Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Child's Play Blu-ray Movie Review

Chucky cheese.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 4, 2019

Lars Klevberg's Child's Play is an attempted reboot of the popular 1988 film that spawned a full-blown franchise recently collected in Universal's Chucky: The Complete 7-Movie Collection. Like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and several other 1980s horror properties, Child's Play began its life as a (relatively) modest film that, over the course of several years, quickly spiraled into more ridiculous territory...but to be fair, the notion of a creepy kid's doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer was pretty damn absurd to begin with. In contrast, Klevberg's reboot smartly tries to bring the core of Chucky back to Earth, trading in Haitian Vodou for corrupted artificial intelligence.

At least, that's how it starts. And if there's one thing that Child's Play (meaning the 2019 reboot from here on out) does right, it's start off well enough. Aside from the ridiculous notion of a low-level Vietnamese factory worker disabling the safety features on a popular new high-tech Buddi doll with a few swift keystrokes, Chucky's new origin story isn't half-bad. After the defective toy (voiced by the great Mark Hamill) is returned to the store where single mom Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza) works, she gifts the "refurbished" toy to her 13-year-old hearing-impaired son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) as an early birthday surprise. An only child with few friends and little supervision, young Andy -- in a clear nod to the Toy Story franchise -- becomes friends with his new interactive gift. As far as he knows, Chucky's defects are limited to occasional glitches and the ability to repeat swear words...if you can call the second one a defect, that is.

The notion of smart-enabled tech going haywire is hardly a new one in the horror genre, but the way that Child's Play depicts Chucky's gradual "corruption" via innocent misunderstandings -- amplified by horrible human behavior -- is more than enough fuel for the fire. Whether acting out a scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, protecting Andy from the aggressive family cat, or giving Karen's asshole boyfriend Shane (David Lewis) a taste of his own medicine, his behavior gradually moves from "creepy but kind of endearing" to "total psychopath". But rather than comment on the meaty themes established early on, Child's Play quickly devolves into a predictable slasher flick that relies waaay too much on cheap jump scares and the elaborate, gory deaths awarded to its most despicable supporting characters. Unfortunately, though, almost no one is truly likable here: two of the only sympathetic souls are kind neighbor Doreen Norris (Carlease Burke) and her detective son Mike (Brian Tyree Henry), who gets involved after a few bodies -- and body parts -- begin to stack up around the dimly-lit apartment building, mostly via the garbage chute.

This near-absence of likable characters gives Child's Play a truly broken moral compass as it lumbers toward its violent, padded climax. (There are other problems before that, none more evident than a countless number of stupid character decisions exclusive to the horror genre.) Yet it's still fitfully entertaining and establishes a great atmosphere on its low budget: shot in Vancouver in just 37 days for roughly $10M, Child's Play has the look and feel of a horror movie twice as expensive. The mix of animatronics and CGI is well done for the most part, even if Chucky's appearance doesn't make him look like something that most modern kids would touch with a ten-foot pole. So while Child's Play is far from a faultless reboot and wants so bad to ride the coattails of white-hot properties like Stranger Things, it's passable enough for a once-over...and hey, more forgiving horror fans might like it even more. One thing that can't be denied is the strength of MGM's new Blu-ray: while it sadly lacks a 4K option, this release serves up a terrific A/V presentation and a surprisingly decent mixture of well-meaning bonus features that established fans will enjoy.

Child's Play Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, MGM's 1080p transfer of Child's Play looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Shot digitally with a pleasing mixture of practical and (mostly) well-done CGI effects, the film has no shortage of dark and brooding locations -- the Barclays' shoddy apartment building is absolutely bathed in shadow from top to bottom, although carefully lit to make sure important details aren't constantly hidden. Other nearly pitch-black moments are purposefully pulled back, including a rather terrifying nighttime scene almost solely lit by Chucky's glowing blue eyes (screenshot #19); it's a subtle but effective trick that really stands out. Meanwhile, the big-box toy store where mom Karen works is bathed in candy-coated primaries and fluorescent light; much like Chucky's own outfit, these colors offer a pleasing visual contrast that prevents the film from being swallowed completely by endless shadows. Skin tones and textures look great, as well as the warm interiors of neighbor Doreen Norris' apartment and a few rare outdoor scenes on gloomy, overcast days. The film maintains a reasonably high bit rate on this well-authored Blu-ray, which thankfully does not fall victim to any obvious signs of black crush, excessive noise reduction, or flagrant compression artifacts. Overall, this is a very satisfying transfer from MGM that really helps sell the film's oppressive atmosphere.

As an aside, the lack of a separate 4K release is pretty disappointing here. The film's digital source hints toward the possibility that Child's Play's native resolution would have made it a true 4K picture and not an upscale -- and while I'm not at all disappointed with how MGM's Blu-ray looks, I'm sure fans would have appreciated the option.

Child's Play Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio is another clear highlight, delivering a very forceful mix that carries even more weight than initially expected. Although I am certainly not a fan of the film's excessive jump scares, these moments -- as well as weather-related events and even a few establishing shots -- make great use of the rear channels to evenly and effectively balance its atmosphere. One surprising exception (and perhaps this mix's only weak point) is the center channel, which often slightly under-performs when it comes to dialogue reproduction. The most likely explanation is that Child's Play was simply given its larger-than-life theatrical mix rather than one properly scaled down for smaller setups. Nothing that a few on-the-fly volume adjustments can't fix, but I would have loved more weight added to a channel that, more often than not, is the most crucial. While a full-blown Atmos mix would've been even better, this lossless six-channel option provides a satisfying and active presentation that will impress genre enthusiasts.

Optional English (SDH) and Spanish subtitles are included during the main feature and all applicable extras. One odd little glitch not entirely made clear in the Blu-ray's initial menu: Child's Play's default subtitle setting includes complete translations for Vietnamese dialogue spoken in the film's earliest scenes, but this option can be removed as well. Just don't get mixed up when cycling through subtitle settings like I did; in this case, "off" literally means off.

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

Child's Play arrives on Blu-ray as a one-disc release (no 4K or even DVD option), packed inside a stupid eco-friendly keepcase along with a matching slipcover and Digital Copy redemption code. The on-disc bonus features are generally short and sweet...not to mention surprisingly well-rounded, given the film's modest box-office performance.

• Audio Commentary - This full-length track features director Lars Klevberg, recorded in his home country of Norway. It's a generally lightweight but entertaining track and covers many of the basics: the 1988 original, adapting Child's Play for a new generation, trying to meet fan expectations, adapting the screenplay by Tyler Burton Smith, shooting in Vancouver, Bear McCreary's original score, challenges on the set, the casting process, editing, animatronics and visual effects, creative lighting, jump scares, "the Amblin look", and more.

• The Making of Child's Play (5:05) - An entertaining but all-too-brief promotional look behind the scenes featuring input by director Lars Klevberg, producers Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg, and actors Brian Tyree Henry, Aubrey Plaza, and Gabriel Bateman, plus a few on-set clips and storyboards.

• Bringing Child's Play's "Chucky" to Life (4:28) - A slightly more in-depth look at the main character's construction, as well as the mixture of animatronics and CGI effects that brought him to life.

• Soundtrack Trailer (3:16) - Bear McCreary goes off the deep end, Smooth McGroove style.

• Lee Hardcastle Claymations - These include "Toy Massacre" (0:49) and "A.I. Mayhem" (0:48), two extremely gory but enjoyable Chucky shorts lovingly crafted by the prolific British animator.

• Gallery (1:03) - One dozen production photos and other promotional images captured on-set.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:02) - A reasonably creepy and effective bit of marketing that actually doesn't give the whole movie away. Also available via Orion Pictures' official YouTube channel if you haven't seen it yet.

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

Child's Play isn't the most worthwhile horror reboot in recent memory, relying too much on jump scares and other genre clichés to prop up its half-baked story and characters. The film actually starts out fairly strong but runs out of gas quickly, devolving into tone-deaf territory well before its ridiculous climax. With that said, it still manages to be pretty entertaining at times, serving up a few solid laughs and genuine scares while creating an effective atmosphere with limited resources. MGM's Blu-ray is better than expected and may just tip the scales in your favor, combining a solid A/V presentation with a surprising assortment of mostly short but well-meaning bonus features. Those who saw and enjoyed Child's Play in theaters will enjoy themselves, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.