Slashers are a staple of the horror genre. These movies are the kind that many go to just watch these icons slash and dash their way through several unsuspecting victims. Michael, Jason, Freddy, Leatherface, the list goes on and on. Among these guys is Chucky the killer doll. Chucky has always been a favorite of mine, being that what sets him and his movies apart from the others is that they add a touch of humor that makes for some quality entertainment. He's been after the same kid for the first three movies, then he got married, had a son, and recently ended his original tenure creating an army of multiple versions of himself. What is even better is that he's actually had very few bumps in the road, with only a few installments ranging from average to downright awful. All of this good buzz has been propelled by the iconic voicework of Brad Dourif, who is to Chucky what Robert Englund is to Freddy. Now when news surfaced that the series was to be rebooted with a whole new crew and Dourif no longer voicing the character, you can imagine how concerned I was. Then this happened. Needless to say, that played a big part in wiping away all of my concerns. Aside from the awful design of Chucky, the marketing also did a good job of really selling this as something completely different from the original which was deeply appreciated by me. Things were looking up for this movie, so how did it hold up? Surprisingly well. Honestly, I loved this movie so freaking much! It was everything I could want in a Chucky movie and I was finding myself enjoying it more than the originals at times. With that being said, let's get into what makes Child's Play a hit and what doesn't:
UPS
- The cast is solid. One thing that was a plus from the start was that the movie was populated by several incredible and popular actors. Overall, they all did a really good job, especially Aubrey Plaza, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Gabriel Bateman. They added a lot to their characters and made it easy to care about them and their struggles, particularly in Bateman's case. Of course, they are no match for the standout, who is none other than...
- CHUCKY! There were so many ways the producers of this movie could have ruined this character, but it's safe to say that they did not do anything of the sort. In fact, the new spin they gave Chucky was probably the best thing that they could have done in their situation. Having him be a robot who developed a real bond to Andy brought a sympathetic light to the character and offered a more tragic iteration that produces a clever message about the many dangers that come with producing AI technology. And of course, Mark Hamill nails the voicework as I always knew he would. He may not be as iconic as Dourif, but if there was anyone who could even come close to replacing him, it would have to be Mark.
- As morbid as this sounds, the kills. This movie was outrageously gory...and it's all the better for it. The clear standouts are Karen's bastard boyfriend Shane, the creepy apartment custodian who shares an uncanny recognition to Jack Black, and the massacre at the store. All the kills were just so over the top and bonkers that as gruesome as they were, the absurdity of it all makes it a joy to watch instead of being hard to stomach.
- That kickass theme song from Bear McCreery, composer of the The Walking Dead. Oh, and the "Buddi Song" :)
- The tone of this movie is definitely fitting for a Chucky movie. It knows exactly what kind of movie it is and rolls right along with it. Simply put, if you love Chucky and especially when the movies take the horror-comedy route, then you will have an absolute blast watching this movie.
DOWNS
- Some wonky effects in regards to Chucky's new design. Admittedly, the look of the doll is not great but I actually grew to like it once I saw that it highlighted the Quasimodo-esque nature of Chucky before he makes the shift into evil killer doll. I do not however like when a moving mouth is clearly photoshopped onto the doll. It is so utterly distracting, and for a film that is actually incredibly well made for the most part, this is a glaring flaw that persists throughout.
- I was surprised and rather disappointed with how there wasn't much time dedicated to the idea that no one believes Andy when he tells them Chucky is alive. Given how integral that was to the story of the original, it seems odd with how little it actually occurs here, and the times that it does happen are so minuscule that it seems rather unnatural with how everyone turned against him in the ways that they did. I don't know, I was just put off by how he has one little outburst and that leads to his mother being concerned for his well being and his friends thinking he's a freak even though they helped him hide a severed head and were perfectly fine with hanging around him afterwards. Doesn't really add up to me.
OVERALL
Child's Play managed to be an incredibly solid remake that set itself apart from the original and put a nice little twist on the story. It's not all perfect, but overall, a worthy addition to the franchise and a testament to how remakes can be done right.
And that's it for this post, guys! Tune in for more on the way and till then, take care :)
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