“Child’s Play” gets updated in a new film directed by Lars Klevberg. Tyler Burton Smith is the credited screenwriter. The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, and Tim Matheson. Mark Hamill is cast to voice the malevolent doll known as Chucky.
This time, Chucky gets his mean streak from a disgruntled company man who removes the safety protocols from the artificial intelligence in the shape of a Buddi doll. He befriends a young boy with a hearing impairment. The boy is being raised by a single mother who works in a store where the Buddi dolls are being sold.
The murders are outlandishly gruesome with copious amounts of blood splatter. The whole movie if outlandish and rather stupid, but still oddly enjoyable. There is a strange dark humor throughout which helps keep one engaged. Hamill is actually quite good, however that is not surprising. He has etched out quite a career since “Star Wars” as a voice actor. He has a long run as the Joker in the animated Batman films that have been released over the past couple of decades. Brad Dourif provided the voice in the original series of “Child’s Play” films and did a fine job, but I think Hamill’s portrayal gives him a run for his money.
The main child character played by Bateman develops a group of friends which sort of made me think of “The Goonies”. I liked the two main friends known as Falyn and Pugg, played by Beatrice Kitsos and Ty Consiglio, respectively.
The film is quite stupid on so many levels but still manages to be enjoyable on other levels. Maybe I was just in the right frame of mind to see this thing. Anyway, as far as mindless and macabre entertainment goes, it could have gone worse.
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