Is the title of one such movie meant to throw us off? Is “free” an imperative verb or an adjective? Perhaps it is a mixture of both, in the end, given the evolution of the main character. Either way, Shawn Levy’s 2021 movie has definitely captured the attention of a vast demographic, due to various reasons. Indeed, the most striking aspect is the fact that the story follows what is known as an NPC (a non-player character in a video game) who gains (self-)awareness and changes his overall destiny on a whim. This is precisely the trajectory of none other than Guy (Ryan Reynolds), whose name dictates the blandness of his life (at least in the beginning) or is meant to “replace” the familiar “Everyman” label, so as to appeal to the modern public.
Free Guy has emerged in times when gaming and live streaming, in particular, have never been more prominent (also in the aftermath of the pandemic’s low blows). Young people have increasingly turned their glances towards Twitch or YouTube streamers, who aim to constantly showcase as many entertaining walkthroughs as possible, while maintaining a form of “direct conversation” with their viewers. As expected, a couple of real-life streamers do make an appearance in Free Guy (Ninja, Jacksepticeye, LazarBeam) – and all this information reminds us of one small but crucial element: video games are no longer deemed as part of an “embarrassing” domain, belonging to the so-called “geeks”. In other words, video games are cool and dedicated to… anyone. It is a significant shift – and yet, we are not exactly provided with actual news: all in all, the former “nerds” and the self-proclaimed “cool” people are officially on an equal footing and end up manifesting similarly in virtual realities, by solely creating tougher and more intimidating versions of themselves. From this point on, gamers cannot help but wish to escape reality and exercise power and control among fellow players and even the NPCs I have introduced earlier – and this pattern is frequent in games which mostly presuppose (world) domination, robberies, missions, shootings. Trivialities as such are to be detected in Free City, the game featured in Free Guy, naturally. While the movie seems to be a critique of “virtual violence” at times (a self-standing but problematic culture of violence, by the looks of it), the focus is or should be somewhere else. Our Guy speaks up for those who are comfortable with comfort zones and blame their shortcomings on destiny, the very idea of being programmed in a specific way, from the get-go.
In reality, this is one massive topic to explore and it may sound as if it’s crammed into an inadequate film (“inadequate” purely because of the general unexpected context where the action takes place). However, it all works, in fact, since it’s made to be approachable. In addition, the movie also happens to be a conglomerate of familiar scenes and indirect references to other stories. Obviously, multiple movies begin from an idea centred around arcade / video games – Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Pixels (2015) being two examples, off the top of my head. Free Guy dares to go further by simply evoking techniques and settings used in previous films. As soon as we get introduced to Guy, we can immediately recall Emmet from The Lego Movie (2014), an ordinary Lego figure required with the ultimate task of saving the universe. Both are alike through their slightly amusing way of starting off the day: they greet inanimate objects or pets, dress up in the most monotonous clothes possible (suited to their jobs: Emmet as a construction worker and Guy as a bank teller), have some coffee to go, while jamming to cheery songs (“Everything is Awesome” and, respectively, Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”). It is easy to believe that Emmet and Guy are the stars of the show at first, only to find out that they are leading their daily lives in the background. In the case of Guy, he is quite literally a background character, having no sort of influence upon the actual players. Whenever there is an “attack” in Free City, the NPCs are bound to have the following disheartening words ringing in their minds: “Nobody try to be a hero, this will all be over soon.” The situation changes when Guy ventures to try out the sunglasses worn by players and, in the exact manner of Nada in They Live (1988), he discovers how his world actually works (going from nada to something). It takes him a while to learn that he is part of a video game, on the verge of being erased, but until then, he sets off to level up and earn points as any other player – and he stands out by doing these from the position of a “good guy”, not a reckless hotshot. Shortly, he becomes the hot topic in the gaming community, as he is watched across the world by eager fans. However, given that, 23 years earlier, Truman Burbank from The Truman Show (1998) was on everyone’s lips, as his every move would be broadcasted, it may look like our unexceptional Guy is already late to the party, in this whole scheme. What is to be appreciated, though, is that the director, Shawn Levy, was creative enough to work with an NPC and have his characters wonder, in the movie, who is behind the “heroic shenanigans” of the Blue Shirt Guy (the very idea that Guy is no more than an NPC couldn’t even cross anyone’s mind, initially).
From the moment when the protagonist secures a place under the spotlight, people are surely to have mixed opinions. Some will take delight in the secrets and hidden advantages of Free City (for why should undeserving individuals with sunglasses have the privilege of roaming in a place furnished with weapons, health boosts and free cash?). Others will condemn Guy for doing good deeds only to catch the attention of the girl he’s fallen in love with. A couple of people have even complained that the main character does not seem to truly act voluntarily, since it is later revealed that he was programmed to be constantly on the lookout for his ideal match (something which will allow him to break out of his loop and daily routine). And this is where some miss the point and, simultaneously, the charm of the movie: we are not supposed to believe that we have predestined lives (or ones that are dictated by other people), for we always have the possibility to choose. Admittedly, some situations are beyond our control (even falling in love), but what follows is still in our hands and we can always change something about ourselves. Guy does this and he somehow manages to perturb fellow NPCs, even by merely asking for cappuccino, instead of his regular medium coffee. (Once again, this follows the style in The Truman Show, where the “inhabitants” of the meticulously crafted Seahaven Island start being taken aback by Truman’s unpredictable behaviour and outbursts.)
What is even more fascinating about Guy is the fact that he alters his code and breaks out of his automatism – and a highly developed artificial intelligence as such is the result of two real-life game developers, Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery). Their plot, parallel to Guy’s, could not be dismissed at all, since both of them have to continuously fight to “save” their game (Life Itself) and prove that its engine was unrightfully used for Free City, by a corporation called Soonami. Its CEO, Antwan (Taika Waititi), resembles a slick video game character, with a captivating “skin”, but an insubstantial personality. The antithesis is clear: Antwan couldn’t care less about creativity, thriving on sequels and spin-offs, while Millie and Keys aspire towards “originality” – which is immediately a slippery terrain. What does “original” entail? At this point, we may agree with Antwan more, when he points out that people are comfortable with reboots or recreations for… recreation (their leisure time) – as long as they fulfil their fantasies. It is quite the capitalist perspective, another type of subtle critique (coming from a film which “borrows” ideas from previous productions, nevertheless). But it ought to be like this, in a postmodern landscape (still), where people are heavily influenced by what they “consume”. It is no coincidence that Millie and Keys name their game Life Itself, as they literally attempt to imitate life and come up with self-developing artificial intelligence. And, further on, it is no coincidence that Guy is programmed to fall for Millie’s character, Molotov Girl, as part of Keys’ love declaration for his co-partner and friend.
Some people may have expected more out of the movie or wished to modify things here and there. But perhaps these feelings occur just because the film isn’t “digested” in a much more light-hearted manner. It may often be challenging to fully engage with Guy (who receives a peculiar combination of naturalness and artificiality from Ryan Reynolds), but let us not forget that he is part of a game, equipped to carry a message, both to Millie and to the audience: life should be experienced “out there”; meanwhile, quality games can be of service, by setting in motion a chain of choices and some gradual growth, but all these need to be transferred into reality and applied accordingly. This is where you get to exercise free will and build worthwhile connections. This is where you don’t just shrug off injustices and linger in the background, for you do get the chance to stand up for yourself and be a hero, eventually. Shawn Levy’s biggest merit is that he came up with a modern “love letter”, encoded deep within Life Itself (and life… itself), in order to remind us that we are the ones gifting ourselves with not just “a good day, but a great day”, as Guy would put it with persistent optimism. Ultimately, Free Guy does not limit itself to numbers (whether we talk about Keys’ fascination towards 1s and 0s or Antwan’s immature obsession with money); it goes beyond awkward or actually entertaining jokes (plus a bit of gaming slang) and successfully speaks to everyone at distinct levels.
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