Child's Play (2019)

In 1988, a little horror film known as “Child's Play” was released, and started up a franchise with its titular character Chucky. Since then, with each installment, the Chucky franchise has lost a little bit of credibility. Now, in 2019, Orion is back with the killer doll, and with the producers of 2017's “It” to bring Chucky back from the dead. The result? It's fine, but there are some creative elements that do work, and some that don't. While this update of “Child's Play” may seem somewhat unnecessary, there are some things that make it a fun time in the theaters.

The story follows young Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), a lonely kid who doesn't have any friends and spends most of his time on his phone. This changes when his mom Karen (Aubrey Plaza) brings home an interactive doll from the store she works at, with the doll's name being Buddi. Once opened, Andy starts operating the doll who calls itself Chucky (voiced by Mark Hamill). From there, Chucky is determined to be friends with Andy forever.

So, what makes this remake of “Child's Play” different?

Well, for starters, Mark Hamill is maliciously perfect as the voice of Chucky. While Brad Dourif, the original actor playing Chucky, was good in his own right, Hamill just delivers a great performance being both creepy and evil at the same time. This has got to be one of Hamill's best roles to date.

Speaking of Chucky, the film uses animatronic models and robotics to convey the killer doll. And for the most part, it's pretty convincing. The way Chucky moves and interacts with objects is pretty creepy and gives a chilling performance behind the camera. Also, the way this version of Chucky is vastly different from other iterations, as it uses technology to interact with its environment, and uses it to cleverly orchestrate its kills.

The music by Bear McCreary is also a plus, giving the soundtrack something nice and childish to listen to. Especially with the usage of a toy piano dealing out the main theme, making it creepy in the process.

However, there are some things that deter the film slightly.

For starters, the acting in this film isn't that very convincing, with the only exception being the interaction of Bateman and Hamill. Everyone else feels kind of just there.

While this film definitely deserves its R rating, the gore can get a little over the top, and quite excessive, especially near the end of the film. While the kills are creative, it just feels like the excess gore was just there.

Finally, the pacing of this movie seems to be a little on the slow side. For a movie that runs around 90 minutes, it feels like the action could have been sped up by just a bit.

In conclusion, while this version of “Child's Play” isn't perfect, but there are some good things that make the film enjoyable enough to go ahead and view for yourself. Check it out for a chilling good time with your favorite toy.