Child's Play (2019)

In a modern era of horror remakes of 1980s slasher icons, it's fascinating to see which of them are pulled off for some big screen action. While Jason and Freddy have had their respective turns at this, another slasher made an impact during that era for pulling some kills despite his short stature, Chucky from the Child's Play series. The original movies has 4 entries in theaters that decreased in quality from its reliance on bad humor later on and eventually found a resurgence through its 2 direct to video installments. This brings us to this new studio reboot that removes the voodoo magic from that incarnation and chooses to utilize technology instead. There's also controversy with this production since the studio MGM irritated the creator Don Mancini with doing what they wanted since they owned the rights of the original film and chose a different voice actor for the doll instead of the original one (Brad Dourif). I'm not a huge Child's Play purist or anything but I do have a bit of a soft spot for the ridiculous nature for Chucky (notably the first film) and was curious how it was going to turn out. I entered the auditorium ready to see what sorts of shenanigans would be involved and left it having more fun than I thought I would have.

What's it about? The story follows a family whose lives get dangerous when a high-tech doll starts to terrorize them after a series of events. This premise isn't afraid to follow the slasher film it's aiming to be more comedic than scary. It embraces its silliness from the beginning with one of the most hilarious origins shown in a remake and it builds up how the toy gets his murderous intentions later on. It’s interesting how this gives off a little bit of sympathy for the little guy before everything goes horribly wrong. It has the right ideas on how to elevate itself among the current trend of less than stellar remakes.

However, it struggles in some important aspects that are hard to ignore. In regards to the scare factor, it feels like normal predictable stock frights (though there are some nice moments where it can get creative). There’s a subplot with new friends that doesn’t really have much of a payoff near the end that’s rushed. The third act climax gets wild and ends up losing the luster along some entertainment value.

How is Chucky treated? This role is certainly one of Mark Hamill's more fun voice roles he has had recent memory as he manages to convey certain emotions that this killer comprehends in his experience. The design of Chucky is given such an odd look it can sorta be interpreted as a joke on how some corporations treat similar merchandise from properties they own. The mechanics on his mouth when talking isn't that good but it does lead to a few funny jokes. The evolution towards becoming a menace is fascinating to watch as opposed to the original where he's already a scumbag criminal who uses a voodoo chant to transfer his soul. If you're expecting a lot of dumb one-liners from him, those types of lines are in short supply here. His methods of murder are pretty cool and fun to watch with how gory they can get, despite the low budget.

How are the main characters? In regards to the main human protagonist Andy Barclay, Gabriel Bateman gives a solid performance as this troubled teenager. He's definitely older than he was in the original but has a few drawbacks of his own that come into play here to mix things up. They struck a nice balance with him as a youngster trying to make the most out of uncomfortable circumstances while also realizing that something isn't right with his new toy. Honorable mentions go to Karen (Aubrey Plaza) and Mike (Brian Tyler Henry) for the former deciding to not be a weird character for once while having a few funny moments while the latter has a good screen presence and chemistry with the lead. Dishonorable mentions go to Omar (Marlon Kazadi) and Falyn (Beatrice Kitsos) for not giving good memorable performances to hide just how stock and forgettable their supporting roles ended up being.

Overall Consensus: Child's Play ends up being better than most subpar modern horror remakes with good performances, entertaining kills, a fun premise, and some creativity with the concept, despite not fully delivering on its payoff in the end. ⭑⭑⭑3/4🎟* Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes R
*Only with a group of friends, otherwise💻

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of silly slashers that don't take themselves seriously and have some pretty cool kills. You like any of the aforementioned actors. You have seen the original film and are curious with how the remake compares. You don't mind predictable narratives with stock characters.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of silly slashers that don't take themselves seriously and have some pretty cool kills. You dislike any of the aforementioned actors You have seen the original film but aren't curious with how the remake compares. You are bored with predictable narratives with stock characters