Logan Sork Film Reviews
Child's Play
The original Child’s Play is a fun if silly slasher with an interesting enough concept to set itself apart from other films of the genre. The film did well enough in it’s initial release and spawned a plethora of sequels and garnered a strong following of fans. So naturally, it made sense for this franchise to get a reboot, because why not. Would this film capture what made the original so special, with its fun concept, hard edge and foul mouthed but funny antagonist. To cut things short, no it couldn’t- but it didn’t stop them from tying…and failing hard.
Child’s Play (2019) is directed by Lars Klevberg and is a remake of the 1988 cult film of the same name. The film follows Andy (Gabriel Bateman), a young boy who has recently moved into a new apartment with his mother (Aubrey Plaza) after the death of his father. When his mother notices that Andy has been having a difficult time making friends, she has some strings pulled at her workplace and gets her son a used Buddi doll (Voiced by Mark Hamill). The doll is an artificial intelligence that is able to link with day to day electronics and can act as family friend. While Andy initially doesn’t like the doll he eventually warms up to it as it helps him make some new friends and cope with his loneliness. Thing’s start to go wrong however when it is revealed that the dolls safety parameters have been altered, causing it to take Andy’s wishes a little too seriously resulting some unwanted bloody mayhem.
Before diving into this trash heap of a film, it is important that I mention that it is not totally devoid of any good things. I am most impressed with the production design of the film and with how the team managed to make it look very much like the original film while also updating it for the modern world. The colors of the sets really pop and complement the cinematography very nicely. This is more impressive when you factor in the film’s smaller budget. There are also a couple of decent performances, most notably Gabriel Bateman, who sells a lot of his scenes very well for someone as young as him. Aubrey Plaza is also good as the mother, as is Brian Tyree Henry as a detective investigating the doll’s crimes who also has some hilarious moments, which Henry absolutely nails.
Aside from the acting and production design, this film is an absolute train wreck from start to finish. What really sinks this film is its drastically changing tone and the impact it has on the audience. The original Child’s Play was mostly silly, and it worked for the concept. But it also managed to be somewhat scary and came off as a little disturbing. It is the balance of these opposing tones that make the original film so memorable. This film’s way of handling the horror and comedic elements of the original is anything but balanced. The comedy is not funny when it tries to be, and the horror elements are not that scary (when the scariest scene is a fake-out you know it’s not going to be good). It is the film’s inability to juggle these two tones that make this an unpleasant viewing experience that could’ve been so much more enjoyable had the film either found a way to make these two tones more cohesive or just picked one and stuck with it.
The script is also dreadful and clearly could’ve benefitted with a couple of re-writes (or being thrown in the garbage). Despite the cast giving some good performances, the characters in this film are so stupid and thinly written you can almost see through them. Much like the tone of the film, the script is packed full of whiplashing character motivations and levels of intelligence. This can easily be seen in Andy’s friends, who see that the doll is capable of committing violent acts first hand and then go on to believe that Andy made everything up for a good portion of the film before going back to believing him. The jokes are also obvious and not very creative, only being made funny by the delivery of a cast member. It’s also simplistic in its message about the dangers of relying on artificial intelligence and the role it plays in our society and comes across as tacked on and unnecessary. Has the screenwriter tried to be intelligent in the way the film’s characters and message were handled, then maybe with movie would’ve at least been more interesting. Clearly however, they just decided to go the simple route and make everything stupid.
Despite all of that, what truly bugs me the most about this film is the way they choose to change the concept. Whenever you reboot a franchise, it’s important that you make some changes to the material because if you don’t why reboot it at all? Still, it’s important that you stay true to the spirit of the original or else it would just be a different thing entirely. The way this film changes the evil doll concept from being haunted by the soul of a killer to an artificial intelligence gone bad is not just less interesting, it’s out right boring. This change causes the doll to have a lot less personality as instead of watching a foul-mouthed killer trapped in the doll’s body, we ‘re treated with the standard robot misunderstands things and goes bad clichés. Had the filmmakers just stuck with the original concept and changed the story structure itself, things may have been actually entertaining. The end result however is not entertaining in any sense of the word.
Not only Is this one of the worst movies of the year, it may just be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. Although there are some decent sets and a couple of good performances, neither of these aspects are enough to make up for the clashing tones, horrible script and changes to the source material that rob the film of any sort of fun. Much like the doll at the end, this movie deserves to be smashed to tiny pieces and thrown in the trash, because that is the only place this movie belongs.
2/10