The world didn’t need a Child’s Play remake, but the world got one anyway—albeit a somewhat inspired “reinvisioning” that thankfully attempts to stand apart from its storied predecessor, even if the end result isn’t particularly satisfying.

 

In this new Child’s Play, Chucky is no longer a Good Guy doll possessed by a ruthless serial killer bent on returning to human form, but a viscous Buddi Doll, an AI-powered “home device” stripped of its family-friendly constraints by an angry sweat shop worker.

Directed by Lars Klevberg, Child’s Play largely rebuffs criticism that the movie is unnecessary by making such drastic changes—while perhaps not as crafty as having a killer get trapped in a doll’s body, “grounding” the film in a story about the dangers of artificial intelligence, and especially home assistants such as Alexa, is not the worst idea in the world.

Sadly, the execution simply isn’t there. Aside from a couple of satisfyingly disgusting deaths, 2019’s Child’s Play simply isn’t very good. Chucky’s new look comes off as cheap and awkward, never coming close to the fear factor evoked by the original’s design (while the franchise has shifted for better or worse into farce, the original was undeniably dark). The story also doesn’t have much to say; it would have benefited from a clearer vision more reliant on its AI driven character; Chucky activates some household items to achieve his murderous goals, but it would have been more fascinating had Klevberg leaned into this concept more—or not at all.

Instead, it just comes off as a humorless and largely flat rendition with a bland villain and a forgettable plot. Very little happens until the end, and by the time the climax rolls around, it’s unlikely you still care much about what happens on screen.

The new Child’s Play isn’t without some entertainment value, but even with significant changes to the back story of Chucky, it struggles to establish why this movie was ever made in the first place.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.