By Tiana Rosiak – Staff Reporter

“Five Nights At Freddy’s 2″ was released in theaters on December 5 following the commercial success of it’s predecessor. The movie is based on the popular video-game franchise “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” created by the film’s producer and writer, Scott Cawthon. Though the film landed well with fans, it received negative reviews from most critics. While critiqued for it’s messy and not-so-scary plot, it was heavily praised for it’s exploration into already existing lore. Despite the negativity, the movie still did exceedingly well in the box office. The film has broken the record for the biggest December horror movie opening ever, beating out the 1997 movie, “Scream.”

The new installment, directed by Emma Tammi, takes place a year after the events that occurred during the prior movie. Now former security guard Mike (Josh Hutcherson) has to face new and deadlier animatronics with his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) and friend Vanessea (Elizabeth Lail) in order to protect the town’s adults. Other notable characters include Henry (Skeet Ulrich), William (Matthew Lillard), and Lisa (Mckenna Grace). The movie also stars Kellen Goff, Matthew Patrick, and Megan Fox as the voices of the new animatronic characters.

The movie maintains a somewhat campy and interesting vibe throughout it’s runtime. Jokes landed well, and when it was time for the horror element to shine, they did so and didn’t make it “cringe.” Easter eggs for fans were left throughout the movie through lines and cameos which proved to be fun for anyone who might take note. The film also contained impressive effects, especially pertaining to the animatronic characters and their suits. 

While there were attempts at improving this time around, it still remains poor in it’s writing and story. Most of the writing felt oversimplified and, at times, completely flat. The story as well was a weak point. Multiple times throughout the movie certain plo tlines felt either rushed or dragged on for too long. There wasn’t much development with characters, and new characters were tossed aside as soon as they were shown. Big plot twists felt predictable and recognizable to anyone with any bit of knowledge of the game and failed to leave a lasting mark. 

Overall, “Five Nights At Freddy’s 2” is a fun time for fans, but for anybody who may not be caught up on the game’s story, it feels messy and disappointing. The film, however, does a better job of maintaining the horror element compared to it’s predecessor.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars