Most people always assume that the first entry in any film series--horror movie, or not--will be the best one of the litter, without fail. However, the Child's Play series sets itself apart from other horror franchises in the sense that the best outing wasn't the original movie, but the first sequel that followed. No, I really mean it, here. This movie is damn better than the original. And despite what a few asshole critics from the late 1980's might have you believe, this is a height that was not easy to reach.
While lacking in some areas, and paling in comparison to the likes of A Nightmare On Elm Street, and even underground classics like Silent Night, Deadly Night, the original Child's Play was a notable niche in the genre, simply because of its good storytelling, its original concept, its boundary-pushing special effects, and its believable and well-selected cast. Child's Play 2 follows in the steps of the original; the only difference here is that this time they pulled out all the stops and pushed everything up a notch. The pacing is much better in this film, the death scenes are much more creative and thought out, the acting is brought up to an even higher level, and all this is complimented by a musical score of epic proportions that will have you thinking to yourself, "did the guy who did the music for the LoTR films work on this?"
Chucky moves in to finish off Miss Kettlewell, a gradeschool
teacher who made the mistake of locking him up in a closet.
Picking up two years after its predecessor, the story begins with some footage of Chucky being put back together again, accompanied by one of the excellent musical tracks spoken of above. You see, the PlayPals toy company is going bankrupt because of all the bad publicity surrounding the events of the first film, and naturally, they want to prove to the public that the whole series of events surrounding 'Chucky' were nothing more than tabloid myths. Around the same time this is happening, a pair of foster parents (Gerrit Graham and Jenny Agutter) pay a visit to the orphanage young Andy (played once again by Alex Vincent), whose mother has been placed in psychiatric care, is staying at. After initial hesitancies due to the boy's odd and traumatic past, the couple agree to take Andy home and care for him until his mother recovers.
All this seems fine and dandy, but little do they know that Chucky has hitched a ride with the slimey CEO of PlayPals, and is coercing him into taking an alternate route after he finds Andy's whereabouts in some company files (he calls the orphanage afterwards, and is then directed to the Simpson's residence). Initially Andy believes that Chucky is actually Tommy, a Good Guy doll that was already present in the Simpson house before he arrived, but he quickly realizes that his old tormentor has returned when he awakens one night, tied to a bed with a plastic face smiling down on him. Fortunately for him, the doll is unable to complete the voodoo chant. It soon becomes evident that Andy's only hope lies in the help of his foster sister, eighteen-year-old Kyle (Christine Elise), who is more likely to believe him than either of the adults he's staying with.
One of the things you'll notice early on in the movie is the vast improvement in the animatronics and special effects; Chucky is more animated and expressive than ever, and he looks more sinister and realistic than he did in the first outing. Brad Dourif also gives his best vocal performance as the doll, with the right mix of humor and sadism. The film only gets better as it progresses, and the climax inside of the doll factory is easily the best scene in the movie. Conveyer belts, machines and a maze of doll boxes all play a part in the obstacle course that Andy and Kyle must run through in order to escape Chucky, and director John Lafia does all the right tricks with the camera in order to make all of the location's visual advantages click in the film. The scene is, of course, complimented by the wonderful score of composer Graeme Revell, who would go on to do much bigger and better things after this movie (although he did return to the Child's Play series in Bride of Chucky, and even included a light reprise of his theme from this movie within his score for that).
The animatronic effects in this film are one of its crowning points.
Vastly better than those seen in the original.
The kills in this movie are another thing that makes it shine, with each one being placed alongside some nasty Chucky dialogue that could put even some of Freddy's greatest wisecracks to shame. The CEO at the beginning gets the best one, if you ask me.
As far as acting goes, most horror fans can't complain about a choice like Jenny Agutter, who exposed her volomptuous bare breasts and bottom in the cult classic An American Werewolf In London. Also adding to the eye candy is the young Christine Elise, who doesn't overshadow Agutter's good looks, but...forseeably outlives her. Star Trek fans will immediately recognize Gerrit Graham, who excels at portraying characters who are douchebags, and 90's TV fans will remember the brown-nosing CEO asshole as Greg Germann, who was a frequent on Ally McBeal. Rounding out the performances is Alex Vincent, who successfully evolves the character of Andy from the young and defenseless target in the last movie. He is clearly effected by the events of the original, but his bravery has increased, as well as his strength. Towards the middle of the film, he actually finds himself attempting to confront and kill Chucky, although things don't go as planned, and this escalates into the death of his foster father.
All in all, I'd have to rank this amongst my favorite slasher titles. I can understand a lot of mainstream moviegoers not having an interest in seeing this, but please believe me, this is a fun time, just like the first movie was. Horror fans who are having doubts about this movie should also know that famous film critic Roger Ebert (who is known for being a Nazi towards all things horror) said that it "delivered the goods", describing it as a "truly frightening thriller." He also went on to say that it was foul, disturbing, ugly and offensive, and as a human being, he wished he hadn't seen it. Is there anything else that could ease your doubts about this more? See this. You won't regret it.
I'm giving this movie an 8 out of 10. I'd like to be more generous with it, but it just doesn't belong in the ranks of classics like Elm Street and The Shining, which are far superior to most films in the genre. Not everyone will like this movie as much as I did, but if you enjoyed the first one, then give this one a shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment