Give me the power I beg of you...to erase this (Childs Play 2019)

Ohhhhh a remake….not just any remake, but one of the original iconic horror franchises. CHILDS PLAY tells the familiar story of young Andy and his best friend, and murderous doll, Chucky. I went into this with an open mind, I really did. They could have done worse than get Mark Hamill for the voice, and the kid actor is likable enough as he is. (Andy’s friends though fare less). I’ve read numerous comments from folks saying things like ‘if it wasn’t billed as a remake or had a different title to stand on its own then the movie would seem much better.” That’s fair, but I still found myself bored halfway through the film and the design of Chucky is just too cutesy for me. That, and for the first half anyway, he is a doll that is killing because he thinks he is helping Andy out, not because he is a straight up psychopath. That’s probably where the movie loses it for me. Props for hitting different story beats and not just having a complete retread but still not quite enough to justify its existence as a remake. Also, the huge elephant in the room that’s impossible to ignore? The original franchise is still going strong. We just had our last entry a few years ago (Cult of Chucky), and a TV show is coming out next year continuing the lore and storyline of the franchise, with old characters returning. This remake might have done better, in my eyes at least, if the original franchise had been dormant for several years. As it is, it’s hard to escape from under the shadow of the ongoing franchise. Either way, it’s hard to remake some classics and I believe Childs Play is up there in that category. If Chucky never spoke and was just a murderous doll, then sure we can build any toy we want and have it go after people. But after 30 years of getting used to the legendary Brad Dourif and the personality he injects Chucky with, it’s hard to ignore that. I’ll say check it out if you can separate the term ‘remake’, keep the bar low, and to see a bunch of people get swarmed by toys at the mall. That’s a scene I’ve been waiting to see for 30 years. Otherwise, wait until the TV show.

SLASH SCALE: 2.5/5