20th Century Studios has released a new trailer for “Free Guy,” a brand new action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a Non-Player Character who gains sentience after a player (Jodie Comer) comes to him for help to prevent the games creator (Taika Waititi) from destroying the game and everything in it.
The trailer utilizes a lot of video game tropes and rules about NPCs, and then subverts them. However, the film looks like it is entirely reliant on the audience’s familiarity with the video game world and the community that plays it. That isn’t necessarily to say that it is going to be bad. But if a majority of the jokes are just about a hapless guy suddenly breaking from his programming and breaking all the rules of the video game world, then there isn’t going to be much else to it than that.
But maybe there is more nuance to the comedy and story. This is just a trailer after all. And considering we’ve been cooped up in our homes for the better part of the year, we could all use a laugh or two.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for “Free Guy:”
In “Free Guy,” a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game, decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late.
“Free Guy” also stars Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, and Utkarsh Ambudkar.
Some of the video gaming world’s most influential figures drop in for cameos in “Free Guy,” including: Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, Seán William “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Daniel “DanTDM” Middleton. Not sure what that means, but it goes to back what I was saying earlier about being overly familiar with the video game world and its community.
“Free Guy” is by Shawn Levy who uses script from Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. Reynolds and Levy, Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, and Adam Kolbrenner produce, with Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, George Dewey, Dan Levine, and Michael Riley McGrath serving as executive producers.
“Free Guy” hits theaters on August 13, 2021.
