A Vietnamese factory worker is fired, but not before he can finish building a "Buddi" doll – and remove all of its safety protocols. Meanwhile, in the United States, lonely Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), who has a hearing impairment, and his single mom, Karen (Aubrey Plaza), have recently moved to a new town. When a defective Buddi doll is returned to the store where Karen works, she decides to give it to Andy. Named "Chucky" (voiced by Mark Hamill), the doll immediately starts acting oddly, promising lifelong friendship with Andy and showing animosity toward Andy's nasty cat and toward Karen's not-so-nice boyfriend. But at least Chucky helps Andy make some new friends: Pugg (Ty Consiglio) and Falyn (Beatrice Kitsos). But then the killings start, and a neighbouring police detective, Mike Norris (Brian Tyree Henry), begins investigating.

This reboot of the infamous "killer doll" slasher series bases its story in a good, much simpler idea that increases the emotional stakes. It then incorporates human characters with fresh doses of humour and pathos. The original Child's Play (1988) and all of its six sequels hinged on the idea of a mad killer’s soul being magically transferred to a regular Chucky doll and making it try to kill everyone, while the new film is more focused on the doll longing to be friends with Andy. It's a small distinction, but Andy's regret as he tries to destroy his toy is quite affecting. (Weirdly, it echoes some of the themes in Steven Spielberg's artificial Intelligence.)

Meanwhile, Plaza and Henry, as well as the young actors, manage to bring subtle humour to their roles, as well as real-world weight. There are actually consequences here. Hamill, who's best known as Luke Skywalker – but is also excellent as the voice of the Joker in many Batman animated cartoons and video games – brings a sweet, sinister tone to Chucky; perhaps he's a bit confused and angry, rather than just homicidal. The movie's pace is light and quick, and the effects seem to be largely practical; the killings are bloody but clever. A drawback is the nasty Shane character, who's shown to be nothing but a jerk and deserves his gruesome murder. The department store showdown also gets a little over-the-top. But otherwise, this Child's Play is actually a fun romp.