Shawn Levy’s Free Guy is one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2021. One of the reasons for the success of the sci-fi action comedy is its unconventional view of the virtual game world. But numerous references to various video games make it difficult to understand what the main character of the film is about the meaning of the plot.
It is especially difficult to understand the essence of what is shown for those who are not familiar with the world of video games. A detailed analysis of the tape will help to understand this.
Synopsis for the movie Free Guy
The film consists of two storylines. In one, the action takes place in real life, in the other – in a virtual game world. In order not to get confused and understand what the main character is in the action movie, you need to briefly recall the plot of the picture.
The main character – Guy – one of the characters in the video game. The guy works as a simple bank clerk, is friends with the security guard Buddy, takes care of the goldfish, wears the same clothes, goes to drink coffee in a coffee shop and does not suspect that all this is not happening in reality, but in a virtual game. He is not alarmed even by armed people running around in sunglasses every day, robbing a bank.
But one day everything changes. Guy accidentally runs into the Molotov Girl player. Under this nickname, the programmer Milli Pak is hiding.
The girl, along with her partner Keys, once created the source code for the video game Life Itself. But the code was stolen by Soonami Studios founder Antwan Hovacelik, who created his own Free City game based on it.
Unlike Keys, who agreed to cooperate with Antwan, Molly tries to find evidence of the theft. To this end, the heroine enters a special vault, where a video is hidden, proving that Free City was created based on her game.
Here, Millie meets Guy for the first time, mistaking him for a budding gambler. The guy helps the girl escape from the vault. Millie later learns from Keys that Guy is not actually a player, but an artificial intelligence included in the game.
Meanwhile, Antwan is about to create Free City 2 by deleting the first game from the servers. Guy learns from Millie that he is just a human-created character and will disappear after the release of the new game.
Then Guy breaks his usual algorithm. He manages to kill the real player character and prevent a bank robbery. As a result, the Guy becomes the owner of special points and turns from a non-playable character into a full-fledged character.
Interesting! Actor Ryan Reynolds, who played the main character, admitted that the current situation in the world often makes him feel like a minor player, which in many ways makes him related to Guy.
With the help of familiar security guards, Guy gets Millie the video she needs. In parallel, the Guy increases his playing level, becoming more and more popular. Many players and spectators mistake him for an ordinary person, unaware that he is an artificial intelligence.
But on the orders of Antwan, the Guy is rolled back, erasing all the progress made from his memory. Guy again becomes a simple non-player character.
Guy’s Rebirth
Millie and Keys understand that after the launch of Free City 2, there will be no evidence of the theft of their game code, since all information will be erased from the servers.
From Keys, Millie learns that it is in her power to unlock Guy’s memory, since only he can tell where he saw the paradise island from the original game. The girl returns to the game and kisses the guy.
After awakening his consciousness, Guy reveals that he saw the reflection of the island in the blinds when he looked out the window of his house. Antwan was not able to completely remove the original version and simply overlaid his own on the source code.
Realizing that the destruction of most of Free City did not help get rid of the Guy, Antwan releases his clone – a beefy Dude, intended for a sequel.
But, despite the muscles, the Dude loses the battle to the Guy. An enraged Antwan begins to destroy the server room with an ax, and then blocks the accounts of all players.
And then Millie makes a deal with Antwan. The girl is ready to give up her claims, provided that Antwan leaves the last server intact and gives her the source code.
But this did not save Antwan. The new game turns out to be unprofitable, the corporation goes bankrupt, and Antwan is imprisoned for copyright infringement.
Keys and Millie launch their game, which becomes an instant hit. Millie learns that Guy was actually created by Keyes. For many years, Keys was in love with Millie, but did not dare to confess to her. Guy became a love letter addressed to his beloved.
The lovers kiss on the street. And Guy and his friend Buddy start a new life in a programmer’s video game.
Plot Explanation
At first glance, it seems that in the film Free Guy, the meaning of the plot is to show the world of video games. But in fact, the authors of the picture raise many important topics:
- love;
- friendship;
- faith in people;
- life choice;
- humanism.
This gives the film Free Guy a deeper meaning.
In addition, the characters of the picture can be viewed from the point of view of the real world. To do this, you need to imagine that the “non-player character” is ordinary people, ordinary people. Players – leaders, managers, executive directors. Well, in the face of the main villain Antwan, capitalists, owners of the means of production, are represented. Then it becomes clear that the Free Guy shows how to fight against the power of corporations.
The non-player character – the Guy, realizing that he is just a cog in the general system, faces a choice – to accept or prove that he can become the main character. It is in this choice that the hidden meaning of Free Guy lies. After all, a person can remain on the sidelines all his life or try to change the world around him, building a life of his own free will.
What is the essence of the ending
The meaning of the ending of the film Free Guy is quite unambiguous, beyond doubt. The story ends with a happy ending: the villain is punished, the lovers Milly and Keys not only reunited, but also achieved success. Guy and Buddy are also satisfied. Good triumphed, love and friendship won.
The only point that is not fully disclosed is Guy’s personal life. Will the hero be able to find his woman or will he remain a bachelor? Perhaps this will become clear in the sequel, if the authors decide to put it into production.
Interesting! According to the director of the film, the development of the sequel has already begun, the main character is waiting for new adventures in other universes.
Free Guy (2021) is a kind, optimistic film, the meaning of which can become a motivation for those who are dissatisfied with their situation and want to change their lives.