Grade: A-
One wonders if Scott Cawthon, the developer of the Five Nights at Freddy’s video game, was traumatized by the animatronics at Chuck E. Cheese, Showbiz Pizza, and that ilk. They always did have a way of looking unsettling; I hear most Chuck E. Cheeses jettisoned them a long time ago. Either way, Cawthon’s game has taken the world by storm since its August 2014 release. I’ve never played it. Never tried it. I’m probably wrong, but it just sounds boring and too easy. You’re playing an overnight security guard at a long-closed CEC knockoff, the animatronics come to life, and you have to keep them out of your office. My, my. How can I contain my excitement after hearing that premise? Really, how fast can these things move? How rusty must they be after all that time? Millions find it fun and addictive, though. What I do know is Blumhouse’s new movie is a captivating, sneaky-fun experience.
Director Emma Tammi and the five-person writing team have boundless imagination and ideas. There’s so much they want to bring to life for us. Cinematographer Lyn Moncrief (Vengeance) has outdone himself, with colors and other sights that are candy for the eyes. Multiple kinds of visuals, too. Sometimes we are watching security camera footage on a TV screen, Paranormal Activity style, to see if anything odd happens. At other moments, there might be glowing metallic eyes that suddenly turn on in the dark. A couple supporting players act oddly, as if they know more than they’re telling – or maybe they’re just weird.
Matthew Lillard’s character could fall into either category. He is a career counselor for Mike (Josh Hutcherson – Peeta from The Hunger Games franchise). Mike hasn’t had a great track record as of late; he was fired from his mall security job for beating a man up in the fountain. He mistook a father grabbing his son as an abduction in progress. Mike had a younger brother who was kidnapped at a family outdoor picnic, while Mike was supposed to have kept an eye on him. He dreams about it every night. Now, both his parents are out of the picture due to one circumstance or another, and he’s raising his much younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio). People often mistake her for his daughter. He is in danger of being evicted, so he reluctantly accepts a job suggested to him by Lillard: an overnight security gig at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza – the video game’s namesake. Though it closed down a couple decades ago, it never got the wrecking ball. There it continues to stand, like Grey Gardens, or Miss Havisham’s home – left just the way it was when it was hustling and bustling with customers. Mike figures keeping an eye on the place is boring, but easy money. Needless to say, unusual things begin to happen, as he finds out he’s not alone.
One of so many elements I loved was the training video left for Mike to watch on his first night – and viewed by all the past employees in this position. It’s been quite the revolving door. The narrator of the video has a smile and demeanor that is just a little bit off. You can’t put your finger on it, but you can’t unsee it once you notice. Mike befriends and receives regular visits from a local police officer – an attractive blonde about his age named Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail). You may think this is our obvious Romantic Love Interest, but she ends up serving a deeper purpose. The surprisingly labyrinthine plot has unexpected developments and twists. I definitely want to seek out some of those “ending explained” articles.
The PG-13 rating gets its maximum mileage. This is a step above the level of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark. You might call it Saw: The Y.A. Edition. There are unanswered questions and unresolved plot points, but did I care? Hell no. Five Nights at Freddy’s plays so effectively as entertainment and escapism. It possesses the enthusiasm and exuberance of a little kid who can’t wait to tell you a great story, even if not everything makes sense.
Grade: A-
Film Reviews by Mark 
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