With only three weeks left before the premiere of Free Guy, critical reactions have dropped regarding the upcoming sci-fi action-comedy. Free Guy will be released in theaters on August 13 by 20th Century Studios, with a 45-day window of theatrical exclusivity before becoming available for audiences to stream on Disney+.
In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a NPC within an open-world video game who discovers that he is a character in a video game. In addition to Reynolds, Free Guy also stars Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi. Free Guy is directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Date Night) and written by Zak Penn (Ready Player One) and Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles). The film also features cameos from some of the video gaming world’s most influential figures, including Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, Seán William “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, and Daniel “DanTDM” Middleton.
Now, with the movie primed for release in a matter of weeks, it's time to find out what the critics thought. Did Free Guy's self-awareness win people over, or is this movie about an NPC largely unmemorable? Check out some of the early reactions below — we'll keep updating as more continue to come in.
First, here's what Collider's own Steve Weintraub and Christina Radish had to say, highlighting the perfect combination between Reynolds as lead and Levy as director while praising its feel-good vibes:
Critics and journalists agree that this film is hilarious, charming, and just downright joyful, with some drawing comparisons to another endearing property —Ted Lasso — and calling out Comer's bonafide star power:
Ultimately, this is going to be one you'll want to see with an audience, and maybe even more than once to pick out all of the fun gaming Easter eggs: