Free Guy

 

Movie, 2021, PG-13 

Premise - A man named "Guy" doesn't realize that he is an NPC (a non-player character) in a video game, merely an artificial intelligence code that has evolved its own consciousness. When he starts to understand that life around him is a game, he wants to find something more meaningful and even fall in love.

 

Review - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and yet, having watched it about a week ago now, I'm finding it somewhat forgettable. It's like I had a good time while watching it, but the stories and the characters don't stick with me well enough to have me going around recommending the film, or thinking about the consequences of the lore, or even remembering some of the jokes. The purpose of this film is not to just to evoke laughs, but have us thinking about the weight of the potential for artificial intelligence. That depth didn't land for me as much as I would have liked.

That said, I appreciated the storytelling and particularly the love story between our two real-life characters, Keys and Millie. I found the burgeoning love story between Guy and Millie very uncomfortable considering she had NO idea who this person was in real life (assuming he was a real-life player, which she thought at first), and based on his innocent behavior, he could have EASILY been some 12-year-old kid on the internet. That love story was weird. But the implications of Millie falling for Guy because he was an algorithm written by Keys, who knows her better than anyone, was really sweet. I love friends-to-lovers plotlines. (76/100)

 

Quote - "It's like losing my virginity but in my mouth"

What to watch for - I was happily surprised to see a cameo from the legendary Channing Tatum. Also Chris Evans has got a quick Marvel cameo that's pretty funny.

 

If you liked this movie, I'd recommend The Lego Movie!

 

Directed by Shawn Levy

Distributed by 20th Century Studios