Mike gets a new job as a night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where he quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems.
Five Nights at Freddy’s has ended Jordi Gomez on October 28, 2023 Rated A 4.5 / 10.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is based on the video game series of the same name, the first part of which dates back to 2014. Now, ten years and countless games later, the long-awaited film adaptation is coming to the big screen, but it’s a little late If you ask me.
This feels too late in part because Willy’s Wonderland (2021), with a similar premise to Five Nights at Freddy’s, was released not too long ago. This film embraced the absurd concept and featured an entertaining performance by Nicolas Cage. In comparison, Five Nights at Freddy’s seems to take itself too seriously and lacks sufficient horror elements.
The animation in the film is well done, and when Freddy and his friends appear on screen, it sometimes makes for some clever scenes. However, everything is presented rather weakly. The film is rated PG-13 in the US, which basically amounts to chilly teen horror. It could have been a lot more serious, especially since this is a horror movie.
Much of the runtime is taken up by repetitive dream sequences and somewhat uninteresting mystery. When Freddy finally shows up, this aspect is also disappointing. It’s hard to make these robotic creatures scary when you also give them scenes of them playing and building a fort with a little girl. Of course they do this to maintain their friendly facade, but it actually dilutes the already limited horror experience.
I think this movie adaptation proves how boring it can be when you’re not behind the controls. In the game, it’s automatically scarier, because you make the decisions and you’re in control. As a simple spectator to the events, as in this film, you are sometimes more likely to unintentionally laugh than to shudder in your cinema seat.
Five Nights at Freddy’s was clearly made with the current generation of teens in mind who still play games. Older fans won’t find any horror here, and the story surrounding the animatronics is pretty standard. Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard are committed and do the best they can with the materials provided to them, but even they can’t stop these rusty robots from working slowly.
Now in cinemas
