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Created Jul 17, 2009 04:18AM PST • Edited Jul 17, 2009 04:18AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   OK 2.5

   Though you’d probably be hard pressed to find another movie where murder occurs by rubbish truck, “Child’s Play 3” is notable for general insignificance, following up the delightfully mad “Child’s Play 2” with a bland sequel feigning action not just with guns, but paintball guns. Chucky’s (Brad Dourif) back and up to his usual tricks once again, dispatching of a Good Guy Dolls’ top man before tracking down Andy Barclay (now played by Justin Whalin) to the military school he’s been placed in. Cold-blooded murders committed by a gleeful two-foot maniac ensue, but “Child’s Play 3” is generally devoid of suspense, scares and interest. As a slasher movie, Jack Bender’s film is fairly mediocre, kills piling up in ways not often seen in these kinds of films (death by grenade, death by tampered-with rifle) but doing so without giving us a reason to care. The characters are fairly one-note (no one stands out apart from lead star Justin Whalin, and that’s only because he’s in most of the scenes) so giving a damn about what becomes of them is an impossibility. A late-in-the-day switch to the fairground presents an unflattering reminder of the superior and more inventive “The Funhouse” while the ever-attractive proposition presented by Chucky’s existence as a truly devilish doll sprung to life even makes for some negativity. The little guy was handled better in “Child’s Play” and “Child’s Play 2,” not to mention 1998’s underrated “Bride of Chucky,” which magnifies this film’s winking humour to the point of self-parody and is far better than some looking for scares within the series (?) give it credit for. “Child’s Play 3,” however, is meh whichever way you slice it.

4. Acting

   OK 2.5

   Nobody here is out-and-out terrible, rather the cast simply appear to be going through the motions. Even lead star Justin Whalin barely changes his facial expression throughout, existing instead as a pretty dreary replacement to Alex Vincent.

5. Male Stars OK 2.5

6. Female Stars OK 2.5

7. Female Costars OK 2.5

8. Male Costars OK 2.5

10. Film

    OK 2.5

    Visually, there is very little to grab onto. The climax set inside an ingeniously lit fair ride is the movie’s most memorable sequence, though the drama of the section is as by-the-numbers as anything else in the film.

11. Direction OK 2.5

12. Play Good 3.0

13. Music Good 3.0

14. Visuals OK 2.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.2

17. Sex Innocent 1.2

18. Violence Fierce 2.4

19. Rudeness Profane 3.0

21. Reality

    Supernatural 4.0

22. Circumstantial Supernatural 4.0

23. Biological Supernatural 4.0

24. Physical Supernatural 4.0