Free Guy

Matthew Preston: “It ruled.”

If you've spent any amount of time playing online video games, you have to watch this. It does a good job of making fun, but still honoring, the genre. Ryan Reynolds does play himself again, but it works, on so many levels. And holy hell, the performance from Taika Waititi is one of the best I've seen from films this year. His comedic presence and timing brings this flick into the "It ruled" territory.

− December 26, 2021 • more by Matthew • log in or create an account to reply

Scott Hardie: Yes, the trailer looked hilarious. I don't play online games because they don't line up with my weird obsessive habits while playing video games, but I do watch videos of online play in games like Grand Theft Auto Online, and man is that world ripe for satire. It's just so cartoonishly ridiculous with explosions and gunfire and then bystanders going back to normal a few seconds later like nothing happened. :-) I'll check this out. − December 26, 2021 • more by Scott

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Evie Totty: “It ruled.”

This movie was so fun to watch (and relate to as a gamer).

Reynolds indeed played himself again, but that was what the character warranted.

I've been impatiently waiting for it to move to streaming so I can watch again.

I loved seeing this from the side of the NPCs - because I can't tell you how many times I have literally cried over their fates in game, ragardless of the knowledge that they are just pixels on a screen.

Waititi is hilarious in his role and I thoroughly enjoyed watching his antics.

− December 27, 2021 • more by Evie • log in or create an account to reply

Scott Hardie: I am relieved to know that I am not the only person who has been moved by the fates of NPCs. :-) − December 27, 2021 • more by Scott

Evie Totty: Crap. What I put won't show because it has a symbol.

So: "heart" − December 27, 2021 • more by Evie

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Scott Hardie: “It was ok.”

This was amusing, and I laughed a few times. There were a ridiculous number of celebrity cameos and a few clever little moments that parodied open-world action video games. And the pandemic delays appear to have favored it, giving them more time for reshoots and additional material. But ultimately, I wanted more: The movie spent so much time on its plot, the outline of which became predictable very early, that it didn't make enough room for jokes. It left a lot of material on the table regarding these kinds of games and the people who play them (though it did find time for some tired old "Mom's basement" gamer jokes) and I was unsatisfied. The Matrix Resurrections made cleverer use of similar material in just its first half-hour, and it wasn't even a comedy.

− March 27, 2022 • more by Scott • log in or create an account to reply

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