The famous Chucky doll from the original 80's and 90’s movies was one of my
first obsessions as a fan of the horror genre. I always found it oddly
interesting that a kid’s toy with whom he/she spent so much time and built (somewhat of a) human connection with could, for whatever reason, become
the impetus for so much fear and violence. For a lot of viewers from my
generation and other Chucky fans alike, this film will engender some serious feelings of nostalgia.
Instead of simply remaking the original “Child’s Play” film from 1988,
“Child’s Play (2019)” goes a similar route as other 2019 horror movies with an
existing origin story; bringing the Chucky franchise into the present day era.
However, aside from some pretty obvious allusions to said original arch, this
year’s installment has little else directly tying it to the original, meaning you don’t
even need to know about the original Chucky storyline to watch this one because it stands alone as the "new age" Child's Play Part I.
In it, the supremely talented Aubrey Plaza (who made a name for herself in
NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and continues to act in films and such TV shows as
another mutant fan favorite “Legion” on FX) plays Karen Barclay, a mother desperate to bring some joy to her son Andy for his birthday. Karen finagles one of the
revamped “Buddi” dolls preparing to be released for Andy, setting the stage for both Andy and Chucky to
develop a friendship much more real than anybody expected. We also see Brian Tyree Henry (who plays “Paperboy” in FX’s hit TV show “Atlanta”) play a prominent role as Detective Mike Norris, who eventually realizes they’re dealing with much more than a
malfunctioning doll.
The 2019 Chucky has certainly evolved with the times, just as
technology has. The scope of his terror is heightened by the technological
advances made since we last saw him running amuck with Tiffany and their child.
At a very reasonable 90 minutes long, the violence comes fast and often after
about 30 minutes in. Once the blood starts to spill, it quickly begins to
OVERFLOW. The deaths themselves are surprisingly more gory than I imagined
(more so even than the originals) and boast a mixture of the more classic
“slasher” kills with more modern age “WTF” moments that simply weren't possible
in the original movies. As with other 2019 horror films, I found this one
to be both more interesting and more entertaining than I imagined, garnering it
3.5 reps out of 5 from this horror movie buff. As I’ve always espoused, if you
go into it with an open mind, you will at least find several enjoyable parts to
the film. Because of the murders and the role technology plays in them, I would
certainly recommend seeing this one at least once in theaters because you’re
not going to get the same experience at home. I will certainly be seeing it again a number of times.
So, have you faced the new and improved 2019 Chucky? Or are you still
stuck in the past thinking nothing can make you cringe and squirm the way the
original did? Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts, although if you don’t, I
might send Chucky after you so you have a real reason to be scared! And, if anybody needs protection, I'm glad to join you as you face your fears in theatre! Just leave me a comment below and we can make this happen... unless you're scared, of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment