Another Flawed Adaptation
I’m a Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) fan. I’ve played nearly all the games and watched walkthroughs for the ones I didn’t get the chance to play. Yet, despite the inclusion of Freddy and the crew, Five Nights at Freddy’s did not match nearly the level of fear I get playing the games, nor was it particularly great.
What impressed me the most were the set designs. That pizzeria setting was spot-on, faithfully capturing the ambiance of the games. The animatronics looked incredibly realistic, staying true to their in-game appearances. The acting was as expected. I did like Josh Hutcherson (Mike), though. He’s come a long way from his Hunger Games days, and it’s good to see him in more roles as he can act quite convincingly.
Regrettably, the rest of the movie fell short in various aspects. FNAF is renowned for its jump scares, and while I often regard them as cheap scares that struggle to create real tension and fear, they remain a fundamental part of the FNAF experience and one of the reasons I enjoy the games. Jump scares always get me, but the film’s scarcity of them was a major letdown, and the attempts that were made fell flat. The film’s overall direction failed to capture the same ominous atmosphere that the games effortlessly evoke, leaving it as a significant missed opportunity.
My primary criticism of the movie lies with its weak script. We were led to believe that the reason for the continuous delays in the FNAF movie’s release was due to the difficulty in finding a script that truly encapsulated the essence of his series. However, the final script missed the mark. It felt generic and poorly executed. The film was riddled with narrative gaps, exemplified by characters seemingly appearing in different locations without any logical explanation, and sudden shifts in personality that left me feeling detached from them. And there was this whole deal where one character kept crucial information from the protagonist for way too long (for the sake of plot progression) – a trope I absolutely despise.
Equally disappointing was the portrayal of the antagonist, William Afton, or Springtrap. He lacked the intended scariness and came across as goofy. I would go so far as to call him one of the worst villains I’ve seen in a movie. The reveal of his identity was predictable from the start, and I had no genuine curiosity about who he was. In fact, I almost forgot there was an antagonist until the final sequence.
In a nutshell, this movie just didn’t feel like FNAF. It was more like a kiddie horror flick. It didn’t give me the chills I was expecting. There were a few moments that got my heart racing – props to Blumhouse for that – but they were too short-lived, and the payoffs were lacking. I wouldn’t call it a tough watch, but definitely one that is forgettable and not-so-entertaining.
