Video game movie adaptations, once an impossible genre to succeed in, are a much easier sell to modern audiences than they were 10 years ago. Perhaps this is because, like fandoms, they have elbowed their way into popular culture.
Or maybe filmmakers have gotten a better idea of what elements should carry over to the silver screen and which ones should be left on the cutting room floor.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is a story-based horror game series where half the fun comes from discovering its hidden lore, which was undoubtedly good news for director Emma Tammi and its team of screenwriters, which includes series creator Scott Cawthon. Games with strong story elements give filmmakers something to work with, whereas ones where gameplay is overly dominant, like “Super Mario Bros.”, do not, as I’ve described in my review of its recent film.
The film follows Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), a delinquent who finds himself at the office of career counselor Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard) after an unsuccessful string of jobs. Mike has custody of his sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), after the death of their parents, but social services is threatening to transfer it to their aunt unless he gets his act together.
He lands a job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria as an overnight security guard. The place is similar to Chuck E. Cheese’s, complete with animatronics, except this one has been closed since the 1980s, when five children went missing (the film presumably takes place in the 1990s or early 2000s). Its shadowy owner, William Afton, just can’t let the place go, Steve tells him.
However, at night, the animatronics come to life and try to kill him. He gets tips from a police officer named Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), who has an intimate knowledge of the place, but murky motives. Mike makes a devastating mistake when he takes Abby on a shift with him and the animatronics take a liking to her, wanting to make her like one of them.
This is a very solid B movie. Its kills are the worst part of it and the animatronics are not scary. But I really liked how the animatronics are sympathetic villains, with the larger antagonist — their killer — revealed later.
Hutcherson, Rubio and Lillard also do phenomenal jobs and have excellent characters that elevate the film. Hutcherson plays an overwhelmed young adult suddenly thrust in the role of a father to his little sister, while being tortured each night by the death of his brother. Rubio portrays a naïve youngster unable to detect the malicious intent of the animatronics and adults around her. Lillard’s character I will not spoil, but his importance is obvious once you see the film.
It’s fitting that the quality of the movie’s script and overall story and storytelling are what makes this film stand out from its subpar horror elements, given that it’s based on a game series known for its lore.
Don’t expect to be scared by this film, and it certainly does not rise above the quality of a B movie, but it’s pretty well made for what it is.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” gets an 8/10
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