Five Nights at Freddy’s, the recent film adaptation to the immensely popular, and widely acclaimed video game series, finally released this past weekend; after years of hype and anticipation. All across the country FNAF (Five Nights at Freddys) fans poured into theaters to see their favorite franchise brought to the big screen. And for the most part this movie did not disappoint (the fans). 

Five Nights at Freddy’s follows a man named Mike (played by Josh Hutcherson) as he begins his job as a nighttime security guard at very old, very rundown, Freddy Fazbears Pizzeria. It is here that Mike begins to induce dreams and recall memories, to find out who kidnapped his long lost brother in their childhood. At Freddy’s, Mike begins to notice some ghost children in his dream/memories that were not there before. Simultaneously he realizes that the “shut down” animatronics that call Fazbear’s Pizzeria their home, have a little bit more life in them than suspected.

This movie was a very entertaining watch. The plotlines about dreaming and memory recall were especially interesting, and I wished that they had dived into that concept a little bit more. And when it came to the storyline of the animatronics, I wish that had been a little bit darker, but I understand what they were going for and didnt mind the slightly lighter tone. The film is currently getting very mixed reviews. The three big divides on this movie seem to be the opinions of fans who don’t like it, fans who love it, and non fans. Now, as a disclaimer to those who plan to see this movie, this movie was made for the fans. This was a movie riddled with easter eggs and references to the game, and it was very fan focused. This contrasts most video game or book adaptations as they normally focus on gaining new fans or expanding the audience they reach.

Because of this, those going into little to no knowledge may not enjoy it, which would explain why the critic score is so low, yet the audience score is higher. That being said, as your average movie goer I did become interested in the story and the characters enough to start watching play throughs of the games and expand my knowledge on the series after watching the film. 

For me the two biggest strong selling points in this movie aside from its massive popularity, are the acting and the design of the movie. The animatronics in this movie were made practically by the Jim Henson corporation and are mechanically piloted fully by puppeteers on set, and in some circumstances people in suits themselves. The vibrant colors and game accuracy is impeccable, and they look great on screen and creepy in the dim lighting of the pizzeria.

As for acting, the two standout performances in this movie are Josh Hutcherson (Michael) and Matthew Lillard (William Afton). Josh Hutcherson played a great protagonist in this film. His struggle with loss is palpable, and it is clear how it affects all of his choices. In addition he does a good job of playing to the audience. He’s confused when we are, and follows the plot and the information he’s given at the same pace as us. Additionally, Matthew Lillard shows us once again his talent with playing a deranged killer. As William Afton (or Spring Bonnie) the main antagonist of the franchise, he has a very frightening and overpowering onscreen presence. His motives are very psychotic, and he is overall a great villain. His performance delivers in every minute of screen time he is given. However, he isn’t given much. And I wish there was more story around him and more time to see his evil shine through or even just a little backstory on how he got to where he is now.

Overall, I would give this move a 3 out of 5. While this movie is highly entertaining and visually appealing, there are some plot holes and plenty of unanswered questions that set up for future movies. With a sequel in place I think it could enhance the comprehension of this movie and the lore itself. But, until then it will stay, for me, as a yearly halloween watch and a fun scary movie for the family!