Child's Play

A pretty decent new version of Chucky. Chucky was never one of my favourite horror properties, so I approached the film more coldly, but in the end a nice surprise. Chucky's Design didn't do much, but the main characters did a good job. I enjoyed the cop, there was some humour and surprisingl it's nicely brutal, at least the scene with the lawnmower and saw is worth it. It's a shame the finale didn't push things further, but still on the whole a satisfying flick. 65%. (2019-09-17)

I liked the idea that admiring "fun" violence can very easily lead to real violence, if the man or the redheaded doll lacks discernment and if he skips over it for certain reasons. The new Child's Play delighted me with this, as much as with its more careful (by the standards of a horror movie about a murderous toy, that is, of course) portrayal of children (yes, there are a few of them, and that's a good thing) and adults, or its grand finale, which could easily have been bigger. On the plus side, I'd like to add Bear McCreary's score, which I thought was just fantastic – it practically keeps playing with the Buddy toy tune, also composed by McCreary, and it's very entertaining. Like the whole film. It's on a par with the original Child's Play. (2019-07-27)

Can the Chucky doll be taken seriously? I don’t think so. And even though the film tries to milk the audience’s emotions and convey some sort of moral message, it is still a remake of a horror classics that doesn’t deserve more than three stars. On the contrary, three stars might be more than enough here. Moreover, the movie tries to copy the atmosphere of Stranger Things or It, but doesn’t really succeed in doing so. (2019-12-11)

The Child’s Play brand is unnecessarily applied to this film, but I really like this technological update. And when it comes to “remakes”, I like those that aren’t afraid of reworking the original, which to a great extent is the case here; so, basically… satisfaction. It’s well crafted, the characters are likeable and it’s well acted. On top of that, the film is permeated with an effective humour that’s quite fitting (certainly more than in this year’s It). And for a “kids” horror, it’s also quite bloody. My biggest problem, though, is with the look of the titular doll. It’s ugly AF and I can’t believe that any company would design their super commercial toy like this. (2019-09-10)

Honestly, I don't remember the original Child's Play well enough to make a detailed comparison. But from the fragments I recall, I'd say the creators did a good job with this new, looser adaptation, while incorporating elements of modern times, which deserves a thumbs up (this added a bit more variety to the target audience and even the youngest viewers will find something relevant with all the technology). I missed the trailers, but I noticed the film's premiere, and as I looked into more details, I became more and more excited as the release date approached. I consider Mark Hamill's involvement a masterstroke... anyone familiar with the "Batman" game series knows that his voice work as the manic Joker significantly added to the madness. The same applies to the Chucky doll. In the intense moments that surely appear in this modern take on the murderous doll, the film provides a nicely chilling atmosphere. Regarding the story, the new Child's Play is quite morbid at times and doesn’t hold back on blood or vulgarities. However, for most of its runtime, the film balances between drama and comedy, with plenty of dark humor (the scene with the head wrapped in wrapping paper is a prime example). I ended up enjoying this style. Don’t take it too seriously, and you'll have a good time. I give it 70%. (2019-07-29)