As is customary in the Child’s Play series, Child’s Play directly after the last one finished. That is the good thing about this series. No time is wasted and no storyline or plot-thread is forgotten. After Chucky’s explosive exit at the end of Child’s Play the question arises, How the hell can he be reborn again? Well fear not, he is and in a very creative way. From this triumphant and very satisfying beginning the outlook for this film was looking very promising.
What made it so promising for me was the fact that Alex Vincent was long gone. This film is set eight years after Child’s Play so he needed to be replaced with a far more mature actor to fill Andy’s shoes. Imagine my disappointment! So in steps Justin Whalin, to play Andy aged . Andy is now out of foster homes and into Military School. I’m not sure what the insentive behind this setting was but it sure made things interesting; the character of Andy is written very well. He is still insecure and still vulnerable. He is still haunted by the memories of Chucky and those memories are still strong in his mind. Justin Whalin’s acting wasn’t the best and I felt myself beginning to become as annoyed with him as I had Alex Vincent. Still, his role was acceptable. Speaking of irritating cast… yet another kid comes in to the frame. Tyler – played by Jeremy Sylvers – was the perfect character to fill the trying character of young Andy. And once again Chucky seems to be on our side by going after the more frustrating element of the cast. The only thing that wasn’t right was the fact that Chucky didn’t kill them. Outstanding acting from Travis Fine who played the callous Sheldon gave the school the presence it needed. He got behind his character and showed us how defenseless Andy appeared to be.
Although there wasn’t any significance in setting this film within the confines of a Military School, it was just waiting for Chucky to get stuck in. The best part (I have to admit I laughed for hours after the film about this) is when Chucky replaces the paintballs in guns for war games with real bullets. Priceless; absolutely priceless. My only complaint is, Why did they decide to end the film in a fairground? It didn’t seem that logical to me. Still, the House of Horror was a more than suitable setting for the final show down. Strange, but it worked.
The writer for the series, Don Mancini, always appeared to have a vision and this shows throughout. The problem with many films is that the writers change and so do the prospects, Child’s Play has managed to keep with consistency and keep a film series that doesn’t play the audience for fools.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Child’s Play well put together – it was the first to get an certificate in the UK, and it shows in more blood a far more foul-mouthed Chucky. It is a more light-hearted watch than the previous installments, however, and nearly as good as the first. Very close.
