Child's Play

THE GIST: A kid receives a talking doll as a present, unaware that its AI software has been altered and the doll is no longer safe to operate. Shortly after it's activated, the doll starts showing signs of troubling behaviors.

This is the remake of the original Child's Play from 1988 and it's actually a fair improvement. In this Child's Play, there's no black magic involved and the script tackles the very real and current dangers of the Internet of Things, when all sorts of ordinary devices and gadgets are connected to the Internet and are therefore liable of being hacked into by unsavory individuals.

The rest of the story follows the original more closely, but in every respect it's an actual improvement, starting with the acting.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're into the possession-horror concept you've probably seen the original. If so, you might like this one better, like I did, as long as you don't feel like it's an outrage that the movie was remade to begin with.

Grade: 5