CURSE OF CHUCKY is, by far, the best entry in the CHILD'S PLAY franchise since the first. That isn't to say it doesn't have it's fair share of short-comings, but overall it is both engaging and refreshing, especially in this age of "suckling" films... you know, the ones who continually milk an idea to death. From the start, you get the sense that Don Mancini is attempting to reboot the franchise, and I feel he has done a successful job in doing so. Visually, CURSE is engaging and unique in both the atmosphere present as well as the artful shots used. Lot's of films have defining shots, and some films have many cobbled together (albeit, cheaply), but CURSE succeeds in taming pivotal and creative shots to not just give the viewer something new to experience, but also to integrate said shots into the story telling experience it's self. The filming it's self is definitely one of the film's strongest points and, I would argue, is grounds enough to watch this film.
CURSE OF CHUCKY tells the tale of a quadriplegic shut in who lives with her mother, only to have her world turned upside down when a mysterious package, containing an equally mysterious doll, is delivered one day. The "unexpected" passing of Nica's (Fiona Dourif) mother brings her sister, her husband, their daughter Alice, Alice's nanny, and a pastor to the house in mourning. As one can expect, death and destruction are soon to follow. CURSE plays more like a gaillo than a standard slasher as the murders themselves aren't what drives the plot, but rather the murderer and how it all comes to pass. Unlike previous films where we know who Chucky is and why he is doing what he does, CURSE leaves you questioning how it ties in with what we already know. This is probably one of the strongest points of the film.
The Chucky doll, it's self, is another great aspect of the film. Certain shots really creeped me out (THOSE EYSE!!!), more so than I have felt toward a Chucky film since the first. The doll has been redesigned and looks as real as ever, and undergoes a transformation in the second act to show that this is not only a reboot of the franchise, but is also a continuation to the already existing lore. That lore is brought (quite literally) full circle by the end of the film and actually explains a question so often forgotten: why was Charles Lee Ray on the run from the law to begin with at the onset of CHILD'S PLAY? CURSE is more like a dedicated sequel as opposed to a generic use of a familiar concept, which is more than the last few films could provide.
Having shared such praise, it shouldn't go without saying that CURSE OF CHUCKY is certainly a flawed film. Mancini's iconic humor is ever present although sometimes it works against the film in that it takes a decidedly darker take on the Chucky mythos and cheapens it. The plot it's self is a bit confusing at first, and doesn't become cohesive until late in the film... and even then, is muddled by more contrived twists at the end (see spoilers below the trailer).
The acting, as can be expected, is (and yet, isn't) what you would expect from the franchise rebooted. Brad Dourif (one of my all time favorite character actors) returns as Chucky/Charles Lee Ray, while the lead is none other than Brad's daughter, Fiona Dourif. Fiona is definitely one of the strongest aspects of CURSE OF CHUCKY. She is an excellent actress and I can only hope she continues her craft in the genre. Unfortunately, no one else is really up to par. Tongue in cheek acting is delivered in gut loads and much like Mancini's humor, brings the overall feel of the film to comparison to the less enjoyable entries. These aspects confuse the senses because you can tell from the onset that CURSE is a rather dark film.
Over all, CURSE OF CHUCKY is worth watching. Multiple occasions had my fiance and I both openly laughing... and cringing... throughout. Some small things don't make sense, but I'm willing to over look them because what is good about CURSE is, well, really fucking good. CURSE is direct to video so you should be able to find it anywhere this Halloween season, but if you are a shut in, it can be found here. If you wish to read my spoiler heavy thoughts on the end aspects of the film, continue below the video!
***SPOILER ALERT***
My biggest qualm about CURSE OF CHUCKY is the ending. Certainly not the ending proper, but the obligatory post ending ending... and it's post ending... then the post credits ending. Yes, CURSE OF CHUCKY has FOUR endings. The first ties up the film you just saw. Ok, good. Yes, a final twist before the fade to black. Ok, here comes the first post ending, which brings the Tiffany/Jennifer Tilly character back as she retrieves Chucky. This ending is two fold, as it then shows Tiffany shipping a package (with Chucky inside) via mail. The next ending has Alice (the little girl from CURSE) coming home to her grandmother's house to find an opened package and Chucky. He asks her to play a game of "hide the soul" and as the camera pans away, Alice's grandmother pops up on screen with a plastic bag around her head.
Now, presumably, grandma stops Chucky from finishing his rite, because the post credits scene then shows an adult Andy receiving a birthday gift. With his back turned while on the phone, Chucky escapes the box and prepares to kill Andy, only to turn around and come face to face with a shotgun. If this was an attempt to reboot the series (as Mancini has claimed), this ending sort of muddles that idea... plus, what happened with Alice? Why wasn't Chucky able to "hide the soul"? Here's hoping the next film will answer these questions. For me, these fun endings sort of ruined the whole film.
No comments:
Post a Comment