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UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Jack Bender
Cast:
Justin Whalin, Perrey Reeves, Jeremy Sylvers
Writing Credits:
Don Mancini

Synopsis:
Chucky returns for revenge against Andy, the young boy who defeated him, now a teenager living in a military academy.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 2.0
French DTS 2.0
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 84 min.
Price: $14.98
Release Date: 8/28/2018

Bonus:
• Trailer


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Child's Play 3 [Blu-Ray] (1991)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 24, 2019)

Although 1988’s Child’s Play didn’t do a ton of business, it made more than enough profit to spawn a sequel. 1990’s Child’s Play 2 also failed to dominate the box office, but like its predecessor, it turned a nice profit, largely due to its low budget.

Inevitably, this led to 1991’s Child’s Play 3. Whereas Play 2 took place a chronologically-accurate two years after the first film, Play 3 takes us eight years into the future.

A doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer, Chucky (Brad Dourif) committed many murders in the first two films, and this understandably led to news that damaged Play Pals, the company that built the “Good Guys” line. Now nearly a decade after the second round of slayings, the Play Pals suits decide that the controversy has subsided enough to allow them to revive the “Good Guys” franchise.

Because the Play Pals folks reuse old materials, Chucky gets the opportunity to return to life. He takes over one of the new Good Guys dolls and remains intent on revenge.

Now-teenaged Andy Barclay (Justin Whalin) attends a military academy. Chucky pursues Andy in hopes he can finally transfer his soul into the boy’s body and escape his plastic shell.

As Chucky hunts for Andy, though, he encounters Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers), a younger stunt at the academy. Rather than bother with his old nemesis, Chucky decides he’ll try to co-opt Tyler’s body, and only Andy can halt this nefarious action.

Like I mentioned at the start, neither of the first two movies made a ton of money, but they earned more than enough compared to their costs. I feel less sure that Play 3 turned a profit, though.

I couldn’t find a budget for the movie, but it made a mere $14 million US, barely half of what Play 2 grossed. Maybe the film cost little enough that it still earned money, but it’s questionable.

What can’t be argued is the likelihood that Play 3’s lackluster receipts put the franchise into limbo for seven years, and I think that offers a good indication that Play 3 underperformed. We got three Play movies across four years, and if Play 3 found an audience, I suspect a fourth effort would’ve hit no later than 1993.

Instead, we didn’t hear from the psychopathic doll again until 1998’s Bride of Chucky, and that one took the series down a very different path. Whereas the first three went for a fairly standard slasher vibe, Bride opted for a campier mix of comedy and violence.

Play 3 occasionally straddles that line, though it stays closer to the more serious tone of its two predecessors. While a bit more oriented toward laughs, it doesn’t approach the wilder take we’d eventually see.

The film also barely attempts a new plot. I felt Play 2 essentially remade the original film, and Play 3 comes perilously close to that status as well.

On the surface, Play 3 looks like a departure. After all, we now see a much older Andy, and the military school setting changes from the family environs of the prior two movies.

However, those factors feel largely like windowdressing. At their core, all three stories concentrate on Chucky’s violent actions and the notion that no one believes Andy when he pins crimes on the doll.

Admittedly, the military school allows for some semi-creative ways to explore these themes, but they largely feel regurgitated. Beyond the superficial elements, Play 3 can’t find much new ground.

It also can’t develop much real entertainment. Too much of it stretches credulity, as even for a horror flick about a killer doll, a lot of the movie requires too much suspension of disbelief.

At its core, Play 3 falters simply because it lacks much entertainment value. It fails to find a real purpose and becomes little more than an uninspired rehash of prior films.


The Disc Grades: Picture C+/ Audio B/ Bonus D-

Child’s Play 3 appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image seemed erratic.

For the most part, sharpness worked well, as much of the movie showed nice clarity and accuracy. Interiors could be a little fuzzy but not to a substantial degree.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, but light edge haloes cropped up at times. Mild grain materialized through the film and print flaws stayed minor, though I saw an occasional speck or mark.

Colors seemed fine. Play 3 went with a largely natural palette that could lean blue or amber, and the tones appeared fairly well-rendered.

Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows delivered smooth material. Though not a bad image, this one seemed a bit dated.

The film’s DTS-HD MA 2.0 soundfield generally provided a forward emphasis and those elements were accentuated with a moderate amount of general ambience. The soundscape featured more engaging material during action scenes, of course.

The violent sequences boasted a useful level of action from the back speakers but the front channels dominated, so don’t expect a ton from the rear channels. Still, they came to life reasonably well during the more dynamic sequences and did their job well enough.

Audio quality seemed good. Speech was clear and concise, with no edginess or other issues. Effects appeared clean and accurate, and they packed a good punch when appropriate.

Music showed nice clarity and range as well. This wasn’t a particularly ambitious track, but it worked fine given the movie’s scope and age.

The disc includes the movie’s trailer but it lacks other extras.

Back in 1991, Child’s Play 3 nearly killed off the Chucky franchise, and I understand why. The movie lacks creativity or much entertainment value and becomes a tedious dud. The Blu-ray brings erratic visuals along with generally good audio and virtually no bonus materials. Play 3 might appeal to serious Chucky fans but it seems like a weak entry to me.

Viewer Film Ratings: 1 Stars Number of Votes: 1
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