I'm surprised that "Child's Play" was remade at this stage of the game. I figured that Netflix would spring a succession of sequels. Shucks, the two that surfaced on the subscription source are worthy of theatrical play.
Even so, a retelling of Tom Holland/Don Mancini's acclaimed '88 terror tale now enters theaters: a restart for what (I'm presuming) its makers believe will be another long run.
Directed by Lars Kleverg, scripted by Tyler Burton Smith and produced by Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg (of "It" fame), "Child's Play '19" reintroduces Chucky (Mark Hamill, who voiced the character on "Robot Chicken") and a new Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman). Chucky is no longer a Good Guy. He's now a Buddi, produced by the omniscient Kalan Company. Also, Chucky '19's look isn't far off from Kevin Yagher's design (with perhaps a tinge of Hamill embedded in the features): a good thing, I suppose.
The remake's format follows the first film's, with a smidgen of "Westworld '73" stuck at its heart. We no longer get Brad Dourif's Charles Lee Ray tossing his spirit into some nearby doll, but rather an electronic personality that gains autonomous cognition, thanks to the programming skills of disgruntled Kaslan employee.
Andy's mom, Karen (Aubrey "Scott Pilgrim" Plaza) has no idea of the danger she's gifted her son, only that the pricey doll was returned to her store as defective. To ensure Chucky's insidious intent, this version is all the craftier when deterring her inspection, adapting and assimilating with meticulous, high-tech care.
Watching "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" is also one of Chucky's invaluable, how-to tools. In this regard, like the old, the new Chucky enjoys the fine art of slaying.
As the gruesome deaths pile, Detective Mike Norris (Brian Tyree Henry) investigates. Andy knows full well what's happening, but even with the officer at his disposal, it seems fruitless to tell his neighbor that his toy robot is to blame. Even so, Norris does eventually deduce the farcical worst, but by then the surreal situation is near irreparable.
To seal the gory deal, the film's blood overflows, and yet as much as the set-ups unsettle (and boy, do they ever), they never exude the splattering spunk of "Halloween '18", which rose per careful cause. Though "Child's Play '19'"s execution is competent, it still doesn't or redefine or revitalize the series. It could have played as a direct-to-Netflix entry: ironic, considering my prior claim that the recent sequels are big-screen worthy.
I don't know how successful "Child's Play '19" will be, but I suspect it'll fall into the same ill-fated, retry category as "Poltergeist"; "Fright Night"; "Total Recall"; "Ghostbusters"; "Dirty Dancing"; "Fame"; "The Karate Kid;" and as much as I fancy 'em, "RoboCop" and "Conan the Barbarian".
If, indeed, the film's box-office fizzles (and facing "Toy Story 4" might ensure that), the Chucky saga could come to a halt. It's unlikely that any source (Netflix or otherwise) would then back a "Cult of Chucky" sequel. (Some claim that we could get two competing, Chucky story lines at the same time, as we almost did with Bond in the '80s. SyFy even has a Chucky television series in development, with Mancini on board. Considering the popularity of DC/WB's Multiverse, these prospects might not seem far-fetched, but even so, does Chucky need to be this convoluted?)
Perhaps the lesson here is to let things lie (i.e., not retell), especially if a franchise has demonstrated long-term success. I mean, if the damn doll ain't broken...
No comments:
Post a Comment