Five Nights At Freddy’s was fun but freezes regarding the fright factor and thrills.
A troubled security guard (Josh Hutcherson) begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.
When it comes to bringing robots to life, this film does a great job of doing that. The robots look like metallic behemoths with frozen faces that change only by limited motor movements, and yet keep the fluffiness of the mascots of the franchise. It may not be the most realistic-looking piece of equipment, but it works for this series.
The acting isn’t the strongest or most unique, but the cast does a great job. It’s just a moderate role with good execution. Josh Hutcherson’s portrayal feels like his Hunger Games role, that sad, dopy, and haunted look that plays very well with the pouting, screaming, and anguish that his character has. Piper Rubio is the standout for me. Rubio is awkward and odd, but innocent with a perfectly contradicting optimism that cuts through the grey of the movie, and explodes as the movie gets further into the mystery. Elizabeth Lail is always fun to watch, but she was just okay for me in this movie. There are moments when she shines and has depth but sometimes relies more on the “action” to deliver a great performance.
What this film tries to accomplish, the pacing is rather impressive in terms of the age ranges it is trying to entertain. The film’s story may be simple, but you find that you are presented with a lot of good information and elements with decent time in each without losing momentum. There is plenty of time for both humans and animatronics to have the spotlight, and the movie was able to keep various members entertained without getting lost in the added theatrics.
It’s a campy series and has a lot of twisted humor styles that most should enjoy. The cheese factory is more so the idiocy of the humans and just how humorous the animatronics are. Other times the expressions and personalities of the robots are hilarious, the emotions and the blending with the robotic nature are just so well executed that you can’t help but laugh and smile. Sometimes the movie is funny when it is not trying to be, mainly because of how cheesy it is or how ridiculous some of the acting/scenes come out.
It’s minor for the most part, but the music was excellent and fit into the 80s vibe. The tiny tones of the synthesizer, the upbeat bass with flashing lights and whistles, and even that hyperactive voice all work together to tell a story. At the same time, there is music that sounds like Tim Burton-inspired tracks, with eerie tingles, that offset, stirring sound, and the deep resonance to indicate ominous happening.
The film has several stories trying to be worked in and connected. The main story is decently fleshed out, tying most of the leads together and adding personalization to Hutcherson’s character beyond trying to survive. There is another story that jumps the gun and shakes things up, potentially mixing up the theories to come, but again makes the inclusion of a character worth it.
Overall, Five Nights at Freddy’s had a lot of things to live up to for success and I think it does achieve this on many levels. The recreation of the decade in sound and sight was a personal favorite of mine, unleashing a world that felt realistic, historical, campy, and fitting of the very universe it is based on. The story might not be unique, but still had a good pace and tied many things together with tradition and new age mixing well together to create something for everyone. The campy cartoon look brought to life played well with the actors and helped to make something for the prime audience member to enjoy. However, the modern age and limitations of the film buffered the horror aspects and made the movie lack in terms of the Halloween spirit. Even with its predictable twists and lack of thrills, Five Nights at Freddy’s is still very enjoyable and entertaining, and will be watching again.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is now playing in theaters and streaming only on Peacock
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