Child's Play (2019)

“Something is wrong with Chucky.”

Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4

In this new reboot, Buddi is the new popular toy that is controlled, via, an app on your phone. When Andy (not a joke) gets this toy for his birthday, he bonds with Buddi who has been tampered with in a factory to be different... This may be the first film all year, released in a theater, that I genuinely loved. This film is a dark comedy and boy is it one.

This is 'Toy Story' gone dark. And this film does not care about playing it safe or being a fun-scary movie for children. This film is offensive, gory, and hilarious; it's like it came from the 80s. Mark Hamill does an excellent job at voicing the Buddi/Chucky doll. He brings a cute voice to the doll, which later becomes scary on its own because it takes something that is warm and comfortable, and makes it sinister.

The performances were actually very good. Gabriel Bateman plays Andy who wasn't annoying. He was convincing as a troubled kid who likes to cuss. There are also strange parallels to 'ET: The Extraterrestrial' in this film. Aubrey Plaza was a very good mom. I bet she will be the next watershed "mom actress." The only negative of the film is a few characters who felt shoved in; the landlord and Andy's friends. They all felt like stereotypes that served the plot.

I want to discuss the cinematography of this film. Rarely do I mention it, but Brendan Uegama made this film look incredible. It was shocking how excellent this film looked. There are just so many beautiful shots of color. Obviously, the people involved in this film cared; there is so much craft in the visuals.

The comedy is the other highlight to mention. Not sure what it is with this year and comedies, but this is
another hilarious film. Klevberg really understands what this film is and features hilarious kills. There is one sequence near the end that is absolutely nuts and also has a sprinkle of satire of American consumerism.
This film was brilliant in its execution. It was not generic or boring at any point. This is a must-watch in theaters and you'll never get the Buddi song out of your head. It's amazing that this film exists, today.

Rating: See It

-Nolan