Get a chuckle out of ‘Child’s Play’

It’s been 30 years since potty mouthed Chucky began terrorizing audiences, and the pint-sized horror is back in the latest reboot to hit cinemas, “Child’s Play.” The film tells the story of young Andy, who’s mother gets him a high tech Buddi doll — a toy designed to be a lifelong companion as well as a useful tool that can connect to multiple household appliances. But when Andy’s doll, named Chucky, begins to become overprotective of his owner, things start going out of hands in the messiest ways possible.

While the “Child’s Play” franchise never amounted to anything more than enjoyable horror flicks, this reboot had some potential to it. Bringing the film into modern times by turning the story into a cautionary tale about our over reliance on technology is a legitimately brilliant idea, considering the original 1988 film was such a commentary on 1980s consumerism. However, as is the case with most horror reboots, this was an effort that fell flat on almost every level and never reached its full potential.

The narrative structure of this film is a mess to say the least. The film misses numerous opportunities to delve deeper into characters backstories and relationships, as well as crucial world-building moments, which results in the final product lacking in cohesion. It doesn’t help that the film is overflowing with horror cliches and kills you can see coming from a mile away, all complimented by a screenplay packed with enough unnaturalistic and idiotic-sounding dialogue to make Tommy Wiseau squeal with joy.

The tone, as well, feels largely inconsistent. The film has many moments where it seems to be going in a self aware direction, even referencing the infamous horror comedy “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” at one point. When the movie capitalizes on this tone, particularly in one scene involving wrapping paper, the comedy is actually very effective. However, the movie only does this in bits an pieces, with a tone that largely tries taking itself very seriously, which often fails given the cliche dramatic and horror elements.

This is all aided by a cast that, for the most part, never elevates beyond mediocrity. While Gabriel Bateman as Andy tries his best to appear compelling, the actor never sells the character beyond feeling generic, coming off as a slightly better Disney channel star at best. The rest of the child stars are laughably terrible, trying way to hard to give off “Stranger Things” vibes without any of the charm, relatability or actual character that the series does so magnificently. Aubrey Plaza is phoning her way through the entire movie and comes off as a truly unlikable character who’s arc feels disposable. Brian Tyree Henry is the only one who turns in the closest to a decent performance, but his acting chops feel bogged down by the material.

And then there’s Chucky himself, who is a mixed bag. Mark Hamill is turns in possibly the best and most sympathetic performance in the film, despite literally being the most mechanical character. However, the downside of Chucky no longer being a human possessed doll is that the personality that made the character such an icon is largely missing from this version, making all of Hamill’s efforts feel painfully for nothing. The character feels largely confusingly written and inconsistent as a result. On top of this, the design and puppetry effects on Chucky are absolutely atrocious. It is hilarious to imagine such a horrendous looking toy selling so well, lending on to the film’s sense of unbelievability.

Outside of the terrible doll effects, the other technical aspects present themselves well enough. Lars Klevberg’s direction pulls off a decent sense of atmosphere, but like many other elements of the film, doesn’t go far enough to truly land. One scene taking place in a toy store towards the end made for some beautifully over-the-top gore complete with some fast paced and colorful cinematography, but last far too short to be as enjoyable as it could have been. The score by Bear McCreary, hot off scoring “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” uses unconventional methods to deliver a terrific and ghoulish score that, sadly, never has imagery to compliment its greatness.

Through all its messy storytelling, character and tonal issues, “Child’s Play” becomes a laughably bad joyride. It is ultimately disappointing that the film never takes full advantage of its premise or characters to deliver something truly stand out and will likewise disappoint longtime fans of the franchise hoping for a traditional Chucky venture. Still, this incompetently made flick still proves that Chucky can still deliver a chuckle, even if its for all the wrong reasons.