Child’s Play really irked me. Not, the original one. I’m talking about the poor decision to undercut Mancini and try to squeeze one last drop of blood out of the Intellectual Property. Business is business, but why not remake something else? I would’ve killed to have seen WaxWorks get remade as a summer release.
Mark Hamill does his best with the Buddi role. Aubrey Plaza does her best to make me feel old playing a single mom. There are so many good intentions and efforts in this film that it pains me to see it be so average. But, it could’ve been worse. The film could have been straight-up trash.
At points, the film does feel like a real effort to stage the 1988 version in the modern era. It’s just that once worked for 1988 now feels like it is getting shoe-horned into 2019. Having a single mom buy an AI powered toy in 2019 doesn’t feel out of place. In fact, the idea of creepy sentience in Child’s Play 2019 feels more like a Black Mirror episode than straight horror.
That’s the benefit offered by time and change. What was once effective is rendered by obsolete by an audience that has adapted. Yet, who really wants to update Chucky? Even the original series saw the need to mine him for dark humor by the end of the Original Generation line. Hell, outside of the first three…those were some incredible movies.
The Child’s Play Blu-ray comes with a commentary, featurettes, gallery and trailer as the special features. The A/V Quality is typical for a recent release. Honestly, I felt that the 1080p transfer played a little too dark at times. But, that’s a DP’s aesthetic for you. I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.