The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
Warning: This review contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
The film franchise based on the video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s has released its second film. After getting the opportunity to see the film on opening night as a group, here is Byte’s review of the film.
Ian Case
While a fun time, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 falls short as an actual horror movie. Scares are somewhat improved over the first installment, with the Puppet giving a more paranormal flair to the horror of the film. However, the story feels noticeably messier, taking detours from the core narrative to deliver quirky moments and fan-service references. Outside of Josh Hutcherson and what little we get of Matthew Lillard, other performances are painfully weak, making the actual believability of this story feel flimsy at best. Many may say that this movie is really made for the fans, but I think the fans deserve better.
Favorite Moment: Vanessa’s (Elizabeth Lail) dream sequence.
Acting: 5
Story: 3
Scariness: 6
Ian Fraser
Like a lot of video game movies, the highlights were moments that felt like the actual game. Those moments were really strong, especially in the second act. The plot felt very cliché and lacked a lot of depth, but I don’t think it’s detrimental to the movie. It’s exactly as stupid and campy as you would expect a movie based on Five Nights at Freddy’s to be, and I think that makes it a good watch.
Favorite moment: Any time Wayne Knight was on screen.
Acting: 7
Story: 6
Scariness: 3
Ivory Queen
As a long-time Five Nights at Freddy’s fan, I can't say the movie isn't made with a level of passion and effort from the team. The references to the community's memes and even the franchise's own history and easter eggs show that they did care to make it a movie for the fans, but that leaves it in a state where it's not good for really anyone else. Horror fans would come out of it disappointed in lackluster scares—with some albeit solid tension—and film fans would come out of it disappointed at its disjointed plot that requires the secondary cast to act as horrible people that do things for no real reason just to drive the plot or create victims you don't feel bad for.
In spite of the movie's flaws, I can't say I was left bored. Just like its predecessor, the movie has amazing visuals with the practical effects and real animatronics made by the Jim Henson Creature Shop. I felt a rush of excitement whenever I saw something I recognized from the games or their community, Shadow Bonnie and the famous beatboxing meme being two standout examples. If I were to ask anything of Blumhouse and Scott Cawthon for the third movie, I hope it's that they put a bit more focus on developing the horror and making a story that feels natural.
Favorite moment: Mike (Josh Hutcherson) emulating the gameplay of the second game. It's a direct response to the first movie not having much representation of the first game, other than the animatronics, which I think was done incredibly well.
Acting: 6
Story: 7
Scariness: 2
Jaxx Lomax
As someone who is only a casual fan of the franchise, vaguely familiar with the lore, and who didn't get the chance to watch the first movie, I enjoyed this film way more than I expected. It's not a great movie, but I really liked it. I think it should be made for an older audience because the fans who grew up with it deserve that too. For what it is now, it's not too bad. My only issue with this film is the characterization. Mike was the worst part. Not because of his acting, but because of his character. His dialogue felt fake, and he seemed to blow simple problems out of proportion. Besides that, the characterization felt very forced.
Favorite Moment: I liked how the three ghost hunters died. I also like how Mike is in the office, and it's just like the game.
Acting: 6
Story: 8
Scariness: 6
Lex Allen
As someone who doesn’t play the games, I still really enjoyed watching the movie. I liked the jump scares and the lore, but it felt like a part one waiting on a part two, and it ended awkwardly with a cliffhanger that felt a bit weird.
Favorite Moment: the original Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronics reveal
Acting: 5
Story: 6
Scariness: 6
Mason Mundy
I found Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 to be more entertaining than the first movie while also having significantly more issues. The pacing, especially when we get to the original Freddy’s location, is a lot better than the first. The film felt more focused, and the plot was a bit stronger than the first. The tension and suspense in the horror moments were also very effective.
However, unlike the first movie, this movie had so many weird moments of writing and acting. Most actors did a fine to bad job, many of them overacting. The first act of the film was rough and had no real purpose, other than getting our characters to the new location. The ending of the film was also terrible. Deus ex machina so our characters live, inconsistent rulings, and weird character turns that completely 180s character development. While I enjoyed my time with this movie, it’s hard for me to say I really liked it since it has so many issues that I can’t ignore.
Favorite Moment: Hor hor hor hor hor plush
Acting: 3
Story: 6
Scariness: 6
Sam Jasionowski
Being a massive fan of the second game, the art of this film felt like a love letter to it. It’s no surprise that the animatronics look amazing, but the set design deserves the praise as well. Any time a character sets foot into the pizzeria, it feels like they’re stepping into the actual game, making it an incredible experience for the audience. The film was at its best anytime an animatronic was on screen. They look identical to the game, feel creepy, and each version has its own personality that differentiates them. It was perfect. While the horror aspect could have been better, the bar was pretty low for a PG-13-rated film.
Unfortunately, the acting stuck out like a sore thumb in the film. Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard acted laps around most of the actors, feeling as though they were in separate films altogether. In the first act of the film, it felt like all of the actors were told to speak every word with a long pause in between, feeling highly unnatural as a viewer. Most of the main characters seem slightly underdeveloped, and the side characters just didn’t feel like real humans at all. It felt like the writers could only come up with the story of the animatronics, and couldn’t be bothered to create an interesting side plot.
Favorite Moment: Mike sitting down in the security room for the first time, and the film switching to the first-person point of view, revealing an exact replica of the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 security room.
Acting: 4
Story: 7
Scariness: 6
Viveka Flora
Don’t listen to the critics, because if you liked the first movie, you will enjoy this one just as much. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 accomplishes what many film franchises fail to, which is keeping the same spark of the first movie. As a major fan of the games myself, I was delighted by all of the easter eggs and new character appearances. Not to mention, the design of the animatronics—the toys and the withereds—knocked it out of the park once again. They definitely upped the horror aspect as well. The tension and the few deaths we got were well executed, much more than the first movie. While I could talk about the good aspects of the film forever, it’s important to mention that there are a lot of things that weren’t great.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is a big franchise, and because of this, some parts of the movie that were integral to the story weren’t able to be built upon properly because of time constraints. It was kind of just one thing onto the next, with no time to process any character development or subplots that weren’t the main focus. A lot of moments had me laughing out loud just because of how bad it was. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for me, as it was delightful to just giggle at these moments, but some may feel they ruin the movie. Another thing that I wasn’t happy with was the line distribution and character appearances. Some characters didn’t get the screen time or lines that they deserved, like Toy Freddy (Kellen Goff) and the Cupcake. All grievances aside, the experience was incredibly enjoyable, and I can’t wait for the next movie.
Favorite moment: When Vanessa shouted at Michael Afton (Freddy Carter), saying, "This isn’t a game, Michael!” Absolute cinema line right here.
Acting: 6
Story: 8
Scariness: 7
Willow Emig
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 was an enjoyable viewing experience if you already have a concept of the Five Nights at Freddy's games and the lore that is behind them. Without this background knowledge, the movie doesn't hold up on its own. The side plots are pretty underdeveloped, and the narrative cliches in characterization are not tasteful. The movie appeals to fans of the games and clearly does not make much of an effort to go beyond that. It's a fun movie that can get genuinely creepy at times, but I personally would not watch it a second time.
Favorite Moment: This isn't necessarily a specific moment, but I thought that the animatronics, as well as the creepiness of the puppet in its various forms, were really well done.
Acting: 5
Story: 6
Scariness: 6
Sources: Steam, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, JimHensonCreatureShop, Blumhouse, IMDb, Steam, IMDb, IMDb
Image: Blumhouse
