By akademiotoelektronik, 08/01/2023

Free Guy: the surprise feel good movie of summer 2021? our review

Our opinion9 10

In this period marked by gloom, during which blockbusters are all too often sequels to franchises established for years, it is good to taste a little freshness. And freshness, Free Guy has it in spades. Directed by the director of the very sympathetic Night at the Museum, this film that no one really expected has the effect of a concentrate of happiness. Carried by a Ryan Reynolds in top form, Shawn Levy's film has achieved the feat of offering a show for all audiences that is both intelligent and generous that does not take its audience for a marketing target. Venturing into terrain similar to that surveyed by Spielberg in Ready Player One, Free Guy deals with artificial intelligence and video games with a sincerity and a palpable love, without the spectator ever feeling taken for an endive. . Combining careful writing with slick and impeccable production, Free Guy is to this day neither more nor less than one of the best films ever released in the video game universe. Funny, endearing, moving and thrilling from start to finish, Free Guy is by far the best surprise of this year 2021.

Beware of prejudice

Since the recent reopening of theaters, the trailer for Free Guy has been widely released. Intrigued, the spectators discover what seems to be yet another action comedy to the glory of Ryan Reynolds. And it's certainly because these trailers mainly use images from the first 20 minutes of Shawn Levy's new film that this impression is there. However, Free Guy is much more than just a schoolboy comedy set in the world of video games.

Because where Spielberg has, according to many, failed in his representation of the video game universe through Ready Player One, by offering a vision that is certainly spectacular but rather dated in his way of approaching the world of video games, Shawn Levy has succeeded in deliver an incredibly fair and far more topical film. However, it is screenwriter Zak Penn who signs the script for these two feature films, and we are very far from what many believed to be a sort of sequel / copy of the very average Pixels by Chris Colombus with Adam Sandler.

A film that recalls the best of science fiction

In a world reminiscent of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, an NPC (non-playable character whose actions are programmed) played by Ryan Reynolds is suddenly given free will and a conscience. Soon, he will be led to use his faculties for a cause on which his whole universe rests...

Fans of anticipation and science fiction will think of Ready Player One, but not only. Like Jim Carrey in Truman Show, the character of Ryan Reynolds discovers that his whole universe is artificial and orchestrated to satisfy an audience. As in Dark City, Guy discovers that his city is fake and his memories were fabricated. As in The Matrix, a computer anomaly will give an ordinary man the power to change things. We have seen worse as comparisons, and it is to excellent feature films that have become cults that this new film from the director of the very good Real Steel with Hugh Jackman reminds us.

A future classic?

Like many works that have become classics today, Free Guy is a film that can satisfy several audiences. While children will certainly find it cool entertainment, older viewers will better grasp the depth of the plot, while pop culture fans will perceive many references. And these references, something rare enough to point out, are never forced. No heaviness in the winks addressed to connoisseurs by Shawn Levy, quite the contrary. When the director uses a known universe, it is always with relevance, taking care to intelligently integrate his geek references into his feature film.

Unlike Space Jam 2, Ready Player One or Wreck-It Ralph, which did more fan-service than anything else, here we are faced with a film that displays its references only out of passion, and never by foot call, a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Gremlins 2 in their time.

A real good movie

Whether you know the world of video games or not, Free Guy is accessible and no one will feel left out. The story, although set in a geek universe, remains a universal narrative that appeals to major themes: love, the search for identity and purpose in life, the difficulty of creation, art, and criticism of the consumer society.

On the production side, there are no flaws to highlight. The pacing is good, the images are beautiful, and the time is never long. The actors are all impeccable. Interpretation level, everything is in tune. Ryan Reynolds (who produces the film) reassures us with a much more controlled character than the one he interpreted without conviction in the laborious Hitman & Bodyguard 2, Jodie Corner offers herself two diametrically opposed roles in which she excels, and Taika Waititi treats herself as a stupid and nasty bad guy.

It's very simple: we have NOTHING to reproach Free Guy for. Is it the anxiety-provoking period that pushes us to be enthusiastic about a film full of good vibes? Is it because we expected nothing that we were surprised? Or is it simply because Free Guy is really THE good surprise for this summer of 2021? To find out, see you in theaters from August 11, 2021.