For the first 20 or so minutes of "Free Guy" I was enthralled. As I watched the film on HBO Max, I called my wife over the watch and we both laughed and enjoyed the film. However, as the film progressed the movie lost some of its momentum...and this slowed to a crawl later in the movie. Why? Well, the same problem with "Free Guy" is the same with "Pokémon Detective Pikachu" (incidentally, both starring the likable Ryan Reynolds)....plot. Or, more like it, too much plot. Both films did great jobs world building but after that, they both seemed to insist too much on a plot involving a baddie...which is very formulaic but also reduced the magic from the story. I would have rather seen more of the exciting world in both...and less baddies.
The story is an odd one...one that is similar to combining "The Truman Show", "Pokémon Detective Pikachu", "They Live", and an online game that plays a bit like "Grand Theft Auto"! And, the main character, Guy (Reynolds), is an NPC (a non-player character) in a massive world created for online gamers. However, something odd happens.... Guy begins to develop consciousness...and it is driven home when he dons a pair of sunglasses. Suddenly, he can see power ups, health power ups and more! What's next? Well, a baddie...and one whose motivations were vague.
Overall, the film is still worth watching...it's good. But the momentum which is going so fast when the film begins just can't be maintained through the course of the film.
By the way, there are no extra scenes. When the movie ends and the end titles begins, the story is over...just in case you're tempted to keep watching.
