That Time of the Month
Getting Lucky With Curse of Chucky
By: Brandy S.
Curse of Chucky (2013)
be warned: light spoilers
(nothing involving plot/major reveals, etc)
When I sat down to watch this movie, I wasn't exactly certain what to
expect. Was it a reboot? Prequel? Sequel? Did it follow the original
movies at all? Was this going to be another Seed? In the world of
Chucky movies, this does chronologically follow Seed. In fact, if
it's been awhile since you've seen Bride and Seed, or if you're hazy
on what happened in them, I recommend at least reading the plot
outlines on wikipedia. When the movie was over there were some
things I had forgotten about that I needed to read up on afterward,
so save yourself some vague confusion. As far as considering this
film a reboot, it sort of is in the fact that it's bringing the
franchise back to life. The ridiculousness that we experienced in
Seed is brushed under the rug, and it seems they were trying to get
back to what they had in the beginning, which they pulled off
amazingly well.
Our favorite killer doll is back, and better than he's been in almost
20 years. Chucky arrives in a wrapped up box again, and as fans we
know it won't take long for someone to get iced. The first death in
the movie is not very eventful, but it lays the groundwork for the
rest of the film, and gets us going on the right foot. When the body
is discovered, Chucky is sitting, grinning, as perfect-faced and
innocent looking as he was in '88. Brad Dourif has brought his
daughter, Fiona, into the legacy of Child's Play, as she is the
starring actress in the film, and she does a damn fine job. She
plays a paraplegic, and does it very convincingly. There is only one
shot, where she is checking for her mother in her bedroom and only
her face is seen through a crack in the door, where it seems like she
isn't in a wheelchair, but I can't gripe too much about it; I quickly
forgot about it after it happened.
The rest of the cast does not really contain anyone extremely
noteworthy, but they all play very well off of each other. Even
though some of the performances aren't exactly award winning, they
aren't bad either, and don't take away from the atmosphere of the
film, which is pretty dark overall. The crew on board has done an
excellent job of setting the eeriness in right from the beginning,
setting-wise and sound-wise. There is a lot of blacks and grays in
the home – it's very monochromatic, but not done too heavily.
They've also revamped the theme and modernized it a bit, but in a
good way; it totally kills. A storm creeps over the house throughout
the movie, creating some nice opportunities for drastic and sudden
lighting, which they utilize well without overdoing it.
Now, let's talk about the Good Guy. Brad Dourif is his impeccable
self, delivering everything we've come to expect from him. He's a
really crooked son-of-a-bitch this far down his doll lifeline, and
you can hear the hatred in his voice. Also, that all too familiar
maniacal laughter he shoots out is just as evil as ever. As far as
the actual doll goes, I have to say that I'm completely pleased with
the outcome. Like I mentioned before, Chucky is back to his
doll-like face. The whole package is here, the overalls, the shoes,
and the weird red hair. There are some amazing things going on with
the doll puppeteering this time around, like the pupils of his eyes
dilating while the little girl is holding him. The attention to
detail is, again, impressive and well executed.
As far as the plot of the movie goes, I was totally happy with the
film overall. Even though at a few points things seem a bit weird
(like why Chucky is at this family's home in the first place), all of
your questions are answered, and maybe even some you weren't thinking
of asking. Remember to stay tuned through the end of the credits for
a nice scene geared towards fans of the series.
The End
