REVIEW: ‘Free Guy’ Starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer Wants You to Level Up

Directed by Shawn Levy, Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi is about to change how you view gaming culture one laugh and smile at a time. 

Ryan Reynolds stars as NPC (Non-Playing Character) Guy and becomes known as Blue Shirt Guy, as his NPC peers and real-life players have no idea that their world is about to be turned upside down. Guy is a modern-day Truman Show character and a fan of mid-90s pop divas. He gets up each day in the morning, chooses from a collection of the same blue shirt as he says hello to his goldfish, and heads to work at the bank.

But it’s not your average walk to work as Guy has to dodge flame throwers, car chases, robberies, and old ladies that lost their cat and are screaming for help. From there, we meet his bank security guard friend, rightfully named Buddy, played by Lil Rel Howery. They get the same cup of coffee at the local coffee spot, cream, and two sugars, nothing more, along with everyone else in the shop. There are no triple shot mocha matcha lattes here, because well, they were never programmed that way. Instead, they were programmed to take the same exact walk each day, where anything goes for everyone else in an ultra-violent open-world video game. 

Things begin to take a twist when we see the bank they work at, actually get robbed, by what looks like a high-level gaming character in the most violent way. Everyone, like clockwork, throws up their hands and jumps to the floor, and we see Buddy and Guy casually planning the rest of their day as glass shatters all around them. But, according to Guy, it’s not just a good day; it’s a great day, every day. This quote becomes his mantra as we see this scenario happen every time he wakes up. 

Breaking NPC character, Guy is star-struck when he sees a woman passing by on the street singing a cover of “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey. Millie, aka Molotov Girl, played by Jodie Comer, is a bad-ass British gun-toting biker chick that Guy has to meet. Buddy fiercely tries to talk him out of it.

But, determined, Guy gets his hands on a pair of sunglasses that were left unattended, which have fallen off a real gamer, and once he puts them on, his world completely changes. Guy sees the actual functions of the game that he’s currently trapped in; he can now fight, shoot guns, take money, and level up. He also realizes he can access secret places that he has seen Molotov Girl enter and possibly meet the girl of his dreams. 

On the other side of the game, we learn that Millie is actually on a hunt to vindicate a particular gaming code that she created with twenty-something millennial Keys, played by Joe Keery. She feels the secret to locating the code is in the actual game, so she’s taken on her character of Molotov Girl. Keys now works for the suspected criminal, Antwan (Taika Waititi), who owns Soonmani Games and the game Guy is trapped in, called “Free City.” 

When Guy learns that Molotov Girl is on the hunt for something, including some bad dudes trying to take her out, he decides he wants to “level up” to gain points and cash to help her out and hopefully win her heart. So guy begins to do good guy deeds and not only rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, but he’s gobbling up first aid kits boosting his energy and health, enjoying all of the perks usually set aside for actual gamers. He even foils the daily robbery at the bank he used to work at, which has his friend Buddy thinking he’s lost his right NPC mind. 

Millie and Keys are completely baffled at how Guy can interact outside of his normal programming as a background character. Antwan and his developing team are equally stumped but don’t care too much because it’s making the game an even bigger hit. Sales are rocketing through the roof as Antwan anticipates the upcoming launch of “Free City 2,” which will wipe out the coding for “Blue Shirt Guy,” making it “not his problem.”

Free Guy and Guy’s journey is like playing a modern-day game for the first time; those feelings of getting used to the controls, submerging yourself in the amazing graphics and fantasy land world, realizing you can actually beat someone up, and it’s “really ok.” It will have you hilariously rethinking how you feel about the NPC’s or background characters, as the cast takes you on one wild ride of hilarious comedy, romance, and action.

The deeper story questions our emotions and AI along with its future development as its capabilities advance. The explosive action will have you on the edge of your seat, and the CGI and visual effects are super realistic and engaging. Free Guy will have gamers and non-gamers alike glued to the screen for what will happen next in this gaming film done right with loads of Easter eggs.

Reynolds is just a class act with his comedic charm, which flows perfectly with Comer’s “take no prisoners” performance and the hilariously funny Howery. Last but not least, scene-stealer Taika Waititi shows us all that he’s an iconic genius that will have you rolling in your seat as he’s like a buzzsaw comedic wordsmith. The lines just keep on coming as he nails his portrayal of his fast-talking villainous douchebag character who’s making the lives of his employees and customers miserable on his time off from his fancy life and recent Burning Man festival.

The best part of Free Guy is not just the star-studded cameos but the feel-good story underneath all the violence, explosions, and broken noses; it’s sure to put a definite smile on your face. So to see how Guy, Millie, Buddy, and Keys bring down Antwan and save Free City, run, don’t walk, to check this film out in theaters on August 13.