‘Child’s Play’ (2019) Is Good, Actually
Some of my favorite films have been remakes: Gaslight (1944), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) are just a few of them. Remakes rarely get a fair shake, with many movie-goers disregarding them altogether. In the lead-up to its release, Child’s Play (2019) was met with “Not My Chucky” refrains from various online circles. It never stood a chance. I remember sitting in the theatre thinking, “This isn’t bad.”
Six years later, I’ve come to love everything about it, from the concept (rogue A.I. doll) to the characters (Andy and his mother’s relationship warms my heart) and the gnarly kill sequences (the table saw and holiday lights are particular highlights). The film, directed by Lars Klevberg, is exactly how a remake should work. It takes the source material, gives it a facelift, and offers a fresh perspective.
“It stumbles at every turn, and the very foundation the story is built on is problematic,” Dread Central’s own Josh Millican wrote in his review. Removing the film from the iconic Child’s Play IP, he also praises the film for being “a vastly entertaining romp.” It’s just not a good remake, he argues. “It may strike a chord with fans who aren’t familiar with Classic Chucky,” Millican concludes. “But those fond of the original Child’s Play franchise will be forced to compartmentalize their attachments in order to have any hope of appreciating the new film—or even enjoying it.”
It’s my belief that there’s room for both. I grew up on the franchise, and it was long overdue for a new take. Sure, I love what Don Mancini has done with the series (The Curse of Chucky is excellently horrifying, and the TV show is a fun romp), but there’s nothing wrong with someone else taking a stab, pun intended, at trying something new. Both the 1988 original and the remake tackle the same thing, just in vastly different ways: rampant consumerism. As we see in 2025, the greatest fear of today is A.I. taking over our lives. And we’ve already seen how dangerous it can be, from replacing academic studies and ruining online publications to destroying the environment. There’s no going back from this moment, and 2019’s Child’s Play aptly captured that unnerving feeling in the pit of my stomach.
As it always does, social media lit up with varied opinions, with many harpooning the film before it even opened. Things got much worse when it finally hit theaters. As of this writing, Child’s Play (2019) holds a 64 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal 2.5 average on Letterboxd. Dismissing the remake does a disservice to how hard the filmmakers and actors worked to bring their vision to life. It even casts a very long shadow over the original series. There’s room for both Chucky interpretations, and the genre is better for it.
Much of the story has been adjusted to reflect modern fears. Instead of voodoo magic, artificial intelligence lies at the core of today’s debate on ethics, artistic expression, and the damage to the environment. Chucky becoming an autonomous doll makes perfect sense. Initially, Chucky shows no interest in hurting Andy (Gabriel Bateman) and only kills those who wrong Chucky’s “best buddy.” It’s a very M3GAN thing to do, and perhaps Child’s Play was ahead of its time. If it were released today, the reception would be drastically different. Way more people would have embraced it. It’s only after Andy tosses Chucky in the trash chute that the robot turns its sadistic gaze upon Andy and his mother (Aubrey Plaza).
One of the biggest criticisms of the film was that Andy appeared too old for a doll. But there are a few things that opinion ignores: 1) an AI robot-doll; 2) Andy struggles to make human connections due to being partially deaf; and 3) Chucky is the sole reason behind Andy making actual friends with Falyn (Beatrice Kitsos) and Pugg (Ty Consiglio).
While sitting in a stairwell of his apartment building, Andy bonds with them over his plot to scare his mother’s boyfriend, Shane (David Lewis). The trio becomes inseparable and feels like an authentic friendship until Falyn and Pugg begin to question whether Andy is making it all up about his killer doll. Loyalties are tested, but when Falyn and Pugg watch video footage on Omar’s (Marlon Kazadi) phone of Chucky killing Andy’s neighbor Doreen (Carlease Burke), it all clicks into place. The murder, taking place inside a self-driving Kaslan car, underscores collective fears of robots gone wild.
Things come to a climax in the third act when Chucky hacks his way into a local department store, where folks have gathered to celebrate the release of Buddi 2. It’s total chaos, as flying drones dart at the crowd’s heads, slashing more than a few necks, and other Buddi dolls come to life. It’s a thrilling bookend to the film’s entire thesis that A.I. is bad and will lead only to our eventual demise. What we’ve created will surely snuff out the human race as we know it. And given the state of the United States these days, our time is limited.
Child’s Play (2019) is better than half the sequels and even surpasses the original. As far as my personal series ranking goes, it follows Child’s Play 2, Bride of Chucky, and Curse of Chucky. Many blasted the remake as a soulless cash grab, but it’s far from it. It not only comments on A.I. destruction but also explores a young boy’s struggle to be seen and heard, his eventual emotional collapse, and the strength he musters to save his mom.
We’ve already seen the tides turn on this film in online conversations. Give it four or five more years, and it’ll achieve cult classic status. A film raked over the coals will soon be appreciated for the fun little frolick it is. Even if you ignore the cultural and social commentary, it’s just plain fun. The kills are sadistic and bloody; the characters are wholesome and empathetic; and it’s a suitable successor to the original franchise. Plus, it has Aubrey Plaza, and that already makes it a killer time! Much like such films as House of Wax (2005) and Jennifer’s Body, I’ve been a champion of the film since the very beginning. Maybe one day, more people will feel the same as I do.
Categorized: Editorials
