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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Child's Play 2 Review


Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: After being pointlessly reconstructed, Chucky once again tries to gain control of Andy's body who is now staying with a foster family.

Review: I want to say that this is the second best of the Chucky films, but I think part six may be slightly better. I used to really like this entry, and it is great when compared to the likes of part 4 and 5, but it is heavily loaded with contrivances. Certain aspects do surpass the original, but, for the most part, they took the franchise in the wrong direction--away from the horror. Surprisingly a large portion of this movie employs unused elements from the original script except, once again, making room for Chucky to establish himself as a horror icon. In fact, they stretched out material from the original script across parts 1-4; that's either saving a lot of money or they are lazy as hell. I guess in the late '80s and early '90s this just seemed like the way you create a franchise: with a likable villain and fans won't care what you do with them.

I've already gone over how great part one was, and how it's a genuinely scary movie if you don't think about Chucky's current image, but this film decided to be more action-oriented. You will notice fairly early on that the pacing is even faster than part one and somehow it works successfully. The music is the best in this entry and that faster tempo translates into the pacing of the film--allowing the viewer to be more engaged in the events. Chucky is more aggressive in this entry, killing pretty much anyone who gets in his way as he pursues Andy; the stealth and intrigue go out the window although there is a tiny attempt to showcase these plot elements. For those that didn't like Alex Vincent's portrayal of Andy in part one, he does a better job this time around (although I thought he was fine before). The incorporation of the fictional Play Pals company, the makers of the Good Guy dolls, was interesting and feels somewhat believable. Having the climax at the Good Guy factory was also fun and opened up a lot of cool scenarios for mayhem. They continue the theme of Chucky taking all manner of abuse before finally dying...which is always amusing. Lastly, there is a certain flow in the continuity of events that makes this entry and part one feel complementary to each other.

Typically I would be more annoyed they abandoned the horror elements in favor of action and comedy, but I'm actually more angry with the overabundance of contrivances; it honestly feels as though it would be safe to say the entire film is a contrivance. First off, why is Play Pal rebuilding Chucky instead of merely examining the audio recorder as they claim is the reason for this? How convenient that they only have Chucky's head when the body of the doll would have been "human" supposedly. Actually, if they did examine the audio recorder, are they saying it was in his head?! Why aren't the remains of Chucky being kept as evidence? Oh yeah, here ya go, have evidence that you could destroy that potentially damages your company! What were they planning to do with him afterward, resell him?!  How does giving Chucky a new body resurrect him? If shooting him in the heart is the only way to kill him, then why would the head mean shit? The good eye is on the wrong side by the way. "Give us a minute, we're not used to making them manually"--shut the fuck up, bitch, you're in a room called "Prototype Lab" what else do you do in there?! The Play Pal CEO doesn't think it's suspicious that a doll claimed to be alive just happens to be involved in a freak accident killing someone the moment they rebuild it AND his crony is murdered later that night?! I should have brought this up about part one, but why is Chucky always killing people in weird ways? Isn't his M.O. supposed to be strangulation? He was nicknamed the Lakeshore strangler, right?! I can understand the cops being written out of the script, but Andy's mom too? Not even a phone call from her at any point since they claim she supports Andy's version of the events. Why is Andy's foster dad such a fucking douche about Andy being afraid of the Good Guy doll? The audience knows that he knows Andy thinks the doll came to life and fucking killed people who did really die! Why does Chucky still need to take Andy's body? So some rules are still applying but not all? You know, how did Chucky even get to the foster family's home? Are they claiming that the Play Pal crony drove them close enough? But wait, how the hell does Chucky even know where Andy is?! Oh yeah, that's right, he calls the orphanage or whatever the hell late at night and they just say, "Sure, here's the address to the foster home of a kid embroiled in a lawsuit and allegations of a murder spree." Seriously?! I know they make it seem like Andy's teacher is mad that she thinks he wrote "FUCK YOU BITCH" on his paper, but she was actually just mad he didn't write "FUCK YOU, BITCH!" And, for realzies, they're reading "Pinocchio" in class that day? The school doesn't call to say the teacher was murdered? No, Chucky sure as hell didn't clean up since it is implied he raced home like Andy to continue the facade that he's been lying in the basement all day. Speaking of which, how does Chucky get around so easily? The foster parents argue loudly with Andy ten feet away just so we can see the camera man's reflection. And why does this milfy foster mom have her house designed like a grandma? Wait, what...the Play Pal toy factory was like a couple miles from the orphanage?! And they have their factory up and running all night with only one guy watching the place?! Exit doors are locked? And how the fuck did Chucky jerry rig some dead body up on a cable? There's plenty more, but I think you get the idea.

Okay, I've been kind of harsh, but while the other sequels were simply stupid, this entry had potential and I expect more. It was clear that they sloppily pulled together a script that heavily borrowed from the original film's while adding stupid elements to play up Chucky's role more. Basically, all the best parts of this film are the original ideas while the padding is noticeable and Chucky trying to be, well, Chucky, is lame as hell. I mean, come on, he's just a fucking little dolly, he's not a damn threat when you remove the stealth. The knives he carries in half the movies are bigger than him! Overall though, I do like this movie despite its flaws. There is a certain amusement to the story and the contrivances can be great in the so bad it's good way. Andy and his foster sister (?), Kyle, are likable enough and their fight against Chucky is entertaining especially at the toy factory. While this wasn't the best sequel you'd hope for, it feels like "T2" when compared to the likes of part 5.

Notable Moment: When Kyle slams on the breaks of her car and Chucky goes flying through the windshield. I mean, seriously? No one stopped and thought that made no sense? Plus, they're right next to the orphanage already, or whatever the hell it was, so what's the point?!

Final Rating: 5.5/10

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