Walking into the theater, I can feel the excitement and anticipation of the crowd. Fans of the film and games alongside me counted down as the ‘Five Nights at Freddy 2’ title projected on the screen. A sense of familiarity washed over me as Freddy’s Fazbear’s Pizzeria flashed across the theater once more.

Although the main plot of the movie was different from the games, there were some other similar elements. The flickering lights and thunderstorm effects made a return, adding to the suspense and thrill of the movie. Similarly to the game, the Freddy Mask, the puppet, and the vents were key elements of the plot. Viewers are immersed into the story through the camera work and music that mirrors the game.

It was amazing to see the original faces I had fallen in love with, but there are now more character stories to follow. It seems that the animatronics have new designs and features. The new design for the toy animatronics created a creepier and chilling feel when jump scared. I appreciated the attention to detail of the toys this movie presented as it gave it a more fresh look.

The main storyline of the previous movie, the missing children possessing the machines and William Afton being the killer, continued to unfold in the sequel. All of the pieces of the story fall into place throughout the movie, making it easy for viewers to understand the storyline. The movie was developed at a good pace as I felt it gave enough background while still developing new ideas. The sequel was a great way to highlight how much the first movie affected Mike, Abby and Vanessa’s life.

Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio and Elizabeth Lail made a return to their respective roles and welcomed Freddy Carter as he took on a new role in the movie. The movie also featured multiple major YouTubers, like MatPat voicing Toy Bonnie and CoryxKenshin playing Cabbie. Though these were smaller moments in the film, I think profound enthusiasts will enjoy seeing prominent figures from the FNAF community.

The ending gave hope to Five Nights a Freddy’s fans for another movie. As a Five Nights at Freddy’s follower, I can say fans will be surprised at the turns the movie takes.

After two years of waiting, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2‘ has finally been released to much anticipation.

The sequel follows Mike and Abby navigating the original pizzeria, which was closed following the unexpected death of a girl named Charlotte, while Vanessa deals with her resurfacing family trauma.

Comparing the movie to the game, there were some changes. The layout of the pizzeria was completely different, with the movie adding a water ride and some additional backrooms to the restaurant.

The security office looked faithful to the game. There was still no door, and the method of repelling the animatronic remained the Freddy head.

The animatronics looked as if they were ripped out of the game. Both the animatronic suits and The Marionette were made by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Kellen Goff, a longtime voice actor for the FNAF franchise, was brought back to voice Toy Freddy. Toy Bonnie’s few lines were delivered by Matthew Patrick, former Game Theory host, and Toy Chica was voiced by Megan Fox.

The puppeteering for the animatronics, especially The Marionette, was both incredible and unsettling.

Some Del Val students liked the changes made to the Marionette’s character.

“[The actor for] Abby, when she turned into the puppet, was super spooky,” movie goer Taylor Spolski said.

Other people were not so happy with the changes.

“They shouldn’t have changed Marionette,” freshman Abby Walker said. “It was super stupid, and she was meant to be just a puppet to protect the innocent.”

I did not like the changes to the Marionette. As someone who grew up with the games, switching the motives of the puppet felt like they just wanted to move the story along faster and have an excuse for more jump scares.

The end credit song was It’s Been So Long by The Living Tombstone. There was a mid credit scene and a post credit monologue delivered by Henry Emily, played by Skeet Ulrich.

While some of the changes were drastic, the movie still manages to tell a story about Five Nights at Freddy’s in a new way.

Even though the movie may not be the best quality story-wise, I think fans of the Five Nights at Freddy’s games can still enjoy this tribute to nostalgia.

“It was a little different from the original game, but it was good,” Spolski said. “In the games, Micheal Afton was nicer, but I liked him as the villain.”