FNAF: Loved It

To put all nostalgic feelings aside… I loved the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie!

This was just a love letter to the fans; you can feel it in each passing second of the film. And not just with the cameos, but with the care you can see that was put into the production.

The animatronics were astonishing, and you can tell how much they wanted to get the designs right. There is also the set design and how they built an entire pizzeria even if we didn’t see a good portion of it in the film.

Scott Cawthon, the creator of the games, was a big part of creating the movie and even helped write the screenplay. And Cawthon built on things that a lot of fans wanted to see in the games in the past.

This means that they were only making the movie for existing fans, they had no intention of making new fans. The main intention was keeping the already large fanbase, which is a bold move. That decision could have easily backfired.

But, in my opinion, it didn’t. And many viewers agree since the audience scores of the film are spectacular.

But for the critics, not so much! Their reviews are valid; however, the film wasn’t made for them.

Now, I can’t talk about the film without talking about the cast. The cast was one of the biggest reasons why I loved the film.

I thought Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt was a great choice. He gave the role so much depth and really made me feel the hurt and the trauma that Mike carries with him everywhere he goes. In his performance you can just see the hurt in his eyes 24/7. A nice touch is also the fact that Mike doesn’t smile in the movie until the very end when he gets closure.

Another actor who stole the show was Piper Rubio, who portrayed Abby, Mike’s little sister. She was absolutely brilliant in this role, which surprised me a bit given her age. But the moments with her and the animatronics were absolutely breathtaking.

However, what got to me personally were the scenes with her and Mike. You can feel a real sibling bond between the two, and the love that they share for each other.

Now let’s talk about Matthew Lillard, who plays two roles, but still has limited screentime. Even so, he stole the show when he was on screen, perfectly balancing psychopath and charismatic man. And this wasn’t the first time we have seen him portray that dichotomy. The biggest example would be 1996’s “Scream,” where he played Stu.

This was the first film I have seen from director Emma Tammi and she didn’t disappoint. Her unique camera angles and transitions kept me interested in the movie all the way through. I really loved the bland colors outside of Freddy’s and then the popping colors when we were inside.

I do hope that she continues to direct the series – yes, I think it will be a series of films – because she was absolutely fabulous.