Self-aware 'Child's Play' reboot toys with killer doll genre

“Child's Play” - ★ ★ ★

There are two movies opening this weekend that feature iconic anthropomorphic dolls. Be very careful which one you choose.

“Toy Story 4” has the usual gang of lovable toys led by Woody and Buzz. (Bring tissues.) Then there's the remake of “Child's Play,” which has Chucky, the freckle-faced homicidal doll who likes stabbing things. (Bring a strong stomach.)

The reviews for “Toy Story 4” are pretty good and you might be surprised to find that the “Child's Play” reboot is actually pretty solid, too. It's a winking, self-aware horror movie that will make you laugh even when things are drenched in blood.

The original “Child's Play” came out in 1988 and featured the nightmare-creating concept of your dolls coming to life and harming you. But the franchise gradually grew camp, most recently with “Cult of Chucky” in 2017.

The reboot has sidestepped Chuck's real dad - writer/director Don Mancini - and freshened the concept: Chucky is no longer possessed. Now he's a cloud-connected, self-learning AI doll with wide powers. And underneath the gleeful horror is a commentary on our dependence and the interconnectivity of our devices.

Director Lars Klevberg and screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith fully dive into the killer doll trope, gently mocking the genre as they exploit it. “You're my best friend,” says Chucky when he's taken out of the box. To which his new owner naturally says: “It's kind of creepy.”

This time, Chucky is created by the nefarious Kaslan Corporation, which has a range of interconnected products. A sweatshop worker in Vietnam tasked with assembling the dolls disconnects one of its security protocols in a fit of pique. It ends up in the hands of a single mother (Aubrey Plaza) and her lonely son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman). Chucky tries to understand human behavior but stumbles at subtlety. He's imprinted to Andy and lashes out at anything that Andy dislikes, whether that's the family cat or his mom's new boyfriend.

The filmmakers have left little Easter eggs throughout the film, from references to “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” to “Office Space.” At one point, there's a “Star Wars” joke that is extra funny because Mark Hamill is voicing Chucky.

There's so much tongue-in-cheek humor that even though the body count mounts there's really no dread. Somehow, despite “Silence of the Lambs”-level carnage, the gore level doesn't shock, inoculated as we are by being in on the joke.

Plaza, known for her comedic chops, shows off a winning dramatic side, while Bateman proves to be an actor to watch. And Hamill goes to his creepiest place to say things like “Are we having fun now?”

Surprisingly, we are.

<b>Starring:</b> Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Mark Hamill, Brian Tyree Henry

<b>Directed by:</b> Lars Klevberg

<b>Other:</b> An Orion Pictures release. Rated R for violence and language. 88 minutes