Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
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It is Halloween time, which is scary movie time. I love watching spooky flicks this time of year, but no one in my family wants to. My wife and 13-year-old hate them, and my 7-year-old daughter is too young. My 10-year-old son is likely too young, but he likes to be spooked, and I'm a bad dad. So, I took him to see the latest video game adapted into a movie. I mean, he loves video games; maybe we just ignore the fact that the movie happens to be about some animatronic animals that gruesomely kill people.
Blumhouse Productions and Universal Studios hope you chose to spend the weekend with their latest effort, "Five Nights at Freddy's."
The movie is an adaptation of the same-name video game that already has numerous sequels, dozens of comic books and graphic novels. Mostly kids play the game, and with a PG-13 rating, the studios want those same kids to come to see the movie. But is it OK for them, and is it even that good?
Well, I'm here to give you my two cents on both. Here are the things I liked and didn't like about the movie and what parents should know before sending their kids.
The good
It has some scares
I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but the movie revolves around a night guard at the now-abandoned Freddy Fazbear's. Think of ShowBiz Pizza or Chuck E. Cheese. It doesn't take long for the night guard to start seeing some strange things and he soon discovers the "lovable" animatronic animals come to life ... and are not always friendly.
The movie starts with a solid scare and does a fine job of playing up those moments. There is a certain dread, and director Emma Tammi creates a claustrophobic atmosphere where anything can come from anywhere at any moment.
I had a moment or two where I jumped, but the tension sold me more than the jump scares.
It's absurd and fun
I already laid out the premise of the movie for you. Needless to say, it's ridiculous. Instead of a masked murderer out for revenge on some oblivious teenagers, these are animatronic stuffies made to play guitar and sell pizza. It's silly, but that's the charm.
You know what's coming and can't help but smile at the absurdity. Some good jokes and surprising visuals will make you chuckle, even though you shouldn't. I am trying to say that the movie is stupid, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
This is not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who like to embrace the absurd, I think you'll have some fun.
I was actually interested in the story
Too often, the problem with video game movies is the story. There isn't enough there to keep you interested in what is going on with the characters. I can't say that "Five Nights at Freddy's" is an Oscar-winning story (I didn't want it to be), I just wanted it to hold my attention.
I will avoid spoilers, but there was enough of a story with the characters involved that I wanted to get to the conclusion. I wanted to know what was happening and got breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the run time. It was enough information to satiate my appetite and leave me wanting more. Sure, it was clumsy and rushed at times, but I was surprised the story kept me as engaged as it did.
The bad
It had too much build-up
As you can imagine with the title, the movie takes place over five nights. Scary movies always have a build-up of tension and then release the scary. Then, they build the tension again to hit you with another scare. "Five Nights at Freddy's" followed the same formula. Still, the tension or quiet moments often lasted too long, and I almost forgot I was watching a horror movie.
This may have been done on purpose to avoid it being too scary for some of the kids who might want to see it, but the pacing of it threw me off my scary movie vibe a little too much.
What parents should know
Whether this movie is appropriate for your kid will all come down to you and your child. There is not much language and no sex, but there is violence, multiple scares and some disturbing storylines.
The violence is not constant, but it comes on quick. You don't see much of the blood and gore, but a couple of moments will take you by surprise. It is a horror movie, and they are trying to give you the chills. It could very well be too much for some kiddos who are more sensitive to scares.
As I mentioned, I took my 10-year-old. He did OK with the scares because even with the horror playing out, it's tough to take it too seriously when it's done by a fluffy bear with a top hat. Where my son got nervous was the alluded child violence. There are themes of kidnapping and violence towards children that can be disturbing. Nothing is shown, and what happened is never discussed in detail. Still, those elements are there, and I think many younger audiencegoers may find it tough to handle.
Conclusion
"Five Nights at Freddy's" is not a home run, and I don't know if I'm running back out to see it, or if it'll be a yearly Halloween go-to, but I did have fun. My son enjoyed it, but did mention some of it scared him more than he wanted to admit.
"Five Nights at Freddy's" is officially rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images and language.
