Don't you just love it when all your prejudices get swiped off the table and you're proven wrong entirely? It may sound weird, but I love it when I stumble upon a film that I avoided or initially refused to see because of prejudices, and then it turns out an unexpected and pleasant surprise! From the moment it was released, I ignored the 2019 version of "Child's Play", because I didn't want to hear anything about a new and unnecessary remake of yet another childhood favorite of mine (and especially not if the new Chucky doll looks so darn ugly!)
Five years later, however, I discover this is NOT a "remake" in the traditional meaning of the term and, moreover, a very solid and entertaining horror flick that stands on itself entirely! Maybe the makers should have opted for a completely different title and totally different doll-design? Then again, of course, comparisons to "Child's Play" always would have been made.
It's different? How so? Well, the Chucky doll doesn't get possessed by the spirit of an evil serial killer this time! No Brad Dourif shouting "Ade Due Damballa", followed by thunderclouds. The reason why Chucky goes bonkers and psychopathic is because the artificial intelligence components of one single doll were tampered with by a depressed and exploited worker in a Vietnamese toy factory. The poor guy messes up the ugly redhead doll's security measures, such as removing the moral and ethical values, and then he commits suicide. The doll ends up in the production line, anyway, and is shipped to America. Because the packaging is damaged, young single mother Karen finally gets the chance to give a beautiful and hip gift to her 13-year-old son Andy.
It may all sound a bit far-fetched and unbelievable, but actually it's a lot more realistic than the plot of the original "Child's Play" with spiritual possession. It's also great to see that the Buddi doll (because it's no longer called Good Guy) is fully compatible with all electronic devices in the house. The rest of the plot remains fairly intact, although it's also the plot of two-thousand other horror movies. Nobody believes weird little Andy when he claims there's something wrong with his doll, and even his mother believes that he killed the housecat himself.
Another prejudice I had in my head was that "Child's Play" would be very tame and bloodless. I never bothered to check the rating, but I assumed it would be PG-13, like all the other remakes of brutal 80s horror movies. Well, wrong again! "Child's Play" is very, very solid when it comes to horror, and contains several bloody murder scenes and some very efficient shocking moments. Get ready for explicit murders committed circular saws, garden machinery, and kitchen knives! The finale is also very gruesome, with absurd situations in the shopping mall.
The acting performances are more than decent. Aubrey Plaza is very young and quite atypical to play the mother of a 13-year-old boy, but there is an explanation given to it, namely: "I had a very active sweet-sixteen party". The script is full of cynical details like these, such as the mother's loathsome lover who returns to his wife and daughters in the evening, a tough policeman who still lives with his mother, a pervy apartment block janitor, and neighborhood kids who are left to look after themselves. A final bull's-eye was the choice to hire Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill to provide Chucky with a voice. The voice fits really well! Of course, I'm not going to claim that the new voice is better than Brad Dourif's, but it's still a very wise choice!
PS: in case you're an old-fashioned (80s) horror fanatic and STILL not convinced to seek out "Child's Play", then this closing argument may persuade you. The film features original footage from Tobe Hooper's cult favorite "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part II", and it's the gore in that film that inspires Chucky to do nasty things.
Five years later, however, I discover this is NOT a "remake" in the traditional meaning of the term and, moreover, a very solid and entertaining horror flick that stands on itself entirely! Maybe the makers should have opted for a completely different title and totally different doll-design? Then again, of course, comparisons to "Child's Play" always would have been made.
It's different? How so? Well, the Chucky doll doesn't get possessed by the spirit of an evil serial killer this time! No Brad Dourif shouting "Ade Due Damballa", followed by thunderclouds. The reason why Chucky goes bonkers and psychopathic is because the artificial intelligence components of one single doll were tampered with by a depressed and exploited worker in a Vietnamese toy factory. The poor guy messes up the ugly redhead doll's security measures, such as removing the moral and ethical values, and then he commits suicide. The doll ends up in the production line, anyway, and is shipped to America. Because the packaging is damaged, young single mother Karen finally gets the chance to give a beautiful and hip gift to her 13-year-old son Andy.
It may all sound a bit far-fetched and unbelievable, but actually it's a lot more realistic than the plot of the original "Child's Play" with spiritual possession. It's also great to see that the Buddi doll (because it's no longer called Good Guy) is fully compatible with all electronic devices in the house. The rest of the plot remains fairly intact, although it's also the plot of two-thousand other horror movies. Nobody believes weird little Andy when he claims there's something wrong with his doll, and even his mother believes that he killed the housecat himself.
Another prejudice I had in my head was that "Child's Play" would be very tame and bloodless. I never bothered to check the rating, but I assumed it would be PG-13, like all the other remakes of brutal 80s horror movies. Well, wrong again! "Child's Play" is very, very solid when it comes to horror, and contains several bloody murder scenes and some very efficient shocking moments. Get ready for explicit murders committed circular saws, garden machinery, and kitchen knives! The finale is also very gruesome, with absurd situations in the shopping mall.
The acting performances are more than decent. Aubrey Plaza is very young and quite atypical to play the mother of a 13-year-old boy, but there is an explanation given to it, namely: "I had a very active sweet-sixteen party". The script is full of cynical details like these, such as the mother's loathsome lover who returns to his wife and daughters in the evening, a tough policeman who still lives with his mother, a pervy apartment block janitor, and neighborhood kids who are left to look after themselves. A final bull's-eye was the choice to hire Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill to provide Chucky with a voice. The voice fits really well! Of course, I'm not going to claim that the new voice is better than Brad Dourif's, but it's still a very wise choice!
PS: in case you're an old-fashioned (80s) horror fanatic and STILL not convinced to seek out "Child's Play", then this closing argument may persuade you. The film features original footage from Tobe Hooper's cult favorite "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part II", and it's the gore in that film that inspires Chucky to do nasty things.