The 5 Nights at Freddy’s collection is not Matthew Lillard’s solely online game film franchise. After years of scene-stealing performances within the likes of Hackers, it was the primary entry within the Scream film franchise that gave Lillard his breakthrough. The wild, manic power he delivered to the character of Stu turned a cornerstone for a lot of of his future roles.
Actually, most of Matthew Lillard’s films featured him enjoying excessive characters, together with She’s All That or And not using a Paddle. There was additionally a run of Freddie Prinze Jr and Matthew Lillard movies, together with She’s All That and their live-action Scooby-Doo films. Like with most working actors, Lillard’s profession has had its peaks and valleys.
Fortunately, it appears like he is extra widespread than ever. After impressing everybody together with his dramatic supporting flip in Twin Peaks: The Return, Lillard has been working consistently, showing in The Lifetime of Chuck and the 5 Nights at Freddy’s collection. He is additionally voiced Shaggy in numerous Scooby-Doo offshoots.
Lillard has additionally popped up in a shocking variety of online game diversifications. Given the important historical past of that style, it ought to come as little shock that Lillard’s recreation films are a combined bag, high quality smart.
Within the Identify of the King: A Dungeon Siege Story (2007)
Simply one among Jason Statham’s worst films, Within the Identify of the King: A Dungeon Siege Story got here at an odd time within the motion star’s profession. He was nonetheless testing out totally different genres for himself, and on paper, an enormous funds, Lord of the Rings-style fantasy epic will need to have appeared like a secure wager.
In any case, Within the Identify of the King additionally paired him with stars just like the late, nice Ray Liotta, Burt Reynolds, Leelee Sobieski and extra. Nonetheless, the movie was helmed by the notorious Uwe Boll, who was identified for snapping up recreation properties like Alone within the Darkish and churning out B-movie turkeys from them.
Within the Identify of the King is not Boll’s worst, but it surely’s additionally a turgid, chintzy fantasy “epic” the place each single actor appears like they’re in a unique movie. Lillard’s deliberately hammy and smarmy villain flip a minimum of offers the manufacturing some power, but it surely may also be grating when the remainder of the forged are enjoying issues so deadpan.
Nonetheless, it a minimum of appears like Lillard is having some enjoyable. Given the forged and funds concerned, Within the Identify of the King needs to be means extra entertaining than it’s. Even for hardcore devotees of Statham or Lillard, it is a film greatest left out.
Wing Commander (1999)
Wing Commander is a collection of cult video video games that started means again within the early Nineties. The overaching story includes mankind at struggle with a catlike alien species, and the video games have been identified for his or her FMV sequences that includes the starry likes of Mark Hamill and Clive Owen. In 1999, the sport’s creator Chris Roberts helmed the film model.
In line with the video games, the Wing Commander film had an enormous forged, together with Lillard, Prinze Jr, Saffron Burrows and the late, nice David Warner. If it sounds just like the movie ought to have been a High Gun in Area, it is clear one thing went very improper behind the scenes.
Wing Commander is a complete mess the place nothing actually works. The particular results look horrible (even for the period), Prinze Jr is wood because the square-jawed hero and Lillard’s regular shtick turns into very obnoxious. It appears and appears like an costly Star Trek fan movie, and it hasn’t acquired an unique notion in its head.
Wing Commander was a complete dud upon launch, incomes horrible evaluations (it sits at 10% on Rotten Tomatoes) and shortly fading into obscurity. Sadly, that is precisely the place it belongs.
5 Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
5 Nights at Freddy’s adapts the wildly widespread recreation collection, which includes a safety guard being stalked by murderous animatronics inside a closed-down restaurant. The unique recreation turned soar scares into an artform, and shortly spawned a mega franchise.
Naturally, discuss quickly turned to a film adaptation, which took a surprisingly very long time to reach. Coming almost a decade after the unique recreation, 2023’s 5 Nights at Freddy’s earned near $300 million worldwide (through Field Workplace Mojo), changing into a smash hit regardless of universally horrible evaluations.
For higher or worse, the difference was one thing largely designed with followers in thoughts. It goes deep into the lore of the video games, and the acquainted forged of animatronic mascots are appropriate and current. That stated, the movie spinoff lacks the fixed, nervous unease of the video games, and the shortage of gore makes the stalking scenes really feel very toothless.
Josh Hutcherson additionally does his greatest to make a boring protagonist fascinating. For sure, Matthew Lillard’s supporting flip because the boss of Hutcherson’s safety guard is the spotlight. He does not get a lot screentime, however he is loads of enjoyable when he seems – and the finale lets him get very hammy certainly.
5 Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025)
The field workplace receipts for 5 Nights at Freddy’s meant a sequel was inevitable, and followers did not have lengthy to attend for it. The sequel is seen as a slight enchancment on the 2023 unique, although it grossed a couple of third much less and had lots of the similar flaws.
Once more, it appears like Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is usually geared toward devotees of the video games. The sequel has a few successfully staged jolts and the ambiance is stronger, but it surely shovels loads of exposition and backstory onto audiences that may be a lot to tackle for informal viewers.
It is also simply not that horrifying; a fairly deadly flaw for any horror flick. It is one other state of affairs the place Lillard does not seem in that many scenes, however he is nonetheless thought of the spotlight. If something, 5 Nights at Freddy’s 2 might have used extra scenes with Lillard, who brings an actual creepy power to proceedings.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
Matthew Lillard’s greatest online game adaptation can be one thing of a technicality. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms follows the shockingly well-received animated gorefest Scorpion’s Revenge, and actually digs into the mythology of the video games because the battle for Earth Realm begins.
The stability of motion and character that made Scorpion’s Revenge so good is misplaced within the sequel, however followers of animated bloodshed and deep dives into Mortal Kombat lore will not be disenchanted. Sadly, Lillard does not get a lot to do in Battle of the Realms, as he solely makes a cameo as Scooby-Doo’s Shaggy.
This sees Scorpion himself hopping across the WB Animation emblem, earlier than Shaggy grabs him and yells “Zoinks: Recover from right here, man!” earlier than pulling him behind the brand. That is it for Matthew Lillard’s involvement in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, but it surely’s nonetheless essentially the most purely entertaining film on the actor’s checklist of online game diversifications.
Supply: Rotten Tomatoes, Field Workplace Mojo
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- Created by
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Scott Cawthon
- First Movie
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5 Nights at Freddy’s
- Character(s)
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Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie (FNAF), Chica (FNAF), Cunning (FNAF), Springtrap (FNAF), Balloon Boy (FNAF), Mike Schmidt
- Video Recreation(s)
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5 Nights at Freddy’s, 5 Nights at Freddy’s 2, 5 Nights at Freddy’s 3, 5 Nights at Freddy’s 4, 5 Nights at Freddy’s: Assist Wished, 5 Nights at Freddy’s: Safety Breach, 5 Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, 5 Nights at Freddy’s: Assist Wished 2
5 Nights at Freddy’s is a multimedia horror franchise created by Scott Cawthon that started with the primary entry within the online game collection, 5 Nights at Freddy’s. The core story of the franchise focuses on a pizza franchise often known as “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza,” a kid-friendly leisure middle with animatronic hosts. The shops are closed when the animatronics start to go berserk, slaying a few of their friends. Nonetheless, for many entries, a safety guard is tasked with observing them at night time, fully unaware of the horrible historical past behind the mysterious, murderous robots.
