Movie Review: “Five Nights at Freddy’s”

This movie has had a troubled development cycle to say the least. This movie was first teased all the way back in 2015 with one image of the name Scott Cawthon, the name of the original creator of the franchise of games, placed on a director’s chair. 

In the last few years, the rights to the movie have switched companies multiple times before, finally, Blumhouse Studios announced that they would be the ones creating and financing the project. After a few minor rewrites and the halt on the movie industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was finally released on October 27th, 2023, over eight years since it was first teased.

To summarize the basics of the plot, the movie follows Mike, a security guard living paycheck to paycheck to support himself and his younger sister Abby. After being fired from his most recent job, he is given an opportunity to work at an old, shut down restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, working as a nighttime security guard monitoring the property throughout the night. 

His goal is to find out who kidnapped his little brother when he was young and uncover the dark past surrounding the restaurant while being stalked by the animatronic performers, Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, who are haunted by children who went missing in the 80s.

The movie takes inspiration from the video games of the same name. In its respective franchise of games and lore- driven stories, it has a deep and complex storyline that will most likely leave casual moviegoers confused. 

The main story is fed by eight years of storytelling that spans nine games, nearly 30 books, and now a movie. What the writers decided to do was take elements from several aspects of the main story and fit them neatly into the movie's plot. 

For most of the film, this worked out well. However, there were certain moments where these elements didn’t create a cohesive narrative, often leaving a scene feeling disconnected. 

While the story occasionally fell short, its set design and practical effects are nearly flawless. The animatronic performers were built by the Jim Henson Creature Shop.  They created these characters in the spirit of  the original designs, remaining very faithful to the source material. They built suits of the animatronics that actors could wear to capture a more fluid performance on camera, and actual animatronics for the characters that could be controlled by special remote controls for their faces, arms, and legs. 

When it comes to the actors, everyone looked like they were deeply invested in their roles. There was great chemistry between many of the actors and it made their performances incredibly entertaining to watch.  

While not perfect, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is an entertaining film with a well done, but sometimes disconnected, narrative. The actors' excellent chemistry with each other and with the animatronic performers make it satisfying to watch. 

Even though it might not resonate with general audiences, longtime fans of the franchise will love seeing their favorite stories and characters brought to life on the big screen in this faithful adaptation.