Childs Play Is A Surprisingly Fun Remake With A Chilling Performance From Mark Hamill

      Making a remake to a classic horror film is no easy task. The original Child's Play by today standards is a slasher film classic, that not only gained a cult following since its release but spawned a total of six sequels leaving fans demanding a continuation for the character. Instead they got a modernized reboot/remake of the original film, that takes the concept of an obsessed killer toy and brings it to today's generation. This move was significant because it marked the first time in the franchises history that the original creator Don Mancini and veteran Chucky actor Brad Dourif were not involved in a film in the franchise. Instead director Lars Klevberg signed on with David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith as writers, who also happened to be producers of the 2017 horror remake of IT. Having the producers of IT involved in the remake of Child's Play was a clever and smart move as it ensured the source material was going to be respectfully handled. Losing Brad Dourif as Chucky was heartbreaking for horror fans but their fears were immediately halted when legendary voice actor Mark Hamill was casted as the voice of Chucky. Having background experience providing the voice of the Joker in the animated Batman series outside of his iconic Star Wars role, Hamill was the perfect choice to step into the shoes once worn by Brad Dourif. In an era where horror remakes are generally looked down upon, the filmmakers behind Child's Play had to successfully reboot the character while remaining faithful to the original 80's concept. Thankfully that was the case as the new Child's Play not only honors the original slasher classic, it updates it for today's generation in a fashion that's both entertaining and gruesome.

      The new Child's Play sticks to the same storyline as the original film with a young woman (Played by Aubrey Plaza), moving into a new city with her pre-teen son Andy (Played by Gabriel Bateman). While there she gives him an electronically enhanced doll named Chucky (Voiced by Mark Hamill) in hopes that it will help him adjust to their new home. While activated, the doll's programming starts to make it do unexpected things to cement his relationship status with the young boy. Upon discovering the doll is performing evil acts involving murder, Andy must try and convince everyone that something is horribly wrong. Making a remake of an original horror film classic is no easy task as the key to a successful one is to not only match the scares of the original but also to be surprising at the same time. For the most part, the new reboot keeps virtually the same plot as the original Child's Play with the main difference being the new Chucky isn't possessed by a serial killer. Instead the new doll shown is programmed to be evil by a cynical sweatshop worker. The doll in this one is shown to also be wired into all ones smart devices thanks to its manufacturer.

      While it can be argued that the sweatshop worker possessing the doll is a less scary reasoning for Chucky doing the things he ultimately does compared to a serial killer pulling his strings, its still effective and works for the style the reboot is aiming for. Andy's character is presented as being a likable young owner of Chucky as the audience sympathizes with his character when things go wrong. Andy's mother however comes across as being a generic blindsided parent in a typical slasher movie that the audience is obviously meant to become frustrated with and hope is killed off by Chucky at some point in the story. The new films most interesting change with the character of Chucky, is the fact that the filmmakers still make him scary but also sympathetic at times as all he wants is to be his owners best friend and not let anyone else get in the way. This change in the new story emphasizes the fact that Chucky by all accounts isn't an evil doll despite committing horrific acts, he was simply badly programmed and wanted to please Andy which is a clever yet odd twist.

     In terms of the acting performances delivered in the new Child's Play, the films true star lies in the incredible voice acting talents of Mark Hamill. Hamill is brilliant as Chucky, he portrays him as being obedient, loving, obsessive, creepy, smart, calculated, and sympathetic. If anyone can replace Brad Dourif in the role and match his legacy as being a great voice actor, its Hamill. Gabriel Bateman impresses as Andy, portraying him as a lonely kid struggling to adapt to his new living environment and showing obvious frustration with his mothers relationship with her questionable boyfriend. Bateman does a good job of showing those emotions while making his character push closer to Chucky during those moments despite an alarming fear towards him. Aubrey Plaza does a fine job playing a caring yet clueless mother whose more concerned about her relationship than her own sons feelings, using the doll as a way to keep Andy company. Brian Tyree Henry and Tim Matheson deliver strong supporting roles as Andy and his mothers neighbor, who also happens to be a cop investigating the murders later committed by Chucky as he slowly puts two and two together with Matheson playing the slick and sheisty Toy salesman on the commercials advertised during the film. David Lewis does an effective job playing Andy's moms slimy boyfriend Shane, making the audience empathize with his character at first for not being immediately embraced by Andy until his characters true nature is later revealed. The young child actors Beatrice Kitsos, Ty Consiglio, and Carlease Burke deliver noteworthy performances as the young friends of Andy whom he shares Chucky with and later catch onto the dolls creepy behavior.

      As far as directing and writing goes, Lars Klevberg does an impressive job keeping the film in a dark atmosphere as he goes for the slow-buildup style of suspense while brilliantly introducing the gory moments, particularly in the films thrilling and clever third act. The movie literally earns its R rating with the carnage that is unleashed once Chucky takes matters into his own hands. Examples of moments where the director delivers the goods to the audience with Klevberg coming through as director is characters heads getting run over by lawnmowers, body parts being removed by table saws, and flying toy planes being used as knives to stab and harm a room full of people. For a remake and reboot, Klevberg comes through in the directing department and gives horror fans what they desire with the gore while staging creepy and intense moments. The doll of Chucky himself looks awesome and feels like what one would see when going to a retail store in today's world. Despite the films slick and noteworthy directing, the films script though doing a decent job at telling the story has moments where it comes up dry in the character development department. When the film focuses on Andy and Chucky, the film works as they have the strongest character arcs out of the entire cast. When the film turns to the side characters such as Andy's mom, her kind neighbor who happens to be a police officer, his wife who befriends Andy's family, and Andy's friends, the character development is just about what you expect from a slasher flick which is rather cardboard. Andy's mom Karen is such a thin character that the audience literally doesn't care if shes killed off or survives. The tone of the film feels as if its embraced the campier side of the franchise (The scene with one of the main characters being trapped in a car that's controlled by Chucky is a prime example) judging by the opening sequence that shows Chucky being reprogrammed with no other explanation other than the sweatshop worker is angry. For the films 88 minute running time, Child's Play succeeds at introducing all the characters and building up Andy and Chucky's relationship, just don't expect much else from the characters that surround them.

      Overall, Child's Play 2019 manages to beat the odds and surprise fans with being a fairly decent reboot/remake of the 80's classic. It can be argued that the original film is better due to the creativity that went into the story and character during the time period, but the remake deserves applause for successfully re-imagining the character in today's world. As a remake, it stands tall with 2003's Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2005's The Hills Have Eyes, 2013's Evil Dead, and 2017's IT as being a worthy redoing of the classic slasher tale that's braver, slicker, and more creative than most remakes. If one were to reboot the character of Chucky, this would be the way to go with Mark Hamill being a great choice (And probably the only person) to carry the mantle while honoring Brad Dourifs work. For a whole new generation of horror fans, they will feel the suspense, the excitement, and the thrill of getting to know the character of Chucky with a re-imagining that's much better than what anyone expected it to be. Child's Play 2019 proudly adds itself to the list of horror and slasher remakes that actually works and is done right.

Final Verdict: SEE IT