The following contains minor spoilers for Free Guy.
While the blockbuster movie scene is dominated by sequels and remakes, every once in a while, we get the sort of original concept for a movie... that is probably going to spawn endless sequels and remakes. These franchises have to start somewhere, after all. Of course, the fact that Ryan Reynolds' new comedy Free Guy spends some time poking fun at franchise entertainment maybe makes the film's early success a bit ironic. Still, based on the response that Free Guy is getting from fans, we have a new hit on our hands.
Free Guy's opening weekend box office was solid for what we consider to be solid in these pandemic days. But what's clear is that almost without exception, the people who have seen Free Guy absolutely love it. The story of the video game NPC who develops a mind of his own has fans excited in ways that we just haven't seen in a long time. Maybe it's because the movie is only available to see in theaters. Or maybe it's just because people love Ryan Reynolds. Whatever the reason, Free Guy feels like it's seeing a lot more social media chatter than other recent releases. Here's a look at just why Free Guy is winning over fans.
Free Guy Is Hilarious
Ryan Reynolds is really good at making people laugh. That's not exactly news, but between Deadpool movies and making fun of Hugh Jackman or a regular basis, there's never any shortage of jokes being flung around by the actor. Reynolds shows just how funny he is Free Guy. He's free of his full body Marvel costume, but he's certainly not alone. Taika Waititi is hilarious and Lil Rey Howley is funny. Basically everybody in Free Guy is humorous, making for one of the funniest movies fans have seen in some time, possibly ever.
The premise of Free Guy, that a video game NPC begins to act against his programming and cause his own brand of havoc inside a popular video game, is ripe for comedy, and the movie certainly delivers. Having said that, while gamers will certainly enjoy the humor, they're not the only ones who will. The movie is quite accessible and just as good even if you're not much of a gamer.
Having said all that, the thing that maybe pushes Free Guy from good movie to potentially great one is that it's much more than just funny.
Free Guy Has Surprising Heart
From all the trailers and other advertising that we saw in the lead-up to Free Guy, it was clear that the movie was going to be funny. What wasn't clear, however, was how potentially emotional the movie about video games was going to be. There's some real heart to be found in Free Guy, and the movie makes you care not just about the "real world" characters in the story, but the digital ones as well.
Considering the sort of year that so many of us have had, a movie that makes us feel good, that makes us want to see a better world, is just the sort of story that many of us clearly need. And it's just as clear that Free Guy is really getting emotional reactions from audiences. Nobody was really expecting this side of the movie going into it, and so maybe it's the surprise of it all that makes it work so well. Either way, people have found something really meaningful here.
Even international pop stars have discovered that Free Guy is something special. Mariah Carey has apparently seen the movie multiple times. Of course, she just may be getting a kick out of the fact that one of her songs has a key role in the film.
So Free Guy is really funny and heartfelt. With a combination like that, it's really no surprise that people are loving this movie, and it's not just enjoyable, but meaningful. But there's one more thing that maybe makes Free Guy a movie that is a big hit with fans.
Best. Video Game Movie. Ever?
At its core, Free Guy is a movie that takes place largely in a video game world. So if you are a gamer, there are a lot of jokes and references made specifically for you. While Hollywood continues to try and make successful films out of popular video games, what seems clear is that there is more success in making movies with the concept of games than there is making movies based on specific games franchises people like to play. Free Guy is certainly one of these, but possibly the best one of these.
It works if you like to play games and it's fun for those that like to watch others play games. Free Guy includes cameos from some big names in the game streaming world, and it pokes some fun at video games, both as a medium and as an industry. The popularity of video game streaming today is an important part of the film's story. The movie has its fun, but it never makes fun of people who are seriously into video games. It makes its references, but it is never dependent on them in the way that some other similarly structured films have been.
There are several more elements that fans love in Free Guy that should probably get a shout-out. This is being called a breakout role for Jodie Comer, who played both Millie and her in-game alter ego Molotov Girl. Taika Waititi plays a hilarious villain. Chris Evans' cameo in the film blew people away as one of the more unexpected moments. There is just a lot to love about Free Guy.
While Free Guy won't break any box office records, there is apparently already interest in making a sequel, and one has to believe that the positive word of mouth is the big reason for that. While certainly not everybody loves Free Guy in quite the same way, most of the crowd seems to be really on board this one. They're certainly ready to play some more.
