Don Reviews "Five Nights at Freddy's 2"

Here’s a question that tells you if you are getting old: have you ever been to (or heard of) a Showbiz Pizza restaurant?  I remember going there as a child and always loved the gorilla that was on the keyboards.  Just about everyone knows about Chuck E. Cheese, but back then, Showbiz was their biggest competitor.  Chuck E. Cheese ended up winning the war when they took over Showbiz, but what happens when the animatronics are left behind?  This is the basis for the Five Night at Freddy’s video game series and now a second big-screen treatment.

Directed by Emma Tammi (who directed the first film), this cast has Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, Freddy Carter, Wayne Knight, and McKenna Grace.  Taking place about a year after the original, survivors Mike (Huhcherson), Abby (Rubio), and Vanessa (Lail) are still dealing with their issues from their last encounter with the characters in the abandoned pizza place.  Thinking that the evil is behind them, the spirits draw them back to the pizzeria where it all took place, and the battle is back on to keep the evil contained.

The best way for me to describe how I feel about this film is… interesting.  It was great to see some of the returning cast director and a visual style that keeps things consistent.  There is also the same CGI usage and the animatronic characters were great along with acting that works for a film like this.

But this is where it gets weird: the film was just missing that something special that the original had.  At about an hour and forty-five minutes long, it does not overstay its welcome, and while it is based on the second in its video game series, this was just not great.  It just gets too complicated with a number of subplots for this type of film, which really should keep things simple.  Another problem I have is the use of “cheap scares” versus making things build to a better level of intensity.  I did not love this Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, but I did not hate it. If you enjoyed the first film, I think you make like it, but not as much as the original.  If there is a decision to make a third on, please make a better film, but I will still recommend watching this film on a home streaming service.