While in recent years, cinema quality has indeed declined from the 20th century’s golden age, 2023 featured several movies that seemingly turned back the clock. Incredible films like “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” gave viewers hope that perhaps the heights of cinema are not entirely behind us.
However, “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” released October 27, 2023, in theaters and on Peacock, effectively broke this trend, leaving audiences with one of the year’s worst movies. Introduced as a way to bring the iconic game to the big screen, excitement quickly grew among fans. Unfortunately, excitement changed to disappointment, boredom, and even disgust as the movie began.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” tells the story of a troubled security guard, Mike, who begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria during the night shift. He soon discovers that his job won’t be easy as he encounters the murderous animatronics. From there, his life takes a darker turn as more is revealed about the pizzeria, the monsters inside and even his past. The movie features three antagonists: Jane, an aunt trying to take away the protagonist’s child; William, a serial killer responsible for the animatronics; and the animatronics themselves.
The movie, although having a lot of potential, ultimately fell short. While beginning relatively well, with excellent jump scares, the film steadily declined. One of the main reasons for this was the protagonist. While the actor was decent, the writing failed to portray a thoughtful and compelling character, leaving the audience detached from the hero.
The movie’s pacing was also off. What could have been a tight, fast-paced horror flick turned into a tedious snooze-fest. While it certainly delivered with jump scares, there were too many sleeping shots and unnecessary dialogue seemingly only existing as a time filler. This left the audience bored and disinterested, ruining the movie experience.
The antagonists similarly killed the movie. For most horror movies, the villain’s design can make or break the film. Unfortunately, in this case, the movie shot itself in the foot. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” created three mediocre ones rather than focusing on one, fully developed antagonist. Each antagonist lacked the energy and character to engage the viewers properly. Instead, the villains showcased faulty motivations, stupid decisions and horrible dialogue.
Even the movie’s best feature, the actors themselves, fell short. The cast included some pretty big names like Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail and Mathew Lillard, all incredibly talented actors and actresses. Unfortunately, each failed to create a substantial impact on the audience and gave a largely forgettable performance.
All in all, the movie is a bland watch and is a massive letdown to the FNAF community. It is a poorly-paced film with three subpar villains, a horribly written protagonist, mediocre acting at best, and excesses of unnecessary dialogue. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is worth watching if you are half asleep on a flight, but otherwise better left alone. 1/5
