“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is based on a video game series, and it’s a real shame that it’s anything but an interactive experience. I think I would’ve had much more fun playing the actual video games. Instead, the movie version has a sluggish pace and inconsistent tone, and it doesn’t take long to realize that that it’s a relentless, dismal exercise.
Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike Schmidt, a security guard who gets fired from his job for attacking a man in a mall whom he suspects is harming a child. Mike is responsible for taking care of his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio).
Mike is told that Abby will wind up in the hands of his cruel, arrogant aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson) if he doesn’t find work soon. He meets with his career counselor (Matthew Lillard) about a security job for an abandoned pizza parlor known as Freddy Fazbear’s.
When Mike begins working there, there’s not much going on at first, but then out of the blue, some of the animatronic characters that once inhabited the restaurant come to life and naturally, Mike is freaked out. Of course, in typical fashion, when he tries to explain the situation to others, including a police officer (Elizabeth Leil), nobody seems to believe him.
The movie has a subplot involving Mike trying to figure out his brother being kidnapped by having a number of dreams about it and somehow it’s intertwined with the monsters coming to life, but all it does is add to the contrivance of an already contrived plot.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is supposedly aimed at kids based on the video games, but for my money, it’s so disturbing in its overall atmosphere and mood that most kids will probably be frightened by it rather than thrilled.
Not to mention those creatures are sorely lacking. There’s little to no visual imagination. Are we supposed to root for them or be terrified? The movie doesn’t know, and by default, neither do we.
As for the actors, they look as if they’d rather be hunting for a slice of pizza or anything else that’s at the catering table instead of being involved in such a film that feels either ridiculously dull or maddeningly depressing.
Plus, don’t even get me started on the ludicrous ending that sets itself up for the inevitable sequel. Like a video game, I wish this movie would’ve had “Game Over” sprayed across the screen at the end.
Grade: D
(Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images and language.)
