Child's Play: Remade for a Reason

Child’s Play is a 2019 Horror film Directed by Lars Klevbergz, Starring Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, and Brian Tyree Henry, with Mark Hamill as Chucky.

In this review, I'll be going over my likes, dislikes, and final thoughts on the film.



In this Technological Horror Reboot of 1988 Classic, the Kaslan company has produced a series of high tech dolls called the Buddi, after Andy Barclay gets the doll, things go very, very wrong. It probably sounds somewhat familiar, minus the technology part. We all know horror reboots are a dangerous game, fans of the franchise usually hate them, and they often feel unnecessary and unoriginal… Child’s Play doesn’t suffer from those problems, but instead, it had a few others.

But let me start with the things I really liked

1. The cast all give strong, mostly convincing performances that I really enjoyed.



From the beginning, I really liked Gabriel Bateman as Andy, he gives a strong performance at a fairly young age, and since this film has a main focus on the relationship of Chucky and Andy, if they hadn’t cast Andy well, the entire film would have failed.




Aubrey Plaza gives a good performance, albeit seeming a bit dry at the start, but when she has to give a strong performance, she succeeds, making us believe that she is a single mother, working hard to try to support herself and her son, and trying to deal with the stress of people around her dying, and thinking her Son is going insane.



Mark Hamill has taken on the role of Chucky in this film he does a fantastic job with what he’s given, making Chucky an eerie, but also endearing Buddi, when stepping into the role of a major horror icon, some people can fail to do the role justice (I.E. Jackie Earl Haley in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street) but Mark makes a welcome addition to the franchise and the character.

While I would argue Brian Tyree Henry does give the weakest performance of the main cast, it’s worth stating that his character functions as little more than a plot device. and he’s very entertaining to watch in the film. His comedic timing is excellent and he seems genuine throughout most of the film.


2. The reliance on practical effects for the gore was a very welcome change of pace from the horror films of late, every drop of blood seemed to be done on set, without the aid of CGI, and while some CGI can be okay it doesn’t belong in Slasher kills.

3. The tone of this film balances between family drama, and horror in a way that’s truly unique, it’s a lot of fun to watch the characters interact, and you legitimately hope nothing bad happens to them.

4. The film has one of the strongest soundtracks I’ve heard in a recent horror film. Bear McCreary really outdoes himself, making something that’s truly memorable, unlike his work for Hell Fest, Walking Dead, and Happy Death Day.

5. The Third Act of this film is one of the most fun and bloody I’ve seen in a while, it’s entertaining up to that point, but the film really does pay off in the last 20-30 minutes.

Onto my dislikes;
1. Despite really enjoying the tone, the films greatest sin is in its editing, some of the humor would have worked better if it had been worked in at a different time than immediately after a very serious moment. On top of that, the editing also suffered from continuity, from the tears on an Actors face magically drying between shots that are seconds apart, and the application of make-up not being quite right.


2. While I hate to detract from the film for having good continuity, they stick to the established range of expression that Chucky has, and because of that, when he’s killing, some of his expressions look a little bit silly. It’s unfortunate because aside from that, the animatronics and the thankfully not overused CGI look excellent.

Overall, the strong performances, the fantastic effects, and the memorable score help me to ignore the slight flaws of this film. I personally really enjoyed the movie, and that’s what Child’s Play is for, isn’t it? We should enjoy it,  the original wasn’t perfect, and neither is this, but they’re both truly entertaining films.

"Don't ever leave me, please don't say good-bye
I'll be yours till the day I die."