'Free Guy (2021)' feels as though it's been made by people who have never actually played a video-game. It's the cinematic equivalent of those pre-rendered mobile game adverts that pretend to present gameplay but don't actually represent the game they're trying to sell at all. Though there are a couple of interesting ideas centred around the A. I. that makes Reynold's Guy able to go against his code, the piece just doesn't do anything with them. It doesn't really make sense and there's no semblance of cohesion or believability to the game that makes up most of its runtime. I mean, who is 'Free City' for and what do you do in it? It's not PvP from the looks of it, but everyone freaks out when an NPC actually presents a challenge to a player. God forbid a player gets killed by an enemy in a game, right? However, the fact that it lacks a proper sense of logic isn't its biggest issue, although it is undeniably irritating that a movie which is supposed to celebrate video-games clearly doesn't understand them and also partakes in the kind of banal 'gamer' stereotyping that perforates pretty much every piece of traditional media about the subject. No, the biggest issue is that, for me, it simply isn't fun. It's quite the opposite, usually. The amount of cringeworthy moments are nearly innumerable and its message is incredibly hypocritical considering that it lambasts big-budget games which are fuelled by mindless chaos and exist only to make money from a target audience that their developers clearly don't respect but it's a big-budget movie which is fuelled by mindless chaos and exists only to make money from a target audience that its creators clearly don't respect. Ryan Reynold's on-screen persona, which is essentially the same in every comedic film in which he appears, is also incredibly annoying and does the opposite of elicit laughter. There are some relatively impressive visual effects - even though nothing feels tangible and one or two are actually rather disturbing - and there are a couple of action sequences which are relatively well put together. However, the overall experience is just dull, despite all of its in-your-face noise. It's just such a corporate attempt, a movie designed by committee. It also has some incredibly disconcerting fan service, the sort that seems to be replacing actual content more and more these days. Sadly, a lot of people seem to be lapping it up. Of course, if you enjoy this film, then good for you; I'm not saying you shouldn't. I'm simply saying I don't. Despite the occasional highlight, it's an uninteresting and uninspired affair overall. 4/10.