Films for Breakfast

Films based on video games have had a terrible reputation of being largely unnecessary and mostly underwhelming for as long as I can remember. But somewhere in between the Sonic the Hedgehog films proving to be more entertaining and worthwhile than anyone would expect them to be, as well as The Super Mario Bros Movie becoming a box-office juggernaut that pleased life-long fans, it seems like the tides are turning a bit when it comes to audience reception. It also helps that Gran Turismo was a decent critical success, and HBO’s The Last of Us proved that dramatic storytelling based on video games can absolutely work when you have the right cast and crew involved. 

However, when it comes to a film like Five Nights at Freddy’s, a film that feels largely generated and manufactured to hit all of the right notes for lifelong fans… is it even possible for an outsider, such as myself, to find enjoyment? The film follows a troubled security guard with a dark past named Mike (Josh Hutcherson) as he begins working at the rundown Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. After working his first shift at the unsettling and remote establishment, he begins to suspect that things aren’t quite what they seem and that these shifts will become increasingly harder to get through. 

All of the plot elements at play here feel simple enough that a film like Freddy’s should be prime for a newcomer such as myself to be easily engaged by the characters and story. What feels like the problem is that the film has a bit of an identity crisis; it both wants to stand on its own and deliver a story that satisfies fans and newcomers alike, but also is completely toothless within its horror elements. There are some decently directed sequences from director Emma Tammi, namely the opening sequence and a fun bit in the middle – but largely the film feels way overlong and uneventful. 

A big reason why the film doesn’t really work is how it tries to get new audiences to invest – when it comes to our lead character Mike, Josh Hutcherson is doing his best with the material he is given.. but the material he is given is completely flat and derivative. All of the drama regarding his relationship with his sister feels completely hollow and like it was solely there because there had to be another running plotline to even out the stuff the fans wanted to see. There’s also a central mystery about Mike’s past that goes mostly nowhere and feels incredibly pointless by the end of the film, largely making for a film that already feels overlong and full of pacing issues that are systemic from unnecessary, boring plot threads that you can predict the outcome of from the moment the film begins. 

As for the fan-service that most audiences will be clammorring to the theater to see? I may be the wrong person to ask about whether or not it works. As I previously stated, I found the film to be largely void of any decent scares and I thought the lore and general mystery surrounding the establishment and animatronic characters to be incredibly uninteresting. However, the screening that I was at was full of fans who were clearly eating up every second of the film and were raving about it the second after the credits rolled. 

Should you see Five Nights at Freddy’s? The answer to that feels largely dependent on whether or not you have any prior affinity for the franchise and characters, because from where I’m sitting as a newcomer, the film wasn’t interesting, entertaining, or scary enough to win me over and make me a fan. Despite a couple of well-directed sequences, some really impressive animatronics from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and some clear love behind the camera for the material and fans – Freddy’s is mostly a dud.

2/5