As an avid video gamer I found Free Guy entertaining and a new concept that I hadn't considered before: What would it be like as an NPC inside a marauding video game, full of people acting like jerks and role-playing as superheroes in an imaginary city? In a nutshell, it would be hellish if you weren't programmed to be a dumbed down NPC who accepts all the events in a Groundhog Day formula as part of the event, to reset multiple times per day to continue a predetermined career path once you get wiped out by gamers acting out their fantasies.
It works really well from the perspective of transitioning between an NPC programmed into accepting their inevitable fate in a rather dippy and repetitive world, then transitioning to the wearing of gamer shades that suddenly reveal all the aspects of the video game previously hidden before. I loved all the stupidity and parts borrowed from games such as GTA online - it is exactly the way people behave, with outlandish skins, makeup, weapons and abilities, simply rampaging around and collecting power-ups, ranking points and in-game cash - with enough action and invention to make this entertaining to watch. But that is where it dried up for me.
The NPC side of the movie is pretty inventive and fun, but the human side is actually quite boring. Sure, we are dull in real life, which is why we role-play to make our lives more exciting, but I found the dynamics, tension and especially the sexuality between most characters really rather unsexy and not very engrossing. The ultimate goal is to save the world, but I found this concept a bit lifeless beyond the realm of the NPC trying to survive within a game, so it became obvious and cheesy when transitioning between real-life programmers/gamers and the adaptive life of NPCs.
Even so, the action and concept made this a good watch and I recommend it for younger audiences and anyone who has an interest in video games. Although not as good, it reminded me of Wreckit Ralph, which is equally fun, silly and innovative. Free Guy gets a decent thumbs up for entertainment and innovation.
It works really well from the perspective of transitioning between an NPC programmed into accepting their inevitable fate in a rather dippy and repetitive world, then transitioning to the wearing of gamer shades that suddenly reveal all the aspects of the video game previously hidden before. I loved all the stupidity and parts borrowed from games such as GTA online - it is exactly the way people behave, with outlandish skins, makeup, weapons and abilities, simply rampaging around and collecting power-ups, ranking points and in-game cash - with enough action and invention to make this entertaining to watch. But that is where it dried up for me.
The NPC side of the movie is pretty inventive and fun, but the human side is actually quite boring. Sure, we are dull in real life, which is why we role-play to make our lives more exciting, but I found the dynamics, tension and especially the sexuality between most characters really rather unsexy and not very engrossing. The ultimate goal is to save the world, but I found this concept a bit lifeless beyond the realm of the NPC trying to survive within a game, so it became obvious and cheesy when transitioning between real-life programmers/gamers and the adaptive life of NPCs.
Even so, the action and concept made this a good watch and I recommend it for younger audiences and anyone who has an interest in video games. Although not as good, it reminded me of Wreckit Ralph, which is equally fun, silly and innovative. Free Guy gets a decent thumbs up for entertainment and innovation.