Wanna play? Killer doll Chucky meets Black Mirror technophobia in this schlocky Child’s Play reboot full of murder and mirth.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g5AuYJ3vwdo/XQjFhYWxDNI/AAAAAAAAMPE/CrRR_CREXOUDqQgMzD6tjV0WQVFxNUzwQCLcBGAs/s400/Screenshot%2B2019-06-18%2B19.03.59.png)
As someone who never cared for the originals, I can’t say I’m disappointed – and based on the gleeful silliness and wall-to-wall goriness of this film, I don’t imagine diehard fans will be either.
Director Lars Klevberg’s rebooted Child’s Play reimagines voodoo-cursed Cabbage Patch doll Chucky (this time voiced by Mark Hamill) as a malfunctioning app-enabled smart toy that can sync to all your gadgets around the home and wreck havoc via Wi-Fi. It’s an interesting refresh that makes a lot of sense nowadays – after all, what do we fear more than intelligent and adaptive technology gone awry?
The film opens in a similar fashion to the 1988 original; Karen Barclay (Aubery Plaza) is a single mum looking to start afresh with her lonely but well-behaved son Andy (Gabriel Bateman). Short on cash, Karen is able to score a second-hand Buddi doll for Andy’s birthday, which the preteen initially greets with trepidation, before the must-have gadget becomes a source of companionship.
However, it isn’t long before Andy’s Buddi doll – now named Chucky – starts to malfunction. A missing cat here, a creepy bedtime song there; Andy starts to suspect that something about Chucky ain’t quite right.
While Child’s Play is somewhat lacking in terms of its characters – the relationship between Karen and Andy isn’t as compelling as it could have been – this playful rework does enough to distance itself from what came before while retaining the core DNA.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROZ2Pj8MbFI/XQjGcug5xzI/AAAAAAAAMPQ/ccvnmwz0OcoPzHx_ex79AhAEDh3B_4-jQCLcBGAs/s400/MV5BNTNlNjIxNjktOWUyMS00YWY5LWEwZGItMjZmODJlZWNiZGM2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDg4NjY5OTQ%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0%252C0%252C674%252C1000_AL_.jpg)
Hamill delights in voicing the devilish doll, bringing the same madcap energy and gleeful evilness to the role as he did the Joker. The design is a little unnerving at first, but the twisted expressions only underline how deeply creepy this walking, talking, killing doll really is. Coming in at a tidy 90 minutes and with a standout supporting performance from Bryan Tyree Henry, Child’s Play should scratch that itch for fans of the slasher genre.
The Verdict: 6/10
Packed full of gore and dark, dark humour, this film is a neat reintroduction to Chucky that doesn’t do away with what made the character such a cult horror icon in the first place.
Child's Play is in cinemas across Australia from today.
I'm glad this isn't a disaster! You never can tell with modern horrors. I've never seen a Chucky movie but I'm tempted by this one - I love Aubrey Plaza <3
ReplyDeleteThe part I'm struggling with getting past, which I'm sure will make more sense when I actually see it, but..why a doll? This kid looks like he'd be too old to want something like that whereas 88's Andy was so young. I'm sure there's an explanation but it's just a bit jarring.
ReplyDelete