Child's Play (2019) Review
- G
- Aug 4, 2019
- 3 min read
I saw something online questioning what year we're living in, because we've got another Men in Black movie, a continuation of It, and now a new Child's Play movie. Jaws 42 is coming next I'm calling it, Back to the Future 2 was right.
Story- There's a really upset recently fired employee at the Buddi factory, and he just so happens to know demonic code (it's what the RNC uses I've been told; didn't mean for that to rhyme) and he's going out with a bang. A mother returns the defective coded Buddi doll to the store she bought it from where Karen Barclay works, and since it's her son's birthday coming up she wants to surprise him with a new piece of technology. Obviously things go awry and we have one insane ride ahead. I think that it was cool how they changed up the story enough to where it didn't just feel like I was watching the exact same movie, similar to the Friday the 13th reboot. I do also like the fact that they made the kids smart in this movie. Well, most of them. They decided what should be done with Chucky and it worked out well. There was also one funny darkly comedic scene with what I'll dub a "CSI mishap" that was bad to laugh at but I did.
Cinematography/Props/Editing- I wrote down that the cinematography was amazing, so I'll stick with that assertion. I know for sure there were certain scenes that were darkly poetic, for lack of a better term. In other words, they looked really good even though they focused on violent images (not that I'm a stickler for violence in movies I just don't wanna sound like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho). The reincarnation of Chucky they used looked like a cross between Team America World Police and It's A Small World, and they were clearly going for creepy so they achieved that. A lot of people didn't like the design because they had a tough act to follow, and while I do like the original look, this one was suitably creepy for me. As for the editing, it was pretty solid as well. I do have one gripe with it however, and that is the JUMP SCARES. At the first one I was like ok they'll just use it as a novelty, but no it was a crutch in several instances and I hated that part about the movie. We don't need jump scares to be scary, come on.
Acting- Aubrey Plaza is pretty much me, so I love her in nearly every role. She isn't quite typecast, I just think casting directors or her agent know how to pick roles that would suit her well, because she just brings that perfect blend of lovable yet realistic sarcasm. Brian Tyree Henry is really funny, and reminded me of Winston Duke from Us, because they're smart but silly at the same time, he has a real charisma about him. If you didn't know it was Mark Hamill voicing Chucky, I'm not so sure it would be as noticeable to people who aren't exactly paying attention. He had a suitably chipper yet creepy tone and who can ever say he isn't a tremendous voice actor.
Directing- This is basically Lars Klevburg's first feature directing credit, and he did a pretty solid job. While there weren't any specific directing choices I could pick out and say "wow, that was definitely something new and inventive, he really paved a good spot for himself for the future", I think that it is a tough situation he was in with the ip and the pressure that was undoubtedly put on him and he handled it relatively gracefully. The reason I bring this up though is because first time directors, especially for horror, can make wide use of a large variety of techniques. Jordan Peele with Get Out and especially Ari Aster with Hereditary, there were several fantastic uses of the scenery to get a really creepy vibe in the style that they envisioned.
Soundtrack/Audio- I honestly couldn't tell you a track that played in this movie. I know I'm writing this awhile after I saw the movie, but usually I could at least tell you one song, not in this one though. There was a perfect opportunity to have a darkly comedic scene like in Us when Fuck Tha Police was used in a tense scene, and a kid references Tupac so they definitely could've popped in a great gag but oh well.
Final Verdict- B-. The way I described this movie to people who were curious and who know me is: I wouldn't be upset to add this to my complete original Chucky collection, and it was a pretty fun adaption of the original movie for a new age, and not in the crappy typical horror movie reboot version.
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