Child's Play (2019) Review

Last Saturday, I went to the movies for a triple feature and for the second movie of the day, I saw "Child's play" (the 2019 movie) and it is a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be. Child's Play is a 2019 American slasher film directed by Lars Klevberg and written by Tyler Burton Smith. It serves as a remake and reboot of the 1988 film of the same title, following a family that is terrorized by a high-tech doll that rejects its programming and becomes self-aware. The film stars Gabriel Bateman, Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry, with Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky. I wanted to see this film knowing there’s basically two different Chucky franchises now. 

In February 2018, it was announced that a television series is in development with involvement from franchise creator Don Mancini, and producer David Kirschner. The show will share continuity with the original film series, and be a continuation of that story. Mancini stated that besides the TV series, feature films will still continue to be developed. By June of the same year, it was confirmed that Brad Dourif would return for the 8-part series to voice Charles Lee "Chucky" Ray. The film was officially announced in July 2018, developing at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer without the involvement of franchise creator Don Mancini or Brad Dourif. Lars Klevberg and writer Tyler Burton Smith signed on as director and screenwriter, respectively, alongside It producers Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg. 

It’s not as scary as the original but it’s definitely a modern take on the original story. Chucky is more like amazon Alexa. It’s more of a bloody Techno thriller than the supernatural horror the original was, I don’t hate it tho. I just think it could of benefited better if it was its own thing instead of riding the coattails of the Chucky franchise. I enjoyed it tho. It’s an interesting take on the film. Imagine if amazon Alexa had arm and legs and went crazy, that’s the new Child’s play film... I enjoyed it a lot!  Great script. Great cast (especially Brian Tyree Henry who kills this role). Might be one of my favorite remakes.

The film has stranger thing/The goonies meets iRobot, Eagle Eye & small soldier vibes and I’m really stuck between a rock and a hard place. Someone asked me if I had to pick between the classic Chucky/Child's play movie and the new one, which one do I prefer and I couldn’t give a proper answer. It’s not the same movie. It’s two different movies to be exact. One film is about a serial killer possessed doll who’s try to get back into his body (and later, the body of the child he first told his secret to) where the new film is about a defective home assistant/doll (similar to smart devices like Alexa and the new smart technology Barbie dolls) that goes iRobot on his owner. I enjoy the original story line but I enjoy the new story as well. One of the guys in the “half in the bag” movie review series called this film a cover, in the way musicians cover songs by other musicians and I actually like that way of describing the film. It’s a cover. A remix. A reimagining. 

​Definitely not a remake. Now I do want to see where the “Chucky” franchise is going with the new tv show and movies in the original universe. Curse/Cult of Chucky still lives up to Bride of Chucky (but I wouldn’t consider them my favorite in the series) but I’m equally excited to see what they will do with the child's play universe. I just wish it wasn’t the Chucky character they used in the new movie. It could of been any other good guy doll! Could of even been from the same manufacturer but of course, people won’t go to the theaters unless they recognize the “brand”/IP. If I have to pick l, I love the new one. It’s probably my favorite but it’s hallow when it comes to the personality of the killer Charles Ray. The new doll is a baby robot who learns to kill. Sometimes cute but creepy when it “shows it’s loyalty”. Charles Ray was a wise cracking asshole who could make you laugh after witnessing a brutal murder. Love the update but the classics can never be replaced.