In October of 2023, the long-awaited film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s finally landed in theaters, where it became a box office sensation. In just a few weeks, it became Blumhouse Productions’ most profitable movie of all time, making back 1450% of its budget during its theatrical run. While it was undoubtedly a financial success, many people, us included, felt that the movie had fallen short in various ways, most notably with how they failed to create an engaging narrative. Now, over two years after the franchise’s big-screen debut, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 arrived in theaters on December 5th, 2025, and despite its high box office returns, many of the issues present in the first movie have returned and worsened with the latest installment.

Just like the majority of sequel films for large franchises, the quality of the writing for the characters that we had grown to appreciate in the first movie took a swift nosedive. As Mike Schmidt, his sister, and Vanessa Afton try to find a sense of normalcy after the incident at the original Fazbear pizzeria, the protagonists all become a one-note depictions of their characters from the original movie, with their relationships that had been set up not developing further. Moments that would have been sweet become stale as they seemed to have forgotten their emotional development from the first movie. When they then become entangled in the plans of the Marionette, the animatronic antagonist possessed by a vengeful ghost at a second Freddy’s location, the coherence of the plot quickly declines.

Whether it be the breaking trust between the main characters or the backstory for the Marionette, conflicts within this movie felt forced and unnatural because the motivations behind the characters made little sense, ultimately breaking the immersion of the movie at several points. Several secondary antagonists are also shoehorned into the movie, appearing only to pad out the film’s runtime but ultimately providing some unintentionally funny moments. The final climactic moment of the movie feels like a piece of poorly written fanfiction, with the main characters making decisions so baffling that it was, at times, difficult to watch.

Though the lows of this film are pretty bad, the production for this movie and the accuracy of the animatronics and set design are extremely impressive feats. Blasting audiences once again with 1980s nostalgia, both charming yet uncanny robotic animals, a genuinely eerie depiction of the Marionette, and a faithful recreation of the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 in-game restaurant, this film is a treat for the eyes. This is especially true for keen-eyed viewers with the amount of references and Easter eggs to various parts of the Five Nights at Freddy’s fandom.

The massive success of this movie has ensured a third installment of this franchise, and while loyal fans may flock to theaters to watch the animatronics return, those who are less keen on watching a poorly written movie may stay home. Without an increase in the quality of storytelling and characters, all of the triumphs of this movie will remain unseen.