There is usually a lot of scepticism and cynicism when it comes to films based of video games. For every Warcraft and Prince of Persia there is a Sonic the Hedgehog or Detective Pikachu to balance it out. There are admittedly more bad adaptions than good ones, but the key to the success of these films is handing the reigns to an actual video gamer to make them. Just look at The Last of Us for a good example, even though it is a television series. That brings us to the more horror-themed video game adaptation with Five Nights at Freddy’s. The titular game came out nine years ago and it became a big success, but can the film match this success?
The main element of the game was to watch out for four animatronics that came to life in the night to stalk the security guard. That very simple premise is very much the foundation for the film. There wasn’t a lot of story to these games but there was more added to the lore of these animatronics and Pizzeria over time that included mysterious deaths of children and some form of revenge plots. The film version has honoured the lore of the games and in turn has crafted a more-or-less original story based around Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. The Pizzeria has been closed for a number of years and down on his luck security guard Mike, played by Josh Hutcherson, is tasked with monitoring the abandoned site in the night. Mike is however still processing a past trauma where his little brother got kidnapped, meanwhile, throughout the film he also looks after and is in the care of his little sister. A lot of weight and responsibility for a young man.
It takes a while before the animatronics arrive on the screen. Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, Foxy and Mr. Cupcake are the mascots of the Pizzeria and were designed to entertain the children there. However, after reports of children missing, these animatronics started coming alive at night. Their sinister motivations are slowly revealed throughout the film, but unfortunately, it goes at a slow pace, where a twist in the end feels almost like a cop-out. These animatronics are creepy and kooky, almost funny especially with the cupcake one, but they never really feel threatening and don’t do much killing except one scene halfway through the film. It is a shame as these are the highlights of the film and the main draw for audiences and fans of the game. The atmosphere is also honoured by the game and fans will pick up the story and concept relatively quick, so just about anyone can enjoy the film.
Five Nights at Freddy’s does in some places feel like a missed opportunity. The story with Mike and his brother is interesting with a lot of psychological issues plaguing the character. It almost feels weird then to have him look after his little sister, played brilliantly by Piper Rubio, who looks rather neglected in the film despite the fact that he’s constantly being referred to as a good role model. A legal custody battle for her care is also highlighted in the film. There is a lot of emphasis on children and their welfare, which is an important subject but sadly it just feels like the film tries too hard when telling these big stories. The twists and turns do entertain, as do some of the killings but there isn’t enough substance to make the film feel as good as other video game adaptions.
★★★☆☆
3/5
Final Verdict:
Five Nights at Freddy’s is a fun, kooky film with an interesting premise but lacks any real depth or focus. There are some interesting storylines which the film focuses on, the most interesting of which is Josh Hutcherson’s security guard, Mitch, who is facing his past trauma of his little brother being kidnapped. There isn’t a lot of focus on the whole concept of killer animatronics which are not in the film for as long as I hoped for anyway. It is highly entertaining but it fails to reach the same highs achieved by the video game series.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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