Movie Review: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ a fitting adaptation of the video game

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is a fitting adaptation that will entertain die-hard fans and newcomers as well. 

A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, but he quickly realizes the late shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.

Going into “Five Nights at Freddy’s”, the only knowledge I had of the famous video game franchise was from playing the first game back in 2014. I knew the franchise had blown up and how big of a following the series had, but other than playing the first game, I knew nothing. Having now seen “Five Nights at Freddy’s” I can say that walking out of the film, I was thoroughly shocked at how much I enjoyed it. 

The challenge the filmmakers had when adapting it, was how could they take a game where all you do is sit in a chair and look at cameras and turn it into something compelling enough to tell a feature-length story around. Obviously, since the first game was released in 2014, there have been other games that added to the overall lore of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria and they introduce you to the sinister story that people are familiar with, but the story points they added to the film, I felt really gave the story so more emotional weight. Other than the story, it’s also due in part to the performance from Josh Hutcherson. Hutcherson’s character (Mike) never felt too over the top, and his very real performance kept the film close to the ground despite the crazy killer robot antics. 

Speaking of killer robots, if there is one thing to take away from “Five Nights at Freddy’s”, it’s the costume crew did a killer job at bringing the iconic animatronics to life. Every time I saw them, I was glued to the screen because of how good the puppets/costumes looked. I feel the team at Universal could have copped out and just done a CGI version of the animatronics, but the commitment to practical effects, something Universal is known for, is an incredible achievement. 

Coming from someone who doesn’t know everything there is to know about the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, I will say there were multiple moments in the theater that received an uproar of cheers from the crowd. I felt a little left out.

Overall, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ was really enjoyable and seemingly a hit for the die-hard fans of the franchise. 

SCORE: 3.5/5

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is rated PG-13 and hits theaters and streaming on Peacock on Oct. 27, 2023. There is one post-credit scene.

IN THE PARKS

Currently, at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk, you can find the Blumhouse Photo Experience where you can take photos in different environments based on the studio’s recent films, which includes “Five Nights at Freddy’s”. You can find a similar photo app during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Also, with “Five Nights at Freddy’s” being a Blumhouse film, one can only assume a Halloween Horror Nights house based on the film will be coming. I for one would be very excited to see it.