“Five Nights at Freddy’s” a successful and well-loved horror game franchise was first released in 2014 and may well be the reason why the 2023 movie was eagerly anticipated. However, even after the years of lore built up, the movie doesn’t quite live up to its audience expectations. The story quality is mediocre- not good, but not bad. The movie threw fans off by having a plot that was different from that of the games. Even though it retained key plot points from the original story, most of the storyline changed. As for story telling, the movie took the “telling” part too literally. In comparison to the games, which focused on a clue-based story told via piecing together information over the course of multiple games, the movie takes a different direction by having police officer Vanessa tell the audience and the main character Mike what’s happening as the movie goes on. In addition, the plot twists are predictable and not all that interesting.
The movie also included little jumpscares, but even though it used the iconic FNAF 1 jumpscare sound, it still didn’t include many other forms of horror. There was a significant lack of red herrings, and viewers who were expecting gore were likely disappointed because it’s hard to put this movie into the horror genre. In short, if you like gore, you can forget about it with “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”
While the movie is disappointing in many ways, it shines most in cinematography and visual cues. With excellent lighting and usage of practical effects, the movie does a great job at feeling real and not animated. The setting and camera setup alone is enough to pull people into the movie without revealing key information. It’s just a shame that the story doesn’t live up to the gorgeous frame by frame. As for the message, it’s obvious the movie puts a major emphasis on the importance of visual learning and understanding, but other than that, there isn’t much of a message.
Fortunately, longtime fans of the franchise can expect to be properly fed with Easter eggs and references from content creators to actor lines. Despite the different story, the movie will still have a familiar feel because it uses the same characters, personal arcs, and even names of already existing characters.
For those who go into the movie blind, it’s not a bad experience. It has solid visuals and those without any prior knowledge of the story won’t find it hard to have a fun time on the first watch. However, it’s not worth it to see it again.
As for fans of the series, the movie is a disappointment and is only enjoyable based on the Easter eggs and references to the already loved story. Though “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is capable of holding the audience’s attention, there isn’t great story or character development and for that reason alone, it isn’t really worth a second watch.
Overall, I give the FNAF movie a 7/10. Though the story and characters aren’t the best aspect, the movie makes up for it with good cinematography and quality visual cues. I can’t say I would recommend the movie, but it’s certainly not a waste of time. For a first watch, it’s worth a try, but whether you’re likely to go back is less probable.
