Child's Play

Kicking away the accumulated details of six films and going back to basics for the remake, this brings back the story of a lonely kid and the doll with homicidal tendencies that bonds with him and then tries to kill him too. Discarding the voodoo supernatural stuff for not-all-that-more-believable cyber-shenanigans, this plays into the gore-and-splatter end of the genre (an early scene where Andy and his fellow-teen-friends watch “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” is an indication of the level we’re going for). And along the way, as an isolated kid becomes more and more paranoid about the doll who he just knows is up to something, and nobody believes him, there’s a nicely building mood. The ending indulges in just the right amount of over-the-topness and, while this isn’t something that reinvents the form, it does at least play the familiar notes well. Of the cast, Mark Hammill’s Chucky enjoys an opportunity go suitably over the top bonkers, although neither Aubrey Plaza as the kid’s mum nor Brian Tyrese Henry as an investigating detective are really used to their full abilities (neither are bad, it’s just that they’re in generic roles that they can’t do much with).  But if you’re looking for gory fun this is reasonable at doing the job.