movie reviews movie review
Search Archives DVD Mall Prog Land TV Contact Us Reviewer Bio


Search Movie Review Archives

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 
About DVDivas
Dvdivas was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your link to the most popular dvd movies.

 

"Seed of Chucky – Unrated Widescreen"
Reviewed by: Kim Anehall
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages English, French
Subtitles English, French, Spanish
Length 88 min
Rating Unrated
Release Date June 7, 2005
Studio Universal Studios
Commentary: “with Writer/Director Don Mancini and Puppet Master Troy Gardner”, “with Don Mancini and Actress Jennifer Tilly”
Documentaries: “Conceiving the Seed of Chucky”
Featurettes: “Family Hell-iday Slide Show”, “Tilly on The Tonight Show”, “Jennifer Tilly’s Diary”, “Fuzion Up Close with the Seed of Chucky Stars”, “Storyboard to Final Feature Comparison”
Filmography/Biography: None
Interviews: “Heeeeere's Chucky”
Trailers/TV Spots: “Theatrical Trailer”, “Teaser Trailer”
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: “1 Slashed Scene”
Music Video: None
Other: “Chucky's Insider Facts On Demand”, “Cast & Filmmakers”
Cast and Crew: Jennifer Tilly, Billy Boyd, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters, Redman, Keith-Lee Castle, Brad Dourif
Written By: Don Mancini
Produced By: Corey Sienega, David Kirschner
Directed By: Don Mancini
Music: Pino Donaggio
The Review:

In the fifth installment of Chucky—the serial killing doll—the story continues with Chucky, but he is not the main attraction anymore. Instead, the film opens with an interesting computer generated image that depicts the fertilization of an egg in the fallopian tubes, which continues to divide itself in a rapid manner until it has created a fetus. This fetus has a mark on its wrist that says, “Made in Japan”, a possible hint towards the Omen (1976) where Satan’s son has the mark of three sixes. The fetus later appears to be Chucky’s offspring whom seems to take over the leading part in this episode. ***

After the introduction, the ripping of a box brings the audience to a family who receives the doll of Chucky’s child. This scene opens with a camera shot in first person perspective much like Humphrey Bogart’s character in Dark Passage (1947) where they shoot the film in first person perspective prior the plastic surgery or some of Brian De Palma’s films. There is also a scene in this opening sequence, which brings to mind Hitchcock’s brilliant shower scene from Psycho (1960). ***

If the audience expects a typical Chucky slasher film, they will be disappointed, as this story focuses on the child of Chucky desiring to find a home and family. In some aspects, the film has some resemblance with the Disney film Pinocchio (1940), yet this is far darker and disturbing tale. Eventually, as expected, the youngster doll discovers his parents through a television show that is promoting an upcoming film about Chucky. However, it is not the real Chucky, as this doll is a mere puppet. Nonetheless, the child of Chucky sets out to find his parents. ***

The reunion between Chucky (Brad Dourif), Chucky’s wife Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), and their child (Billy Boyd) brings them to the set where Jennifer Tilly, herself, is performing a part in a coming Chucky film. However, it is nothing like Chucky’s child had expected, as he is next to being a pacifist. Despite his parent’s murderous tendencies, he decides to accept them for who they are, which brings the audience through an amusing self-help venture where they try to use the 12 steps program to prevent themselves from continuing their homicidal habits. ***

The director and writer Don Mancini created Chucky while a film student at UCLA and this time he turns it into a dark caricature of Chucky, horror films, and other contemporary social issues. Seed of Chucky has some similarities with the recent Team America: World Police with its heavy parody while trying to be both funny and scary by using scenes from films such as Psycho (1960) and the Shining (1980). The film has some highlights and funny one-liners, yet it does not deliver a full-fledged feature. Seed of Chucky seems to need more work in order to provide a better cinematic experience. Unfortunately, the film leaves most viewers with an experience where the weakness rests within the intended humor that does not rise to the occasion while the suspense seems to be faltering. Nonetheless, the film will with no doubt give room for some laughter and goriness, as Chucky makes his fourth comeback. *** ---

Image and Sound:

The image on the Seed of Chucky DVD is extraordinary, as it comes in an anamorphic widescreen. No digital blemishes were present during the viewing. The picture was sharp and clear with vibrant colors that offered a very good visual experience. ***

The sound comes in a DTS 5.1 and in Dolby Digital 5.1 for those without a DTS decoder on their receiver. The DTS sound brings good use of the rear surround speakers and a couple of thumps through the subwoofer. The dialogue is clear without any distracting sounds, which makes it very easy to follow. Generally the sound presents a pure auditory experience where no flaws were detected in the sound. *** ---

The Extras:

The DVD contains a large number of extras that are spread over three different pages. Most of the extras have some worth, but most of it depends on the viewer and what the viewer seeks to learn and see through the extras. The extras are presented in following order: Chucky's Insider Facts On Demand – An interesting feature that comes with the disc, as the viewer can decide whether to have or not to have inside facts popping up during the film. There are a total of 150 different facts that the audience can enjoy while viewing the film. ***

Slashed Scene – The audience can experience a deleted scene from the film where Debbie Carrington is supposed to play the part of Tiffany. The viewer has the option of using commentary track to this scene. ***

Heeeeere's Chucky – An amusing interview with Chucky that takes less than three minutes and takes place at a small table with black background. There are also some funny “screen tests” by Chucky, which will give the audience more than one reason to smile. ***

Family Hell-iday Slide Show – Chucky sits down with his family while viewing some family photos from the set and other locations. This short skit will have a typical Chucky ending. For you who do not know, that means it will be bloody. ***

Conceiving the Seed of Chucky – An almost 19-minute documentary on how Chucky came about and his characteristics. It is actually interesting to hear Don Mancini and the other filmmakers talk about his creation and the evolvement of this killer doll. It is definitely worth a viewing, as the audience can see a number clips from this and previous Chucky films. ***

Tilly on The Tonight Show - A hilarious short skit by Jennifer Tilly who writes a letter to Jay Leno while making fun of herself and her situation in Romania. A must see for the audience. ***

Jennifer Tilly’s Diary – A lengthy entertaining diary by Jennifer Tilly stretching from February 1999 to May 2004 that should not be taken too literarily, but it could be worth a read if time is not a factor. ***

Fuzion Up Close with the Seed of Chucky Stars – An interview with Jennifer Tilly who reveals how it was to make the film and how she exaggerated herself in the film. There is also an entertaining interview with both Tiffany and Chucky. ***

Storyboard to Final Feature Comparison – A split screen offers combination of the storyboards and the actual scenes form the film through which the audience can make their own comparisons. It offers the idea of how film works from an idea to the shooting of a scene. There are a total of five different scenes that have received this treatment and among these are the nightmare sequence and the paparazzi scene. ***

Theatrical Trailer & Teaser Trailer – Both the theatrical and the teaser offer an idea of what is to come, if the audience watch the film. *** Cast & Filmmakers – Several of the cast members and filmmakers from the film have received a biography and an outline of their previous work. *** ---

Commentary: The DVD has two different commentaries. Don Mancini and the actress Jennifer Tilly provide the first commentary that is more upbeat and less serious than the second commentary track. Jennifer Tilly makes occasional jokes while Mancini follows her lead. There is some interesting information that comes out through the commentary, which makes it worthwhile and insightful in regards to the Seed of Chucky. In the second commentary writer and director Don Mancini and the puppet master Troy Gardner go into the nitty-gritty of how it came to recreate the puppets in the film. It is a very detailed and serious commentary in regards the puppets, which goes into great detail on how the eyes should look and the movements of the puppets should be. The viewer can only imagine the difficulty of accomplishing such a task, as they only had six weeks to get it done. Overall, this is a very good and informative commentary, which filmmakers would truly appreciate. ***
Final Words: The Seed of Chucky is not a film that will compete for best film in the Oscars, but there are moments of entertainment that seep out through the satirical humor and gore. The film will not make anyone jump nor laugh until the stomach hurts, but it will help the audience escape for a brief period of time. It is worth a rental for Chucky fans, and if you like it then you should buy it. ***

 

 
 
 
Copyright @ Teakwood Productions 2000
Home News DVDWorld DVDLand(Links) DVDVoices
Search Archives DVD Mall Prog Land TV Contact Us Reviewer's Bio
Upcoming DVDs In Theatres Soon Other Popular Reviews
This Page Design By Dominion Technology Provider
 
In Theatres Soon Upcoming DVDs Alias Tomb Raider Casablanca NYPD Blues