Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Child's Play 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Child’s Play is an entertaining and effective reboot of the beloved original slasher classic. Based on the “ Child’s Play” screenplay by Don Mancini, John Lafia, and Tom Holland, Child’s Play (2019) is produced by Seth Grahame-Smith (It, It Chapter Two) and David Katzenberg (It, It Chapter Two). The new version of the beloved slasher franchise favorite explores a new take on the iconic Chucky character with a twist – this time around the killer doll uses artificial intelligence. Will artificial intelligence be the end of us all? Starring Gabriel Bateman, Aubrey Plaza, and Mark Hamill (as the voice of Chucky).

Andy (Gabriel Bateman) doesn’t have many friends. Karen (Aubrey Plaza), Andy’s mother, notices that Andy isn’t his usual self and that he seems to be in need of a friend. Deciding to get Andy the popular artificial-intelligence enhanced Buddi doll, Karen does what it takes to bring home the popular doll.

Andy’s toy doll is activated and his artificial intelligence mind powers up – the doll’s name is Chucky (Mark Hamill). To the surprise of everyone, Chucky’s safety features aren’t working – malfunctioning – and the doll won’t respond to instructions as well as the doll is supposed to. Unexpected deaths begin to pile up. As Andy begins to fear for his life, can Chucky be stopped?

The performances add a lot to the Child’s Play reboot. Relative newcomer Gabriel Bateman gives an impressive performance and plays a significant role throughout the feature. The performance was outstanding and far exceeded expectations of the role. The actor demonstrated great promise. An impressive role for the young actor to showcase his acting chops. Aubrey Plaza is her usual charming self – providing a nice sense of charisma to her screen presence. The best performance? Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill does a killer job (joke intended) as serial killer Chucky.

The production for Child’s Play is well-done and it showcases a nice sense of scale. The entire production looks spectacular throughout the film. Child’s Play has a nice shine to it and the entire production scale is noteworthy. Featuring quality production design by Dan Hermansen (Supernatural, Nine Days) and art direction by Doug Girling, Child’s Play doesn’t disappoint. The costumes designed by Jori Woodman (The Boy, Final Destination) add to the experience, too.

The score composed by Bear McCreary (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Battlestar Galactica) is a great highlight of the film. Child’s Play features a terrific score from a talented composer who understands film composition better than most. McCreary is a gifted artist and the music adds atmosphere to the production. The filmmaking is a lot more immersive and terrifying because of the creative score that McCreary contributes.

The cinematography by Brendan Uegama (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Truth Be Told) is visually stunning. The evocative cinematography brings the filmmaking to another level. Child’s Play has an incredible artistic sensibility in regards to the sleek cinematography and it looks better than most modern horror films. Uegama did a great job with the visuals for the reboot.

Written by Tyler Burton Smith (Boy Kills World), Child’s Play surpasses expectations as a reboot and continuation of the beloved Chucky franchise. The reboot is a lot more fun than most audiences probably expected to find on paper and the script is a big part of the reason why. The script is an entertaining new take on the material and the emphasis on artificial intelligence is noteworthy. Exploring the dangers of artificial intelligence, Chucky becomes a serial killer in part because of the dangerous pitfalls of artificial intelligence and what it can mean for society – letting something that is artificially intelligent take the reign – without, say, the potential empathy or compassion of human beings. Thus, the cold and calculating serial killer doll is created after malfunctioning.

Directed by Lars Klevberg (Polaroid, The Wall), Child’s Play has a great sense of style and the filmmaking is a ton of fun. Child’s Play is a much more enjoyable reboot than most horror remakes and reboots. It certainly feels relevant with the film exploring the dangers of artificial intelligence – A.I. creating an incredibly dangerous serial-killer doll – and the director’s approach is creative and fun. Immensely entertaining, Child’s Play might not top the original (of course it doesn’t), but it’s a great reboot. Absolutely worthwhile.

Child's Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD by Shout Factory, 2019's Child's Play is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The release includes a high dynamic range (HDR) grade in either the HDR10 standard or Dolby Vision. The 4K UHD presentation is outstanding and an impressive upgrade over the Blu-ray counterpart.

Having been impressed by the original Universal Blu-ray release, I wasn't sure what to expect from the 4K UHD disc and was curious how big of an upgrade it might be. Turns out: Child's Play has received a stellar 4K upgrade with improved clarity and great HDR throughout the film. The HDR grade isn't just subtle, either – there are some impressive scenes where it makes the sleek cinematography look outstanding in a way the previous home media releases couldn't. The HDR grade is top-notch. Throughout the film, the transfer impresses with an essentially flawless looking image.

Child's Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound presentation. The lossless audio presentation is presented in 24 bit high- resolution. An optional DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is provided on the release as well. The lossless audio sounds remarkably crisp, clear, and engaging throughout the presentation. The dynamics of the surround track are impressive. Great sound mixing. The sound design is superb and the surrounds were actively engaged throughout the entire feature-film. The score makes a great impression with a more expansive soundstage but it is the sound effects and design flourishes that makes the track stand out as such a killer example of high-fidelity. A great mix.

Child's Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Please Note: The release is a 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack release. The first print run of the release comes with an o-card slipcover. The included Blu-ray in the combo pack features the brand new 4K restoration (so those who are not yet equipped for 4K UHD disc playback but who plan to be in the future can still see a benefit to upgrading with a superior quality Blu-ray disc in this combo pack).

Audio Commentary by Director Lars Klevberg

A New Start – Actor Gabriel Bateman on Child's Play (HD, 10:55)

Head of the Patch – Actor David James Lewis on Child's Play (HD, 8:59)

A Beautiful Darkness – Production Designer Dan Hermansen on Child's Play (HD, 12:40)

The Making of Child's Play (HD, 5:05)

Bringing Child's Play's Chucky to Life (HD, 4:28)

Soundtrack Trailer (HD, 3:15)

Lee Hardcastle Claymations:

Toy Massacre (HD, 00:48)

A.I. Mayhem (HD, 00:46)

Still Gallery includes 12 click-through slides.

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:02)

Child's Play 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Child's Play is a successful reboot of the original horror masterpiece. The 2019 reboot might not be an instant-classic in the same way as the original but it is an enormously entertaining thrill ride with great performances, especially by newcomer Gabriel Bateman. Exploring the dangers of artificial intelligence, Mark Hamill impresses as the voice of Chucky (a doll enhanced by artificial intelligence). It is nice to see the Chucky franchise tackle the issue of artificial intelligence and the dangers it poses to our society as Chucky goes full-psycho because of the artificial intelligence programming malfunctioning.  

The 4K UHD is a huge upgrade with fantastic 2160p 4K UHD video and incredible lossless audio. The presentation is a worthwhile upgrade for fans. The 4K UHD release also includes all of the legacy supplemental features. Chucky fans will enjoy. Highly recommended.