One of the many strong points of 80s-reboot-done-right Child Play's is just how aware it is that as actual monsters go, a killer doll is kind of crap. There's a reason why this franchise has churned out more "comedy" versions than serious ones; once you get past the visual of a creepily grinning doll holding a knife, there just isn't all that much to work with.
So director Lars Klevberg goes long on the origin story; more than half the film is build up, with the evil "Buddi" doll (who, in one of the film's surprisingly many decent jokes, names himself Chuckie for no reason whatsoever) getting a lengthy origin that provides at least two reasons for him being evil that aren't the "possessed by a dead serial killer" one used in previous incarnations.
The 21st century doll (voiced by Mark Hammil) is, thanks to wifi, The Cloud and various advances in robotics, designed to be able to walk, talk, control household appliances and be a child's bestest friend. He's also kind of pathetic and already out of date; another of the film's decent jokes is that even though the Buddi doll is slightly more advanced than anything around today, he's already obsolete by the start of the film, with Buddi 2 only week away. Which is how Zed Mart employee Karen (Audrey Plaza) can get a free one that's been returned for having "glowing red eyes" to take home to her lonely son Andy (Gabriel Bateman).
There Chuckie quickly becomes part of Andy's daily life, only Chuckie isn't quite right (learning about human interactions from watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 doesn't help) and after a string of increasingly unsettling and jump scares Chuckie soon draws blood - and from there rapidly becomes one of the more inventive (and gory) killers seen on the big screen in years. There's plenty of suspense too; turns out much like a robotic version of a bird-killing pet cat, Chuckie likes to leave gifts around the house.
Chuckie's kills follow a twisted logic (at first) - he's kind of trying to protect Andy - and for a while he's a figure of pathos, a killer doll who cares too much. But much of the fun of this 90 minute film is that it's overstuffed with ideas and angles (and characters until Chuckie starts whittling down the cast). It's a slasher roller-coaster that's well worth the ride.
*
Toy Story 3 did a pretty decent job of providing a finale to the tale of Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of Pixar's living toys; the big relief with Toy Story 4 is that it finds a natural reason for the story to go on. After a flashback that explains where Bob Peep (Annie Potts) went between Toy Story 2 and 3, we get down to a relatively small scale tale of Woody trying to deal with the fact that new owner Bonnie just isn't that into him.
Then again, she is really, really into the toy she made herself on her first day of kindergarten, Forky (Tony Hale) . Forky is a spork with a pipe-cleaner wrapped around him; having come from trash, all he wants to do is go back to the trash (cue multiple hilarious and thinly-disguised death wish gags). This becomes a real problem when the family goes on a road trip and Forky jumps out the campervan window; Andy follows, and everyone ends up in a small town dominated by a carnival and an antique store, both of which turn out to be prime activity centers for different kinds of toys.
What follows is an exciting romp - there's no better word for it - though Pixar's usual heavy themes and tear-jerking moments are never too far beneath the surface. The jokes are funny and there's plenty of them, the action is thrilling and inventive, and while there's flaws (the original supporting cast barely get a look-in; even Buzz is boiled down to a single decent running joke) the whole thing is plenty of fun and in no way feels like a cash-grab. And while the story of Woody comes to a wholly satisfying (and yes, sad - this is Pixar after all) end, there's no real reason to think there won't be a Toy Story 5 a decade from now.
(if toys are even still a thing that is; there's a reason why a lot of this movie's action takes place in an antique store)
- Anthony Morris
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