(laughs)
- See how much fun we have?
- [Clint] Even with an entirely new backstory
for the killer doll
and an intriguing cast the reboot of "Child's Play"
feels derivative and unnecessary
in all the ways that the 1988 cult classic
felt fresh and boundary pushing.
It's not that "Child's Play" is a bad film
it's just that it often feels more like
a lesser episode of "Black Mirror"
than a remargining of one of the most well known
and popular horror franchises of all time.
Much of this comes from the creative team's decision
to change the origin of the killer doll
from being possessed by a serial killer,
to simply being an out of control and evil AI.
From the moment this plot point was revealed
many fans ask, "Why make it a Chucky film at all?"
Sadly at no point does the film answer that question,
and it would have been better as a Sci-Fi horror
B movie on it's own merits rather than a story
which often writes itself into a corner trying
to fit in the box left by its predecessor,
and his pop culture riffing brand.
- [man on TV] Buddy can connect to and control
all of your Kaslan products and smart home devices.
- [Narrator] Just like the original, the new film begins
with the origin of the doll,
which for spoiler's sake here
we'll call a manufacturing defect.
After that we're introduced to Andy
and his mother Karen,
who is still a poor single mother
attempting to provide for her young son,
but the character is changed as she is also now
a neglectful but loving mom, with bad taste in men.
The other major change here is that Andy is 13.
It's a narrative choice that never really pays off
aside from enabling an "IT", "Stranger Things"
style kids team up later on in the film.
Andy and Karen's neighbor
Brian Tyree Henry's Detective Mike
is easily the best and most fun character in the ensemble.
Although he's also a very, very bad detective.
Chucky, voiced by Mark Hamill,
- [Chucky] Hi, are you by best buddy?
- [Narrator] Is a different beast from
Brad Dourif's Charles Lee Ray as a home health bot
who can connect to all the Kaslan tech
in their small apartment,
and the wider world.
The ever encroaching reach of the Amazon-esque Kaslan
is hard to ignore as it quickly becomes clear
that they are making literally everything.
However, the near future world building
never really goes any further than that.
At first Andy's new friend is just that,
a companion in a lonely young boy's world
and it works relatively well.
But ironically the fact that the film admirably
uses mostly practical puppetry for the Buddy doll
makes him so creepy that it's hard to believe
Andy could make a connection with him.
Chucky?
It's odd that the set up is so hard to believe
when it's actually far more believable
than the original film's concept
of a serial killer transferring his spirit
into a plastic doll.
In 2019, it shouldn't be too hard to buy into
an evil high tech robot turning into a psycho killer.
But the problem in "Child's Play"
is less to do with the idea,
and more to do with the execution,
which feels derivative and overdone.
Chucky's motivations have already been better explored
in "The Twilight Zone", "The Simpsons, and "Eerie, Indiana"
- (screams)
- [Narrator] Totally the film is relatively creepy,
though the first two acts are strangely paced
taking up far too much of the short 90 minute run time.
There are a couple of entertaining, if dragged out kills
that will please horror fans,
but the questionable moral message of the film
gets confused as it hits the third act.
Still, that third act is easily the best part of the movie
and will likely lead to the film finding a very
specific cult audience.
This is mostly due to the fact that out of nowhere
it completely leans into a previously unseen
dark humor that riffs on the best offerings
of the classic franchise without seeming unoriginal.
Delivering far too brief chunk
of gory, inventive, and hilarious salvation
before the credits roll.
Yet the film never manages to recreate
the paranoia, fear, and literal horror of the original
that was really the '88 movie's biggest achievement.
You should have never been scared of Chucky,
but you always were.
- Friends till the end, remember?
- [Narrator] "Child's Play" is fine.
But it would have been far better
had it not been packaged in the iconic overalls
of these still ongoing horror franchise.
The film is always at it's strongest
when it's not trying to fit into the world of "Child's Play"
and could have been a real piece of B movie magic
had it been an original Sci-Fi horror flick
instead of a retread of a far better film.
For more movie reviews,
check out what we thought of "Toy Story 4"
and "Men in Black International"
and as always be sure to follow and subscribe
wherever you like to watch IGN.