We're right in the middle video game adaptation an era that has its moments: a gripping series like Prime Video Fall out or a silly, action-packed series like Sonic the Hedgehog not only celebrates the source material, but also presents it in an accessible way that invites new fans to big franchises. But there are still tedious misfires, such as The Last of Us Season 2 And That unknown movie to drag us back to earth. film adaptation 2023 Five Nights at Freddy's came from people who understood the brief and made one of the most entertaining screen adaptations of a game in years. The sequel doesn't achieve the same ratings.
Based on the 2014 video game. Five Nights at Freddy's 2the second film takes place shortly after the original FNAF movie. Security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson), his younger sister and ward Abby (Piper Rubio), and police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) are still dealing with the aftermath of the first film, in which they must battle animatronics created by Vanessa's serial killer father, William Afton (Matthew Lillard), and his possessed child victims. Now Abby (Piper Rubio) mourns the loss of her robot “friends” and hopes to bring them back online.
At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to the original location of the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza franchise, a restaurant populated by its own animatronics. There we meet the robot that first appeared in the film franchise: Marionette, also known as Puppet. The puppet was first introduced in FNAF 2 a video game in the form of a terrifying animatronic that came from the original Fazbear's and was possessed by another of Afton's victims, a young girl named Charlotte. FNAF Creator Scott Cawthorn details Puppet's story for the film, especially her goal: she wants to free herself from Freddy Fazbear's location. She sees Abby as the key to her escape, as Abby already trusts Freddy and the gang and is eager to see them again.
I really liked the first one Five Nights at Freddy's movie, although I haven't played any of the games. Even though I went in knowing next to nothing about the franchise, the story unfolded in a way that allowed me to easily digest the information being revealed. And as someone who grew up in the '80s and went to pizzerias much like Freddy Fazbear's, it was easy for me to find my footing there.
This lightness is lost in the second film as the plot gets bigger, with more robots, mysticism and murder. However, it also becomes even more confusing as the addition of Puppet introduces a lot of knowledge that I simply didn't understand due to my lack of knowledge of the games. However, where credit is due, Puppet's character design is unique and terrifying, and makes him stand out from the rest of the Fazbear gang.
Ultimately it comes down to the writing. The first film was developed and written by game creator Scott Cawthorne and a group of other writers, including director Emma Tammy. For the sequel, Cawthorn took over writing duties alone, with Tammy again in the director's chair. The resulting film seems much more lore-heavy than the first, and Cawthorn clearly assumes that audiences won't need any explanation: some important information for newcomers isn't revealed until the very end of the film.
Luckily my viewing was filled FNAF fans, and their reactions gave me a better understanding of what events are important. They told me what to look for: gasping in horror at an event occurring or filling the room with nervous laughter when a character entered a certain place. However, I don't want to enjoy the movie. If Five Nights at Freddy's 2 was intended for a mass audience, it had to make some concessions to this audience. Instead of, FNAF 2 made me feel excluded from a party that other people were having.
One particular element of the Puppet's story is introduced early in the film. While she is in Freddy Fazbear's cage, a mysterious music box plays next to her cage. If you know FNAF lore, you get a sense of how the music box connects to both the Puppet and Charlotte – information I wish I had had before the final act of the film, as it makes the story richer. It's like HBO waited until the end The Last of Us In the first season, Ellie is shown to be immune to clicker bites, leaving viewers new to the games wondering for weeks when she will finally turn into one of the infected.
The sequel was also a disappointment in the horror department. Like the first film, it's rated PG-13, so no one was expecting a blood-fest. However, in the first film, the kills were more effective, as was the tension throughout the film due to the secret truth about Freddy Fazbear. In the first film, Tammy showed that she could pull off effective and entertaining PG-13 horror scenes, but somehow that didn't happen in this film.
The return of Piper Rubio is one of the bright spots of the film. She was great as Mike's little sister in the first film. Here, however, Rubio brings 11-year-old Abby to life with convincing levels of sadness and pain as she mourns her friends and desperately hopes to get them back. She is a determined little girl who constantly goes into trouble without fear, trying to save her robot friends.
Yet her role is bogged down by some of the worst elements I've seen in a film this year. Wayne Knight (ur.Seinfeld, Jurassic Park) plays a science teacher who is unnecessarily rude to Abby, telling her to withdraw from a robotics competition because he doesn't think her robot is worthy of showing off. Later, when she shows up with the finished product at the science fair, the teacher deliberately breaks it, sending Abby out of the room in tears.
While I'm sure his character is supposed to be comedic, it's not. This is despicable, and anyone who has seen a teacher behave this way would definitely voice their opinion. And the fact that he does this openly, in front of a school and at a science fair attended by students and parents, completely distracted me from the film.
On the other hand, Skeet Ulrich delivers a wonderful moment as Henry, the father of one of Afton's first victims. Henry is a pretty important character in the games, and he'll have a much bigger role to play in the potential third film. And although he's in little more than one scene, Ulrich uses his minutes to create a damaged, traumatized father who still hasn't forgiven himself for failing to save his daughter. This is one of the best scenes in the film and leads to Hutcherson's best performance in the film. fnaf 2, as he (and the audience) learn important information.
While Rubio stands out, Hutcherson and Lail feel a little lost in the mix. Mike basically wants to just forget about what happened to Freddy Fazbear, whether he overcame the injury or not. Hutcherson looks bored most of the time FNAF 2which prevents other emotional moments he is involved in from leaving a mark.
Vanessa, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have grown up at all. She is still haunted by visions of her father and still tries to avoid them. You'd think that battling her serial killer stepfather and his army of mystical animatronics would change her, but no. And although Leil is not entirely bad the film has her constant breathless tone, which worked perfectly in Netflix's first season Younot suitable for this film. This makes it difficult for her to believably convey the ridiculous supernatural events that continue to occur around her. While this performance didn't really bother me in the first film, we didn't know who Vanessa was at the time or what she was capable of. Now her breathless vocals are off-putting.
Between confusing plot elements, mediocre horror and dodgy acting, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 it's a step back from the first film. It's a disappointment: while the film has moments that fans may enjoy and plenty of robots causing chaos, the story is a mess if you don't already know the ins and outs of the series. First Five Nights at Freddy's It felt like the film was inviting us all into its world. On the other hand, this option may make all but the franchise's most diehards feel like outsiders just trying to keep up.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on Friday, December 5th.
