Riley Peru, Staff Writer
“Five Nights at Freddy’s”, based on the popular video game series under the same name, was released in theaters on October 27th. It stars Josh Hutcherson, famously known for his role as Peeta Malark in “The Hunger Games”.
This movie follows Mike, played by Hutcherson, who is struggling to find work after being fired from his last couple of jobs. He also struggles with nightmares of when his brother was abducted right in front of him, and every night he has the same nightmare hoping he can see the man that took his brother. He is the sole guardian of his sister Abby and must maintain a job to take care of her. Mike seeks help from a career specialist who tells him about a job at an abandoned pizza shop, named “Freddy Fazbears Pizzeria”.
He will work as a security guard making sure nothing comes in or out of the place. He discovers that at the restaurant there are four main animatronics; a bear named Freddy, a bunny named Bonnie, a chicken named Chika, and a Fox named Foxy. Together they sing and dance at the press of a button, but he learns that they are not what they appear to be. He meets Vanessa, a police officer who works the same shift as him who seems to know a little too much about the place. One night he must bring Abby to work because no one can look after her and Vanessa tells Mike to never do it again. Mike learns that Freddy Fazbears Pizzeria was shut down due to a series of kidnappings, where kids were tortured and murdered. Their bodies were shoved inside the animatronics, causing the machines to come alive at night. The children possess the machines and take orders from a man who wears a golden bunny suit. They decide they want Abby to join them in the afterlife and hunt her down. Mike and Vanessa must do whatever they can to prevent them from taking Abby.
Although the movie is based on video games, it doesn’t follow them exactly. The whole purpose of the video game is to avoid the animatronics altogether because they will kill whoever they encounter at nighttime. The game has one task, don’t get caught. There is also a battery that drains every time the player views the cameras to check the animatronics locations as well as turning on lights and shutting the office doors. While in the film, they only attack if you damage them or their surroundings, not like the game. There are scenes where Abby is seen hugging the machines and they do nothing to harm her. Easter eggs linger throughout the film and fans of the original games will find enjoyment in them. There is also an ending that leaves room for a sequel if the studio decides to continue with the franchise, which might happen with the film making over $100 million in its opening weekend.
Personally, I thought the movie was average. It was entertaining for sure; it was fun to watch, and I got the nostalgic feeling I was hoping to get when viewing. While funny at some points and jokes that fans of the video games will notice, I wish it stayed true to the video game. This film is good to watch if you aren’t a fan of horror movies but want something that’s considered scary. With all this being said, I would rate this a two out of five stars. It’s entertaining, but I wouldn’t watch it again.
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