Happy Halloween everyone! I suppose it’s been a while since I last revisited this blog. I must say that it’s time to dust off ye olde dust on this very blog and write my annual movie review!

Well, it may be just me but I believe that 2023 has been the year of massive adaptations, be it anime-to-liveaction with “Netflix’s One piece”, or book-to-movie, with the “Ballad of songbirds and snakes”, or even toy-to-movie, with the massively successful “Barbie movie”.

Look I get it, it would be wiser to adapt an already popular work to profit off pre-existing hype and interest, rather than start afresh in an already saturated market of repetitive media.

So, I guess it wasn’t a surprise that the Five Nights at Freddy’s series would garner much attention when the decision to begin production on a movie adaptation was initialised.

Scott Cawthon, the developer and creator, is a genuinely talented guy. He basically made the entire security-cam-jumpscare game genre boom, all singlehandedly. His games has heart and passion and although later iterations indeed cater to the younger audience with an empty promise of horror, you have to respect his hustle throughout the years.

Well, I just finished watching the movie in cinemas and I have much to say so, let us begin. This will be spoiler-filled so please be warned.

< PLOT SUMMARY >

The rest is pretty easy. Just keep eyes on the monitors and keep people out. Piece of cake.
~ Steve

In partnership with Blumhouse, the plot centers around the titular character, Mike (played by Josh Hutcherson), who struggles with constantly plaguing nightmares of his past and raising his younger sister, Abby.

After getting fired from his job, he has no choice but to take up a role as a night security guard at an abandoned children’s restaurant known in the 80’s as the ever-so-popular, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

Still determined to find the truth about his brother’s disappearance, he continues to dive deep into his dreams while simultaneously ignoring the threats that loom around him.

That is, until Abby meets the animatronics and discover the secrets hidden behind the machines. After giving in to his desires of finding his brother, he gives up Abby to the animatronics and is forced to face the consequences of his decision.

After realising that the animatronics are controlled by a malevolent force, he partners up with Vanessa, a local police officer who seems to warn him about the dangers that lie ahead.

In the end, Mike chooses his future with Abby and turns the animatronics against their creator, forcing the pizzeria to fall apart and be closed until furthermore.

< REVIEW>

As far as adaptations go, this is far from the worse one. (I’m looking at you Death Note). A common agreement among me and my friends is that the CG and general costuming with the animatronics was rather well-done. They moved in a believable manner without coming off too much like jerky, awkward models.

The acting was decent, it was rather strange to see Peeta scruffed up and looking like he went through a divorce, but it worked well. Abby’s actor was charming and sweet and, the kid-versions of the animatronics were well-casted. I did have my qualms about Vanessa, more so her lines and general demeanor seemed too cookie-cutter female supporting character, the scripting could have been formulated to show more personality, or perhaps it was the actress having a rather, flat delivery of lines.

Now, a rather big concern I had, was the plot. When I experience movies, I try to become absorbed in the story and that means that when a plot has obvious loopholes or discontinued plotlines, it draws me out of the world rather quickly.

So many discontinued loose ends, the aunt’s dead body just lingering in the living room still. The babysitter and her friends still rotting. Nobody questioning the loud noises coming from the abandoned restaurant. Vanessa technically being a murder accomplice.

And simultaneously, convenient conflict pieces, the aunt wanting to take the sister for the state money, babysitter Max wanting money so she thrashes the place with her brother, Abby being “difficult, why can’t she just understand, I’m trying my best ugh” and the misunderstanding of conveniently finding the adoption papers. Rather standard.

The basis of a broken-family-sacrifices-trauma plotline is not entirely unfeasible but I take issue with the manner of production. Mike’s goals seemed too hyperfocused on finding his brother, I would appreciate it if there were more external shots showcasing how he did not quite fit in with society at his work or that he never recovered from his parents’ divorce. As much as a missing sibling could affect a person’s psyche, it was far too much of a fixation that even I got taken aback by him constantly sleeping just to find a glimpse of his sibling.

I would have preferred a different angle, maybe as Abby as the protagonist instead. How she handled Mike’s constant obsession over his brother instead of her, the neglect, the parents’ decision to split after her conception, how the aunt was abusive to her, her lack of social cues being the result of a mental disorder etc. In fact, a friend brought up how the ending of the movie could’ve been Abby being trapped in the Circus Baby animatronic to set up for a sequel.

It felt very surface level I suppose. Very much a character description than a character dissection. Mike was the sullen and traumatised blank slate of a man, Abby was the quiet child who becomes friends with ghosts (because of course she does), Vanessa is an unwilling accomplice of her psycho dad, Afton is part time career counsellor and part time mass murderer, crazy aunt only wants that sweet sweet child support money, babysitter is only in it for the money.

I was curious about the missing children, I felt like there could have been shots of the children at the birthday party, their lives before they were forcefully taken by Afton, it would certainly highlight the absolute tragedy of young lives being ripped from their own livelihood. A missed opportunity.

Speaking of Afton, the plot twist was…something. I did not see it coming but also, I suppose I should’ve. I don’t know if it was intended to be a shocking moment that “Oh no! Career steve is the bad guy! GASP!” but it felt like a “???” moment on my end. We didn’t get to learn enough about his motives, or why he chose to kidnap Mike’s brother. For his heinous crimes of murder, it felt like desaturated in its conception.

Like, hello? DEAD KIDS rotting. The animatronics did look a little too squeaky clean for that.

By the time of the reveal, the horror aspect had run it’s course. Another point of discussion I had with my friends were that they went hard into the blood in the beginning of the movie with Max and the goons. They brought in the screams, the bloody handprint, the whole suspenseful track. It set up for an anticipatory time, but that was squashed by the lackluster ending of Afton’s end.

I get it, kid’s movie. But, Coraline was also a kid’s movie and it managed to build up a generation’s worth of fear through simple character design and angled shots. The other mother was fearsome because she ate souls and trapped children by killing them and Afton is scary because he…kills children and traps their souls in the animatronics…huh.

I think a big part of what made FNAF so scary in the beginning of it’s inception was the anticipation. The fear of the unknown rather than the constant jumpscares, you weren’t sure exactly when you would meet the eyes of Freddy or Foxy. Not only that, I had thought at the beginning of the movie that the cameras and vents would be used more to build up that “will he die?” tension but, disappointed there.

When you add in goofy dance sequences and a “Animatronics are just misunderstood children” aspect, it kills the anticipation and instead, makes the viewer confused. I think what would’ve worked would be a horror-comedy style movie, similar to the Babysitter or What we do in the shadows. A good measure of blood and fun would titillate while being PG.

It’s all a jumble, it’s certainly not memorable but it was a good time. There was even cosplayers of the FNAF characters and honestly, I think that’s a good measure of your success. Whether I thought this movie was good or not, nobody can doubt the absolute empire that it built.

Toys, books, games, and now a movie. I can’t fault a man for building on his wealth but, I do think that quality control should be implemented more so. I mean–some of these plushes look like they’ve seen some things.

Also, fun little easter eggs of including YouTubers, thought that was a nice nod to the community. It just felt a little less indie and more, commercial giant, which is the rule of popularity I suppose. Also, I realise now that my “reviews” present more as “rants” but ah well, it’s my blog, read it or weep.