At the end of the gloomy summer season, the delightful Hollywood original blockbuster "Runaway Player" surprised and stood out. Sure, the film does include elements from films like Ready Player One, Invincible Destruction, and Electronic World Wars, but the humor and originality it shows brings freshness to everything that seems familiar.
Ryan Reynolds, the protagonist, Guy, is a casual bank teller whose daily routine is to greet his pet goldfish, change into a blue shirt and khaki pants, pick up a cup of coffee at a nearby coffee shop, and say hello to every customer he meets. When a group of armed robbers took turns showing up at the bank, Guy and his security colleague Buddy (Rey Houlli) simply shrugged and fell to the ground, chatting about plans after work until the robbery was over.
Guy's forgetfulness stems from his characterization: he's just a non-player character, or NPC, in the open-world first-person shooter Liberty City. Naturally, The reason Whyyn is so likable is reynolds, who perfectly represents the simple cuteness of the character. Reynolds also perfectly presents Guy's awakening after a chance encounter with the girl of his dreams on the street. Dressed in a motorcycle leather jacket named "Molotov cocktail girl" (Judy Comer), the girl is looking for an object in the game that seems to be the key to uncovering the hidden secrets of Liberty City.
Guy thinks that only those who wear sunglasses will be favored by girls, so he snatches a pair of sunglasses from a bank robber, and after putting on sunglasses, he is suddenly able to experience the world like a player in the game, including receiving upgrade items, loot, and missions. The experience of Gai Da's haunting of the game world is very interesting, especially in stark contrast to his previous indifference to the anarchy that is taking place around him. Reynolds and director Sean Levy maintain a delicate balance between self-awareness and the wandering skeleton, staging a variety of chaotic scenes in the background shots, including skydiving, chasing cars, bazookas, explosions, gunfights and scuffles to show off various weapons.
We soon learn that the Molotov cocktail girl's mission is related to the lustful game tycoon Antoine (Taiga Vidity) behind the virtual world, and programmers Millie (also Judy Comer) and keyboard (Joe Kiri) accuse Antoine of stealing their code and turning it into a soulless game. This parallel real-world sub-plot becomes more and more prominent in the second half of the film, with the real world and the virtual world intertwined, the situation becoming more and more urgent, and the action scenes becoming more and more exciting.
Given director Sean Levy, co-writer Zach Payne, and Matt Lieberman's deep framing of the whole story and structure, saying more is sure to ruin the fun you have watching the film yourself. Although the director deliberately maintains a relaxed and cheerful tone, the growth journey of Gai and other NPCs will still make people think about the situation of AI virtual life similar to "Truman's World". Equally unexpected, the level of concern we end up with about these virtual characters is not only captivating to Guy's personal growth, but also the love that sprouts between him and the Molotov cocktail girl.
All the plots of the film are carried out with brisk efficiency under the confident guidance of Sean Levy, who injects a very infectious vitality and charm into the film, and you can't help but be completely immersed in it. Although the film switches back and forth between the two worlds from time to time, he cleverly guides the audience; In particular, Sean Levy and art director Ethan Tobman have designed two unique and fascinating worlds. The film is full of comedic memes and Easter egg tributes from beginning to end, and I don't want to spoil too many things, just to say that I love the crazy self-deprecating Chanin Tatum, and Captain America.
And it's none other than Ryan Reynolds, the perfect protagonist of this video game action comedy. His role as Guy is both cute and charming, combining his signature Mr. Good Charm with the right amount of mean style in Deadpool to create a refreshingly original character. The chemistry between Reynolds and Judy Comer is delightful, which is why we're keenly focused on how the Cap and Molotov cocktail girls will come together on their respective journeys of self-actualization. The supporting cast is equally outstanding, including the megalomaniacal and highly entertaining Taiga Viditti, and Lirey Houlli, who plays Guy's best friend buddy in the bank, Buddy, who eventually has his own personality.
Admittedly, I didn't particularly expect Runaway Player, especially since its release date was constantly being postponed; I was pleasantly surprised by the crazy adventure that combined glamour, intelligence, action, romance, emotion and comedy, full of undisguised sweetness and gaming house blood, to give the audience a truly enjoyable experience. I dare say it's by far the most interesting movie you've seen in a movie theater this summer.