This review was originally posted on Facebook (November 15, 2023).
I could write several essays on FNAF.
(Only slight spoilers. No specific plot points revealed, but I refer to the “twist” from the games/story.)
I’ve never played the games because they didn’t interest me, but students have been loyal fans for years, and now my own kid is interested, so what I knew prior to watching the film came from a mixture of their opinions and what I’ve read in reviews or interviews.
The most interesting aspect of the FNAF franchise to me has always been its obvious and heavy-handed Christian symbolism; however, most young players seem oblivious and most adults either understand because they know about the creator or they reject the claim for various reasons (“it’s not that deep” is a common one). I’ll save specific criticism of the evangelical aspects of the franchise for another post.
The film was miscast, I felt. Josh Hutcherson is old enough to be a father to the actor who plays his little sister, so I was constantly reminding myself he was the brother. I also was taken out of the film when he made a joke to the sister about not growing if she didn’t eat–was that something Hutcherson was told as a child? Was it dialog written by someone else? Why did an actor known for being “short” or “child-like” make this threatening “joke” to a little girl? I felt for him, but if it was his decision then I guess it felt funny to him. Didn’t land for me.
The time period was also an odd choice since nothing in the story or props necessitates a 99-00s setting. Flashback sequences were confusing since the entire film had a muted color palette and we were never properly anchored in time between the initial abduction, assault incident, and the FNAF storyline. The trope of child abduction and a predator hiding within the community was not touched on enough which lets you know there are sequels on the way.
And we aren’t given enough time between older brother/young sister to understand the resentment toward the aunt character, nor sufficient reason to believe she would be a worse guardian. Why should we should support his negligent parenting besides the fact that he’s, “doing his best?”
Which he isn’t… by the way. He’s abusing drugs to obsessively lucid dream while taking out rage bursts on his sibling and innocent people around him. Then he uses his sister to investigate sentient animatronics late at night. I’m saying this as someone with cPTSD: I want to be on his side, but he is not a good man.
Which brings me back to Christianity.
Because we have a clear prodigal son/savior/redemption narrative being laid out in this film to such an extent that “Amazing Grace” could be the theme song. Even the number of children/souls/dream children is symbolic. So this might be enjoyable for a certain crowd, namely youth who don’t yet understand religious parabolic symbolism, but it is not for me. So I doubt I’ll check out any sequels, as much as I love Lillard and supporting his work.
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