From the Studio That Bought You
In my review of Stillwater last week, I complained that even though it was a good movie, it wasn't an important movie that will go down in history. This week, I decided to write about the new release that is most important right now, Disney's Free Guy. I could go on and on with why Free Guy is an essential movie, but I've decided to keep it simple and focus on three reasons. Free Guy is vital because it has taken a stance in the cinema vs. streaming battle. It captures the essence of Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox and will mark the decline of superhero films and the rise of video game films.
Free Guy is essential because it took a stance in the cinema vs. streaming battle. Like A Quiet Place Part II and Old, Free Guy advertised that it would only play in theaters. Free Guy is the first Disney movie since Disney +'s launch that didn't debut on their streaming service. It didn't come straight to Disney + because the film has a pay-one TV commitment with HBO. 20th Century Fox committed before Disney acquired the studio (D'Alessandro).
The movie is essential because it captures the essence of the recent acquisition of Fox by Disney. Free Guy's pay-one TV commitment with HBO is not the only imprint that Fox has left on the movie. The trailers for Free Guy used Fox's superhero title, Deadpool, to sell the film. "From the Studio That Brought You Deadpool."
Free Guy is crucial because it is a symbolic torch-passing from superhero movies to video game movies. Since the first commercial movie screening in 1895, there has always been a most prominent genre in movies at different points in history. The first movies screened were technically documentaries. In the late teens and twenties, comedy films were trendy. Western films were well-attended from 1939 through the 1960s. Superhero movies became popular in the 2000s with Sam Raimi's Spiderman. With superhero movies now running out of source material, and video-game movies continuing to perform better and better in the box office, video game movies will likely become the next cinema fad.
As I said, I could go on and on with reasons why Free Guy is such an important movie. For this review, I decided to stick with the big three. Not only is Free Guy an important movie, but it's pretty enjoyable. Free Guy is a successful blockbuster because of its excellent plot, talent from some of the world's greatest comedy minds, and ability to capture the aesthetics of a popular modern video game.
Free Guy is a successful blockbuster because it has a well-crafted plot. The movies that do the best in the box office are fast-paced story-driven films. Free Guy follows suit. The best way to sum up Free Guy is that it's Disney's response to Ready Player One, and who wouldn't want that?
Free Guy stands out among the crowd of blockbusters because this movie stars two of the greatest comedy geniuses globally and effectively utilizes them and their abilities. These two geniuses are filmmakers and actors Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi who play the film's protagonist and antagonist. What about Green Lantern? I dare you to watch any Green Lantern scenes with Reynolds or Waititi in it. They're both reading from a rigid script that takes itself too seriously. After watching Reynold's ads that he often stars in and Taika Waititi's masterpiece, Jojo Rabbit, it's clear that Green Lantern didn't do either of them justice. Free Guy is a movie that lets these two comedic geniuses shine, reading from lines that genuinely sound like them. The characters fit the actors perfectly and vice versa.
Another element of the movie that impressed me the most was the film's aesthetic. I was surprised that the producers didn't turn the story into an animated movie like Wreck-It-Ralph. After watching Free Guy, I was impressed that it still had similar aesthetics to the popular game Fortnight even though it was live-action. They were able to achieve this look through the film's color palette and the production design. This aesthetic was adequate for the plot as a whole.
Overall, Free Guy is both an essential and good movie. The movie is critical for multiple reasons. Most of all, it's crucial because it reflects current events in the movie industry like the cinema vs. streaming battle, the recent acquisition of Fox by Disney, and the rising popularity of Video game movies. The movie also has the makings of a great blockbuster. It's story-driven, it is a collaboration from some of the best minds in Hollywood, and it effectively captures the aesthetics of a modern video game.
D’Alessandro, A. (2021, August 15). How Ryan Reynolds & Shawn Levy’s ‘Free Guy’ Triumphed At The Weekend Pandemic B.O. With A Great $28M+. DEADLINE. https://deadline.com/2021/08/ryan-reynolds-free-guy-weekend-box-office-1234814231/
