2023 has once again proven to be the year of horror movie releases, and the latest addition to the never-ending list of scary movies released this year comes through the form of video game adaptation: Five Nights At Freddy's.
If you are someone who, much like myself, had no knowledge whatsoever about the context of this well-known video game that experienced cultural heights and popularity throughout the 00's and 10's of the 21st century, you are essentially entering the cinema who no expectations whatsoever.
I personally knew absolutely nothing about the game, characters in the game, the levels of horror in which the game reached or anything in regards to a storyline that the game follows.
'Five Nights At Freddy's' is the kind of movie where in that, if it wasn't based on a non-original source, you would beg to ask the question: "Why on earth would somebody make this a movie?"
And to be perfectly honest, you could still ask that question, and it would be a fair one.
I would presume that the target audience for this film would be for people within the age range of 20-30 (given that the game hit popularity highs amongst audiences in the early 2010's), therefore the need for the movie to fit within the realms of a PG13 is absolutely unnecessary.
The creative production team behind this movie had the perfect opportunity and all of the tools to make the adaptation as gruesome and as gory as the game comes across.
But instead, a much more appropriate and child-friendly storyline was put in place to make the film more accessible to younger audiences, instead of paying homage to the original game and it's loyal fans.
Being someone who personally isn't much of a video-gamer and haven't played 'Five Nights At Freddy's' in the past, I can't help but feel how disappointed fans of the original game must feel after seeing this movie.
The one redeeming factor for this film is the fact that there is a brand new original story embedded at the centre of the movie for fans to enjoy. I for one did enjoy the dynamic between the protagonist, Mike, and the desperate search for his younger brother.
There is also an interesting creative decision displayed throughout the film in which the 5 animatronic monsters within the movie are all representatives of unique stakeholders in the movie which adds more depth to the dynamic between Mike and his brother.
Josh Hutcherson does a solid job of portraying Mike, the man who's responsibility it is to make sure the realms of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria is kept untouched by the general public.
The character of Mike faces various mental health difficulties such as depression and sleeping disorders that we haven't quite seen Hutcherson tackle before. So it was interesting to see the actor take on a different role.
Throughout the film, there are various breadcrumbs scattered amongst the storyline that leads the audience to ask intriguing questions which inevitably are all answered.
But regardless of this, 'Five Nights At Freddy's' is a uninteresting and disappointing take on what was once a well-known video game, loved by many throughout the 2010's.
Overall Rating: 4/10
Comments