After moving to a new part of town, Andy and his mother are trying their best to get by. When Andy has trouble adjusting, his mother manages to get him the hottest toy on the market for his 13th birthday. All is well and good until the new toy begins to act against its programming and starts to unleash havoc.
The reboot of Child’s Play had its ups and downs. Unfortunately, more negatives than positives. Let’s begin with the elephant in the room, the design of Chucky. Could they have made his head and eyes any bigger? I’m not sure what they were trying to accomplish, but it sure didn’t entirely help the character. The look did have its moments when it gave off a creep factor, but it overall made the doll look fuckin’ weird. One thing that was smart on the filmmaker’s part was having the Buddi doll already have movement. Chucky was able to walk, talk, and emote because of its artificial intelligence. This dropped some of the tired clichés that would have popped up because of the “doll can’t move” reasoning. But with the modern updates came the modern problems. The doll was made to be a smart home hub for a major appliance manufacturing company making it possible to control televisions, sound systems and other computerized appliances that the company sold. This plays a big factor in the third act of the movie where Chucky flexes his highly questionable powers.
The story of the movie was alright. The doll tries to protect his best friend Andy by any means necessary. It’s simple and not overly intricate which make the movie easier to digest. What got me frustrated were all the shitty characters in the movie. Besides Andy, there was not one likable character in the bunch. Andy’s mother, who was played by Aubrey Plaza, felt miscast and empty. The character was written more like Andy’s sister than mother. To top it off, Plaza’s typical mannerisms did not translate well to a matriarchal role— made the mother seem very blah and disinterested throughout the movie. The cop character Detective Mike, played by Brian Tyree Henry, fell flat and unlikable. Kudos to Gabriel Bateman for his portrayal of Andy. He brought an innocence that was needed to carry this this film and its flaws.
The story of the movie was alright. The doll tries to protect his best friend Andy by any means necessary. It’s simple and not overly intricate which make the movie easier to digest. What got me frustrated were all the shitty characters in the movie. Besides Andy, there was not one likable character in the bunch. Andy’s mother, who was played by Aubrey Plaza, felt miscast and empty. The character was written more like Andy’s sister than mother. To top it off, Plaza’s typical mannerisms did not translate well to a matriarchal role— made the mother seem very blah and disinterested throughout the movie. The cop character Detective Mike, played by Brian Tyree Henry, fell flat and unlikable. Kudos to Gabriel Bateman for his portrayal of Andy. He brought an innocence that was needed to carry this this film and its flaws.
The violence and gore were cool. It’s always fun seeing a doll wreck shit up. The third act of this movie had good kills and plenty of blood. They had a good mix of CG and practical effects, which didn’t look as realistic as one might expect for this day and age, but it worked within the context of this story.
This movie was neither good, nor was it terribly unwatchable. It was just another Child’s Play without the creepy doll sex that plagued the franchise during its initial run. I wouldn’t pay for this flick but rather enjoy it in the comfort of my own home. You’re better off watching another bunch of toys in action this summer. //Arturo Padilla
This movie was neither good, nor was it terribly unwatchable. It was just another Child’s Play without the creepy doll sex that plagued the franchise during its initial run. I wouldn’t pay for this flick but rather enjoy it in the comfort of my own home. You’re better off watching another bunch of toys in action this summer. //Arturo Padilla
