As Hollywood runs out of new and unusual ideas for film plots, they have turned more towards established properties. From remakes to sequels and television shows, no one or thing is safe from the movie moguls trying to grab a quick buck. They have even turned video games into major motion pictures with the latest installment coming from Universal Pictures. Five Nights at Freddy's has a scary plot and a built-in fan base, which made it the perfect vehicle for director Emma Tammi (The Wind). Grossing almost $300 million worldwide, it can now be purchased on 4K.
Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson; The Hunger Games) works odd jobs from which he always gets fired. He also has legal custody of his younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio; For All Mankind). However, when his estranged aunt, Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson; Some Kind of Wonderful), sues Mike for custody of Abby, Mike is forced to take a job as a nighttime security guard at an abandoned kid's restaurant. While there Mike falls asleep and dreams of his younger brother who was kidnapped years earlier. Over the next few nights, Mike encounters strange events and even thinks the animatronic dolls have come to life. When he discovers he is right, he also learns the restaurant and its owner have a dark and sinister past.
Tammi does a great job bringing the Five Nights at Freddy's video game to the big screen. Not only does the crew do an excellent job of replicating the game and the characters but the film moves along at a steady pace. Hutcherson is good as the older brother who is riddled with guilt and Rubio does a terrific job for being a young novice. Elizabeth Lail (Countdown) and Matthew Lillard (Scream) complete the cast as each offers something different to the plot.
Five Nights at Freddy's is presented in HDR10/2160p resolution and looks wonderful. Most of the movie has a nighttime backdrop and the various shades of black are represented to give the video a fuller experience. The few scenes that take place in daylight are very good as well, especially the deep red eyes of the animatronics and the yellow of Chica, one of the animatronics. The details, especially on the animatronics, are incredible and make the idea that the robots are alive more plausible.
The Dolby Atmos is also topnotch as the audio is detailed and layered which offers the viewer a fuller experience. Dialogue is clean, the music is sharp and gunshots explode all around. One of the funniest moments in the film - when a grown man starts screaming like a little girl as he is running from an animatronic demon - wouldn't be nearly as funny if the screams were muffled.
The combo pack comes with the 4K disc, the Blu-ray Disc, and a digital download. There are also three, not very long, but informative, extras that are worth watching. They are FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S: From Game to Big Screen, Killer Animatronics, and FIVE NIGHTS in Three Dimensions and they include helpful/interesting tidbits about the game and the film.
Making a movie based on a video game can be a tricky endeavor because, even though there is already a story, it can be difficult to follow the previously established plot while trying to make it unique and different. It is also hard to anticipate what fans of the video game might expect and if one gets it wrong, said fans will be very vocal in their displeasure. Luckily, Tammi got it correct which is part of what makes Five Nights at Freddy's enjoyable to watch.
Purchase a copy today - you won't regret it.
Grade: B
