“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” follows Mike and his sister Abby, who reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy in a terrifying series of events that reveal dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s.
Performances Hindered By Poor Writing
The 5-minute opening sequence is surprisingly intense. It establishes lore and some new stakes for what is to come. This sets the tone for… well, the complete opposite.
The final hour-and-a-half of the film is as unserious as it gets – with uninspired performances, tonal imbalances and a script that is all over the place. Sure, there are some fun moments along the way, but not enough.
While not entirely the actors’ faults, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” may feature some of the worst performances of the year. Josh Hutcherson (Mike) and Piper Rubio (Abby) have no familial chemistry, forced to deliver line after line of stale dialogue. Hutcherson has been much better in other roles.
McKenna Grace (Lisa), Elizabeth Lail (Vanessa), Matthew Lillard (William Afton) and even Skeet Ulrich (Henry) all make appearances as well.
For this ensemble cast, the story is much the same. It pretty much feels like they’re all phoning it in.
A Script That Falls Apart
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is for the fans. Everyone else will most likely be left out.
The film has one of the messiest scripts of the year. It goes back and forth between various subplots, becoming convoluted in the process. Rather than telling a cohesive story, it seems that “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is focused on checking boxes.
Despite all of its efforts to bring back returning characters and continue storylines, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” doesn’t even feel like a sequel. The story’s focus is constantly shifting directions, acting as a clear stepping stone for an endless array of sequels rather than an actual narrative.
Because of this, the tone is all over the place. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” takes itself way too seriously. While it often nails small moments of comedy, they don’t happen enough.
Instead, the film fully dives into drama and horror aspects – and it fails. Until the final act, there are no genuine scares in “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.” And even then, they’re lackluster at best. Relying on jump scares time and time again, there’s nothing here that genre fans haven’t seen before.
The film does deserve praise for its improved production design. The animatronics are unsettling at times, especially when shown with minimal lighting. The puppetry, lighting and practical effects all add an immersive aspect when inside Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
Final Act With Limited Payoff
Director Emma Tammi delivers in small moments of fan service. Everywhere else? Not so much.
This lopsided success does offer a glimmer of hope. The first two-thirds of “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” border on unwatchable at times, but the final act is… fun. It forgoes the characters and goes all-in on animatronic mayhem. This is the kind of movie that “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” should have been. Instead, the audience is only able to see roughly 30 minutes of its potential.
Just because the conclusion is fun, however, doesn’t mean it’s good. Even after meandering through the 104-minute runtime, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” still can’t find a way to end; without of course directly setting up the next installment. It reaches its resolution in a matter of minutes, ultimately resulting in an unearned finish.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is a hollow sequel that has no purpose. Except setting up more sequels.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
