Five Nights at Freddy’s is without a doubt a cult game series. So far, nine volumes have been released and it’s impossible to count how many books, graphic novels and spin-offs there are. However, the mega-popular story did not do well in films until 2023. The only thing that comes to mind is the parody with the divine Nicolas Cage – “Willy’s Wonderland”. And finally, production hell is over. An official film adaptation with a recognizable name – “Five Nights at Freddy’s” – has been released. Critics trashed the new product, but viewers, on the contrary, were pleased. We decided not to step aside and get acquainted with the horror movie ourselves.
Doesn’t taste good
The story begins with an introduction to the main character, Mike, played by Josh Hutcherson. The man lives with his younger sister and cannot really handle the responsibilities of a parent. Moreover, Mike is constantly tormented by the same nightmare. As a child, the hero’s younger brother was kidnapped by an unknown person. The accident happened during a picnic when Mike’s parents assigned him to take care of his brother. Since then, not a day has passed without the man blaming himself for what happened.
The accumulated stress negatively affects the hero’s life. He regularly cannot deal with anger, which causes him to lose his job again and again. As a result, an evil aunt is able to take custody of her sister, and Mike has no choice but to agree to night shifts in an old and abandoned pizzeria.
This simply directs the audience to the main location of the horror film. The café has been recreated down to the smallest detail and such a responsible attitude deserves respect. However, the film is unlikely to scare you. The long-awaited animatronics will appear quite soon, but there won’t be much of the fear and terror inherent in the original games.
In the beginning, the hunt does not start with Mike at all, but with the robbers. This even makes the samples look positive. The illusion persists until almost halfway through the story, although experienced horror fanatics will probably not be misled by this. Sometimes what happens is even fun, and obviously not what the authors intended it for. Therefore, it is unlikely that we will be able to take this whole farce seriously. Five Nights at Freddy’s is anything but a quality horror film.
Every night, Mike performs some kind of ritual: he drinks sleeping pills, turns on the sounds of the forest in his headphones and stares at pictures of trees.
The point is that in one book he read a theory of memories. The human brain forgets nothing. You just have to tune in and then you can remember who kidnapped your brother in the end. The idea immediately raises many questions. For example, why doesn’t Mike consider the option that the thief simply cannot be seen in the window of a retreating car?
The theme of dreams is revealed in a new way when an unknown group of children begin to appear in them. An attentive viewer will quickly draw parallels with animatronics. Thanks to this obvious move, we learn more about the bloody history of the pizzeria and its current inhabitants.
Unfortunately, the film makes another mistake here, as the build-up tension dissipates almost immediately. Mike is too rarely left alone and asleep. The guard is accompanied by his sister or a young policewoman, Vanessa, whose appearance in itself is a big Easter egg for those in the know. However, the average viewer will see in the girl nothing more than a stereotypical hero, who is definitely not as simple as it seems at first glance. Classic.
Mike’s sister will obviously play a big role in the finale. The girl is one of the main decorations of the film; she enlivens every scene she participates in. Her relationship with her brother was also pleasant, although it is difficult to believe in the relationship. If Mike’s parents were really as heartbroken as the hero himself, then the birth of a daughter seems unlikely.
The low ratings from critics are understandable. As an independent work, Five Nights at Freddy’s is practically impossible to exist. There isn’t much action in the movie, the characters are mediocre and the monsters are more fun than scary. There are too many holes in the plot that no one is in a hurry to plug with any explanation. If you don’t know anything about Freddy’s world, you don’t understand how exactly the ghosts of children continued to live in the dolls. It’s unlikely that casual viewers will get much enjoyment out of watching it. The same photo with Cage on a similar theme looks much more cheerful.
It turns out that the high ratings are fake? Not at all. Let’s talk about the movie from the perspective of a fan of the series.
Did you have a role in Five Nights at Freddy’s?
But it’s actually delicious
If there is a connoisseur of bloodthirsty animatronics in your area, invite him for a joint viewing. In this case, the photo will shine with completely new colors. The plot of the film is a compilation of various stories from games and theories described exclusively in books. However, you need someone who can tell you all this.
The animatronics are recreated with a level of detail that is impressive. The creators were able to describe quite accurately how to wear robots as costumes. Roughly the same mechanism was in the original source. Here and there, fans will notice recognizable things and other Easter eggs that will pleasantly spice up the viewing experience.
The main villain is well chosen and fully corresponds to the original. It becomes clear that there simply wasn’t enough budget for the right scope. We never got to see the substance ‘Residue’, which caused the revival of the machines, but its presence was heavily implied. The idea of sleep also requires development. Flashbacks from the past could be shown there.
The main character and Vanessa, although they seem like too monosyllabic characters, are depicted in the spirit of the series. And if Mike is the engine of the plot, then everything is more interesting with the girl agent. The ending clearly points to a sequel, which may have even more connections to the games.
For fans of Five Nights at Freddy’s, the new film will be a pleasant surprise and much less disappointing than it seems. The popularity of the universe is doing its job, which is why there is such a difference in the ratings of critics and viewers.
Your impressions of the film adaptation of one of the most fashionable horror films of our time largely depend on whether you have watched this particular horror film. For ordinary viewers, the film is a cheap mediocrity of category B. It has neither an exciting plot, nor interesting characters, nor even scary animatronics. For the fans, however, the situation is much better. All plot holes are covered by lore knowledge, and detailed objects, costumes and locations will delight anyone who has completed at least the first volume. Judging from the collections, the start is excellent and certainly not a sloppy job. It is worth waiting for the sequel, which with a good budget has every chance to win the love of the absolute majority.
What do you think of Five Nights at Freddy’s?
Source: VG Times