Child’s Play (2019)

Movie Info

I know Chucky is making faces in this scene…but holy hell…what is this thing?

Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman) and his mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza) have just moved to a new apartment.  While Andy is finding it tough to make new friends and argues with his mom’s boyfriend Shane (David Lewis), a new Buddi could change that.  Buddi is a multiplatformed “smart” doll that not only serves as a friend, but as a household assistant.  Unfortunately for Andy, a disgruntled employee has shut off the Buddi’s failsafe controls, and Andy’s new “friend” Chucky is doing anything to please Andy.

Directed by Lars Klevberg, Child’s Play is a horror thriller.  The movie is a remake of the 1988 cult film which spawned a series of sequels.  The film received mixed to positive reviews and so-so box office return.

I was a big fan of the original Child’s Play.  It came out at just the right time for me.  I was old enough to see it, but still young enough to remember the fears of childhood.  I saw the sequels and for the most part enjoyed them even if they were goofy.  I was on the fence about the new Child’s Play movie (especially after some of the pre-release images), but I have to say that the film kind of won me over.

Why have I invited this creepy thing into my home?

The story is modernized for obvious reasons.  It has a real feel like the It film (and was produced by the same people) in that the kids are smarter and more tech-savvy.  If you are going to have a goofy looking doll (which frankly is too goofy looking to be popular with everyone), it needs to have a catch, and essentially make Chucky into an Alexa is smart.  The movie isn’t voodoo based or supernatural…instead you get technology out of control.  There is a strange tone to the whole film that is sometimes unbalanced, but in general fun (though I do wish some of the horror was more intense).

The movie takes an interesting casting tone.  Aubrey Plaza as the mother figure is strange.  She is twenty years older than Gabriel Bateman who plays her son, so it isn’t very extreme, but I do like their relationship.  I don’t see her dating the jerkish Shane character played by David Lewis since she seems relatively street smart and I do like that Andy’s friends are kind of frenemies who are on the fence about liking him.  Brian Tyree Henry is a good cop character and pretty likeable (which makes what happens to Carlease Burke kind of sad), and Mark Hamill is a great replacement for Brad Dourif if he had to be replaced.

Will you be my friend!

Chucky takes some getting used to (as mentioned).  He’s pretty hideous and I think something like Apple (which Kaslan seems to be a mock-up of) would put more into its visual construction since if nothing else, Apple is generally visually appealing.  The new less-puppet based Chucky works sometimes and other times, it looks like a computer animated doll.

The remake of Child’s Play is an interesting one.  The film goes its own way (which is smart), but that also could be further infuriating to people who want the traditional Child’s Play motif that has carried sequel after sequel.  The ideas and tone of the movie worked for me and even if there are better movies out there, I can see myself watching it again since it is a fun ride…will it spawn sequels itself?  Or is this Chucky’s “Friend to the End” already reached the end?

Related Links:

Child’s Play (1988)

Child’s Play 2 (1990)

Child’s Play 3 (1991)

Bride of Chucky (1998)

Seed of Chucky (2004)

Curse of Chucky (2013)