.
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Sources: @NikkiNovak; @joelmeares; @ChrisHayner/Twitter, Steven Weintraub/Twitter
