A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. During his first night on the job, he realizes that the night shift won’t be so easy to get through. Pretty soon he will unveil what actually happened at Freddy’s.
A down-on-his-luck guy named Mike (Josh Hutcherson) gets a dead-end job as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. He is the guardian of his young sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). He must take her to work one night, and they later find out the animatronics come to life and have killed people in the past.
Mike’s younger brother was abducted as a child, and the event still haunts him. In his sleep, he recreates the event in his dreams to find clues about the abductor. He is also battling for custody of his sister with his aunt. His aunt is a clear-cut one-note “Karen” with a sinister side.
The character that perplexed me the most was Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail). She is a cop who knows the pizzeria’s history but doesn’t share until too late. There was a twist involving her character that seemed to confuse some fans of the game. I think the twist would have more impact if we knew more about her personal history. I also found her performance off due to how the actress said her lines. She’s mostly spouting exposition and backstory, though, so it’s not like she feels like much of a character.
I found Hutcherson’s performance to be fine. I wasn’t a fan of his dream subplot, which is a big part of his character. I understand the character’s motivation for doing it, but it just didn’t work for me. However, his traumatic backstory added depth to his character. It was also nice to see Matthew Lillard pop up in this film, but I will say the film banks on you having nostalgia for him from the first “Scream” film.
I was never really scared by anything in the film, but there is a fair amount of gore. The film’s strongest suit is the setting, a decrepit Chuck E. Cheese-like venue. It was sufficiently creepy and off-putting. I wish there were more kills, though.
I also know nothing about the lore of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” since I have never played the games. I do think the premise of the film is encouraging. While I know the games have a passionate fan base, I found that this movie had a weak script. There seemed to be enough easter eggs to keep the gamers happy, as I heard people gasping at certain reveals, but overall, I think this film is pretty forgettable.
In Theaters and streaming on Peacock Friday, October 27th
