‘Child’s Play’ (2019) 4K Review: Old Doll Learns New Tricks
Since his inception, Chucky has survived being burned, shot, stabbed, shredded, melted, and decapitated. But his most impressive feat of resilience has been overcoming a major studio reboot. As of this writing Don Mancini’s original storyline, which began back in 1988, is still ongoing thanks to the Chucky (2021-) television series. Few, if any, horror icons enjoy this sort of luxury, and it seems downright odd a studio would choose to reboot a series clearly still full of life, but then the lure of “marquee value” often proves too tempting for producers. No matter. Child’s Play (2019) at least attempts to do things a little differently while also sticking to the basics of the first film. Where it falters is in not taking those fresh concepts far enough and, more crucially, in suggesting any kid would want to own a doll as inarguably hideous as the Buddi.’
Remember The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror III segment “Clown Without Pity, where a Krusty the Klown doll turns murderous and is eventually revealed to have its rear switch set to “Evil” instead of “Good”? That’s basically the premise here, as an overworked and underappreciated Vietnamese factory worker removes certain safety protocols on the popular Buddi doll, leading to its degenerated morals. It eventually winds up in the hands of Karen (Aubrey Plaza), a low-income single mom who buys the doll for her hearing-impaired son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman).
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The doll (voiced by Mark Hamill) names itself Chucky (for… some reason) and its earnest demeanor and ability to learn make it a hit with Andy and some local kids. But Chucky doesn’t understand right from wrong, so when he sees someone or something being “mean” to Andy—like a cat scratching him or his mom’s boyfriend being a jerk—Chucky figures the thing a best friend would do is kill to keep Andy safe and happy.
Director Lars Klevberg tries to balance making this film his own while also slavishly paying homage to the original 1988 feature. But it’s the new directions that work best. Chucky—and there is no good reason for the Buddi doll to call himself that since he isn’t possessed by a guy named Charles—is a modern doll, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, and capable of connecting to multiple products from the Kaslan Corporation. That feature alone could have made for some wild electronics nightmares and inspired kills. But it hardly gets used until the finale.
I do like the motivation for Chucky’s killing, trying to prove to Andy he’s a best friend who will do anything for his buddy. Because Chucky lacks a sense of morals, his robot mind quickly justifies any murder as a benefit to their friendship. But I never for a second believed any kid would want to own such a hideous little creation. The original Good Guy doll resembled a Cabbage Patch Kid; this one looks like the Wish version you ordered online.
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Mark Hamill is a fantastic voice actor, providing a cheerful and genuine dialogue for Chucky, which is a far cry from the sinister tone of Brad Dourif. Gabriel Bateman works because he mostly acts and sounds like a lonely 12-year-old kid in need of a social circle. But everyone else? Pretty awful. Aubrey Plaza is a snarky, shitty mom. Her boyfriend is a cliché tool. The neighborhood kids are little shits. The building in which they all live has a weird handyman who looks like Jack Black but possesses none of his charm. This can mostly be chalked up to awful dialogue more than bad acting, though I do find Plaza to be an especially weak link.
Child’s Play never got a 4K release from Universal, though their Blu-ray release was nicely done and had a good amount of bonus features. Scream Factory’s release presents the film in its native 4K resolution, with a 2.39:1 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR10-enabled image that offers a moderate but appreciable upgrade in video quality. The HDR color grading boosts hues, giving a more dynamic appearance to colors. The detail was already sharp but the increased resolution squeezes out just a bit more crispness, too.
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Audio is available in English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 tracks. Rears offer a compelling sense of direction when engaged, with subtle and not-so-subtle effects heard from all around. The true highlight of the track is Bear McCreary’s excellent score in lossless. The composer uses children’s instruments and a childlike choir as effective tools in his scoring arsenal, delivering a soundtrack that is reminiscent of childhood sounds with a creepy twist. McCreary’s score tends to elevate the films in which they are used tremendously and this is another clear example of his work upping the game. Subtitles are available in English SDH.
The 4K disc contains only an audio commentary track with director Lars Klevberg.
On the Blu-ray, that same audio commentary can be found along with the following:
“A New Start – actor Gabriel Bateman on Child’s Play” (HD, 10:55): The film’s Andy, who has grown plenty in the five years since this film, talks about taking on his role and being part of Chucky’s legacy. This is a new interview produced for this release.
“Head of the Patch – actor David James Lewis on Child’s Play” (HD, 8:59): The guy who plays Karen’s dickhead boyfriend is, shocker, not one in real life as he discusses his role. This is a new interview produced for this release.
“A Beautiful Darkness – production designer Dan Hermansen on Child’s Play” (HD, 12:40): This is a Zoom-style interview that focuses on set design and the intended look for Andy’s world. This is a new interview produced for this release.
“The Making of Child’s Play” (HD, 5:05): A pretty stock EPK.
“Bringing Child’s Play’s Chucky to Life” (HD, 4:28): See how they operated that ugly Buddi doll on set.
“Soundtrack trailer” (HD, 3:15) is more of a music video, and it’s great.
“Lee Hardcastle Claymations” includes “Toy Massacre” (HD, 0:48) and “A.I. Mayhem (HD, 0:46); these are creative, gory, and a lot of fun.
A “Still Gallery” (HD, 1:16) features 14 images.
The film’s theatrical trailer (HD, 1:02) is also here.
Special Features:
DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Audio Commentary With Director Lars Klevberg
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
DISC TWO – BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER
- NEW “Beautiful Darkness” – Production Designer Dan Hermansen on Child’s Play
- NEW “A New Start” – Actor Gabriel Bateman on Child’s Play
- NEW “Head Of The Patch” – Actor David James Lewis on Child’s Play
- Audio Commentary With Director Lars Klevberg
- The Making of Child’s Play
- Bringing Child’s Play’s Chucky To Life
- Soundtrack Trailer
- Lee Hardcastle Claymations
- Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
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Child's Play (2019)
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Special Features
