I would never play Free City if it were a real game. I mean, who would play a game where every avatar had to wear sunglasses by default?
As illogical as Free City would be as an actual online multiplayer game, it works very well from a story perspective, moreso than almost any other world in a video game movie. Story and character moments happen all over the game world, cementing them as important and making them stand out. Some of the characters act cheesy, and yes, a lot of the video game lingo they use can be a bit cringey, but I get where they're coming from. This movie has to satisfy both casual moviegoers, as well as those who know video games like the backs of their hands. There's almost no way they can cater to one audience without alienating the other, but I think Free Guy does a good job balancing the two. It's accessible, but also rewarding for gamers.
I didn't have a good time watching this movie... I had a great time. I really liked that the real story had its roots in the "real world", like a reverse Ready Player One. It made it feel more grounded, in a way. And even though there's a sincere, honest story about a ripped-off video game developer at its core, it doesn't take itself too seriously. At all. And that's what sets movies like Free Guy apart from other video game movies (or, video game-adjacent, I suppose): it just has fun with the world, the characters, the scenarios. This movie has more heart while it's being insincere than any other video game movie has in any given frame.
Maybe it's Ryan Reynolds? It might just be Ryan Reynolds. Who can say?
Review by JonTheMantisBlockedParent2021-09-05T03:59:24Z
I would never play Free City if it were a real game. I mean, who would play a game where every avatar had to wear sunglasses by default?
As illogical as Free City would be as an actual online multiplayer game, it works very well from a story perspective, moreso than almost any other world in a video game movie. Story and character moments happen all over the game world, cementing them as important and making them stand out. Some of the characters act cheesy, and yes, a lot of the video game lingo they use can be a bit cringey, but I get where they're coming from. This movie has to satisfy both casual moviegoers, as well as those who know video games like the backs of their hands. There's almost no way they can cater to one audience without alienating the other, but I think Free Guy does a good job balancing the two. It's accessible, but also rewarding for gamers.
I didn't have a good time watching this movie... I had a great time. I really liked that the real story had its roots in the "real world", like a reverse Ready Player One. It made it feel more grounded, in a way. And even though there's a sincere, honest story about a ripped-off video game developer at its core, it doesn't take itself too seriously. At all. And that's what sets movies like Free Guy apart from other video game movies (or, video game-adjacent, I suppose): it just has fun with the world, the characters, the scenarios. This movie has more heart while it's being insincere than any other video game movie has in any given frame.
Maybe it's Ryan Reynolds? It might just be Ryan Reynolds. Who can say?