Movie Review: “Child’s Play” reboot plays like an R-rated Amblin flick

Movie Review: “Child’s Play” (R)

I have a grand love affair with the original “Child’s Play” from 1988. In fact, I saw a test screening of that picture several months before it came out. I was even lucky enough to appear in one of those cheesy audience reaction TV spots. That’s me at the 14-second  mark: “Right when you think everything is over, bam! You know, it all starts up again!”

Goofy, I know. But again, this TV spot illustrates how far back Chucky and I go. That said, despite all the history and despite my love for the original “Child’s Play,” the purist in me wasn’t all that dismayed at the idea of a remake, because in today’s world, there are a lot of interesting directions in which one could take this concept. What is weird, though, is that this reboot arrives in a world where Don Mancini’s original franchise is still very much alive. The birther of “Child’s Play” has directed a couple of direct-to-DVD sequels over the last few years, and he also has a streaming service series on the way. Yet that hasn’t prevented the powers that be from unleashing this new take on the property.

In this updating of “Child’s Play,” a murderous doll isn’t brought to life by way of voodoo but rather by way of a disgruntled factory worker and a sabotaged microchip. It’s 2019 and high-tech A.I. toys are all the rage. Little does department-store worker Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza) realize that she’s the unfortunate recipient of the faulty Buddi doll when she takes it home to her lonely, hearing-impaired son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman). It isn’t long before the doll, which playfully deems itself “Chucky” after rejecting the jokey name Andy wants to give him, is taking out his aggression on those who mistreat his human friend.

This take on “Child’s Play” certainly hits many of the same beats as the movie that inspired it, but it also plays a bit like an R-rated Amblin movie. It’s clear that director Lars Klevberg was heavily influenced by the likes of Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante. Specifically, you’re sure to see shades of “E.T.” (the bonding, the red hoodie, the glowing finger, etc.), “Small Soldiers” (a faulty microchip, play things come to life, etc.), and “Gremlins” (creatures wreaking havoc in a department store) throughout this picture.

Tonally speaking, this “Child’s Play” plays up the camp factor. It’s also pretty gory and has quite the nasty little mean streak. It even dares to get a little provocative on occasion, such as a pivotal scene in which Chucky is directly influenced by images he’s exposed to while Andy and friends are watching a “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film on television. For the most part, though, a great deal of this picture is played for laughs. They are of the sick and twisted variety, but they are laughs, nevertheless.

As for the performances, Bateman is outstanding as lonely Barclay, bringing a surprising amount of emotional weight to the proceedings, but Aubrey Plaza won’t be winning the mother-of-the-year award anytime soon. In short, she’s no Catherine Hicks. Now, we all recognize that this film is trying to be it’s own thing. But honestly, Plaza — who can be absolutely superb when given the right material — is obnoxious and selfish in this picture, and this leads to a couple of moments towards the end that feel completely unearned.

Elsewhere, “Child’s Play” is littered with its fair share of assholes, from mom’s d-bag boyfriend to an apartment complex maintenance man with dirty little hobbies. This picture features the kind of over-the-top jerks who any rational audience would love to see Chucky gleefully dispatch, and that’s sort of the point.

As for Chucky himself, it was going to be pretty damn hard to find anyone who could top Brad Dourif’s iconic vocal work. But Klevberg and crew come pretty close with the inspired casting of Mark Hamill. To Luke Skywalker’s great credit, he does his own thing rather than trying to mimic Dourif. He also wisely avoids putting a Joker spin on it, and that’s to the film’s benefit. As for Chucky’s overall look, it’s pretty solid. He’s different enough while also maintaining similar characteristics. That said, it should be noted that technology has come a long way in three decades, making Kevin Yagher’s original ’80s Chucky creation all the more impressive.

“Child’s Play” 2019 is a mixed bag. As a whole, it’s not as well constructed or as well acted as the 1988 film, but it’s considerably more entertaining than it probably had any right to be. It also benefits from terrific visual effects, a solid Bateman, and a game Hamill as the voice of everyone’s favorite killer doll. In short, this one is worthy of a look for “Child’s Play” fans, and if you simply can’t warm up to it, you can rest easy knowing that Mancini’s upcoming TV series should be right around the corner.

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