Immediately following its release on Oct. 27, the long-awaited and highly anticipated “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie has been ripped apart by movie critics. These critics, however, are analyzing this movie through an incorrect lens and failing to appreciate the highlights of the movie or to assess it for what it was intended to be.
On Rotten Tomatoes, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has scored a 30 percent amongst critics, with their consensus being that viewers who are not fans of the game will find this movie “muddled and decidedly unscary.” Other common critiques are that the story is not engaging and that the pacing issues make it boring.
As someone who has never played “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and is only vaguely familiar with the franchise, I think this movie adaptation can be appreciated by all audiences and shouldn’t be evaluated as if it were just another horror movie.
There are many aspects of the movie that are simply incredible, most notably the set and prop design. The attention to detail to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, an abandoned arcade from the 80s, is phenomenal. The old pinball machines, 80s style arcade furniture, dark and dingy hallways, outdated security room and, of course, the intricate animatronics created an eerie yet mesmerizing atmosphere. Impressively, all animatronics were genuinely brought to life with actual animatronic puppets, not CGI, which further added to viewer immersion.
Although critics argue that the story is uninteresting and poorly paced, I found it to be the opposite. I found myself invested in characters like Mike, a man who attempts to find his missing little brother’s captor in his dreams, and Abby, his little sister who uses drawings to express her connection to the supernatural. It was interesting to see how the different characters connected and the plot unfolded.
I did not find that the movie dragged. If anything, I felt as though I was left with unanswered questions about Abby’s connection to the animatronics and what happened to their aunt Jane, for example.
Admittedly, there were some tonal issues with the movie. Dialogue and emotional reactions sometimes felt like they came out of nowhere or were unfit for the situation. I also wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about the animatronics, wondering if I should fear them, feel sorry for them or find them funny.
But for me, the highlights of the movie outweigh potential problems. I think critics feel otherwise because they are going about their criticism the wrong way, analyzing it as a stand-alone horror movie instead of a video game adaptation intended mostly—but not exclusively—for fans.
To my understanding, the horror component of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” video game franchise relies on disturbing storylines, jump scares and a frightening, suspenseful atmosphere, all of which were implemented in the movie. Although some may fail to find this to be scary, I think this lighter lean into horror, leading to a PG-13 rating instead of R, was likely to include the diverse fanbase that spreads across many age demographics.
And among these fans, most enjoyed the movie, with an 88 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie may be appreciated most by fans, but the thought-provoking storyline, the elaborate sets and intricate characters are accessible to and can be enjoyed by general audiences.
Do not let the critics deter you from seeing this movie.
