Five Nights at Freddy’s is a feature film released in 2023 based on the hit 2014 game series based around child friendly animatronics sent out to hunt and kill the new security guard (the player) who must survive the night until 6 AM. I have been a huge fan of these games from the very beginning and was extremely excited for this film that was many years in the making, with nine screenplays being revised and rewritten until the version was released on the big screen… you very much can tell.
(Spoilers Ahead)
The film follows a similar setup to that of the original game (as well as aspects from the third game, Security Breach, and the Silver Eyes novel) with newly hired security guard, Mike Schmitt who has to raise his little sister Abby and cope with the tragic loss of his brother years ago. This trauma has risen once again ever since he started working at the restaurant and met his employer, Steve Raglan. As the movie continues with Micheal befriending a police officer named Vannesa, she accompanies Mike and Abby while investigating the animatronics who seem to be very nice at heart. But that all comes falling apart once Mike discovers the dark history behind Freddy’s, that five children had been murdered in the 1980’s and were stuffed into the animatronic suits, becoming what they are today. With further reveals showing that the same killer of those children also murdered Mike’s brother, and this killer was nobody other than Steve Ragland, or as many fans of the games know him as… William Afton. William dresses in his yellow bunny suit as he faces off against our heroes, as Afton somehow controls the animatronics with drawings connected to the building. But once our heroes discover this, they break Afton’s control over their furry friends and turn against him, leading to the suit spring locking on Afton, trapping him inside and becoming the lead antagonist of the games known as Springtrap, as our heroes live happily ever after… for now.
I very much enjoyed this film and it had a ton of fanservice to make huge fans like me appreciate the movie and what it’s trying to accomplish. I never expected this to be a critical hit or peak cinema, but I got what I came for as a fun experience that renewed interest in the franchise with a far simpler story than that of the game. Obviously even from that plot synopsis you can tell how poorly written the final act is, I personally think the first two thirds of the film are very well paced and written with its slow reveal of the animatronics capabilities. But once the concept of magic walls and drawings as Afton appears out of nowhere while being absent for 85% of the movie’s runtime, it lost me. As a fan of the series I do love Afton and Springtrap for what little he appears in the film, but he really needed more screen time with flashbacks of the murders or coverations between him and his daughter.
But with the negatives out of the way, let’s focus on the positive. First of all, the practical effects are amazing with the brilliant work of the animatronic’s designs and setting with the restaurant. Secondly the sound design was great with very befitting licensed songs such as “Talking In Your Sleep” by The Romantics as well as great OST that really creates a uniquely spooky background. Third, the acting was quite good, especially with Josh Hutcherson’s Mike Schmitt and Matthew Lillard’s William Afton. Both fit their characters perfectly, especially Lillard’s insanity and sadistic nature being sold very well for such a deplorable person. And lastly, while not necessarily a positive for the film itself, I think the movie set a great basis to build off of for the sequel set in the past. FNAF 2 was set before the first game so stepping back and exploring Afton’s character before the first movie would be a very strong story to build upon.
As I said before, I had a lot of fun with this movie despite its clear issues in writing and general plot. I currently have this as my fifth favorite movie of the year out of 24, currently sandwiched between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Maybe it’s purely out of my enjoyment for the franchise, but if you just want to sit back, don’t think too much, and have a bit of fun, this would be the perfect movie for you.
