As videogames have grown to become more culturally accepted, it seems Hollywood is keen to tap into a market it once ignored. Cue this latest trailer for Free Guy, a Ryan Reynolds vehicle that pokes fun at the absurdity of gaming. Trapped in a Grand Theft Auto inspired world, Reynold's character (named Guy) is an NPC that decides to take life into his own hands.
Breaking away from the stereotypes of being passive and dumb, he soon learns that life is more than just getting run over, shot at, or brutalized. It's a bit cliched and kind of goofy, but it's also full of the kind of insane antics that populate Rockstar's specific brand of sandbox adventures. This could almost be called Grand Theft Auto: The Movie and I'm sure people wouldn't be upset.
Free Guy is slated for a July 3, 2020, release date. Along with Reynolds, the film will also star Taika Waititi and Jodie Comer. It is directed by Shawn Levy, most famous for his work on the Night at the Museum series.
Free Guy may not be directly related to videogames, but clearly the intention is to tap into something gamers will recognize. Being set in a digital world, this gives the film the chance to really explore why people are so interested in this specific hobby. Sometimes the situations and stories we take for granted are a bit ludicrous when taken out of context. It's not exactly a new breed of comedy, but Free Guy does look to have more reverence for gaming than films in the past.
My only concern is that Reynolds seems to be leaning into his Deadpool persona a bit much. Even in Detective Pikachu, it felt more like watching a PG version of the popular Marvel character than a true representation of Pokémon. It wasn't bad, but Reynolds has almost become typecasted as Marvel's "merc with a mouth."
Still, it's not like Grand Theft Auto has starred characters that are strictly good. Those games are all about anti-heroes with foul mouths and Deadpool fits that to a tee. Free Guy might better understand its inspiration than I'm giving it credit for.
Source: YouTube