4/10 Another example of Rotten Tomatoes getting it wrong (82% at time of this post), “Free Guy” has a few positive qualities going for it but ends up being a pretty dumb, predictable, unfunny, forgettable movie that will have zero impact upon the viewer. Borrowing heavily from other video game themed movies like “Wreck It Ralph”, “Pixels”, “Ready Player One” (especially noticeable since the writer of that film co-wrote this one), etc., the plot feels far too familiar and the ending all too predictable. Bragging that this is an original IP (not a sequel, prequel, remake or based off of an already existing property) feels disingenuous when you borrow from so many other films. There are probably two jokes that landed and had me laughing but 98% of the jokes fall flat and are trying way too hard. I love Ryan Reynolds, as he is extremely charismatic and always a likeable screen presence but he continues to play the same character over and over and it gets more stale the more he does it. I’d love to see him mix things up with a serious role like he has in the past (“Buried”, “Life”, “Mississippi Grind”, etc.). So while he is always enjoyable to watch, his shtick is getting old. His co-star Jodie Comer was fantastic and since I’ve yet to check out “Killing Eve”, this is the first role of hers I have seen and I really enjoyed her here. She has a pair of Ridley Scott films coming up so I am excited to see her break out in a big way and I want to check out some of her past work. The rest of the cast is great with Taika Waititi being the stand out for me but we also get some great turns from Joe Keery and Lil Rel Howery. This movie also has some amazing cameos (most of them just being voices of other celebrities who are friends with Reynolds in real life so see if you can spot them) but one actor had a larger role than I thought and he was pretty hilarious. The cast, cameos and heart did work well and the movie is enjoyable but the script largely falls flat in terms of originality and humor, the overused CGI won’t age well, the score was forgettable and the movie reeks of trying too hard. There is also a ton of blatant and shameless product placement to be found here. Hardcore video game players might appreciate it more (I’m pretty sure they used real Twitch/YouTube gaming people but since I don’t follow any of that, I could be wrong) but your average movie goer won’t care. There was some clunky exposition near the beginning and many over the top aspects. In the end, if you set your expectations low, this might be an ok rental but definitely not worth seeing in theaters. In a free city, most people wouldn’t choose this game over other, better games available.
#ThePlaytrix / #NPCNoticeablyPredictableContent / #MyEvilSkin / #PublicServerEnemies / #GodCode / #GlitchPerfect
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