With technology becoming more and more ubiquitous, the amount which we rely on said innovations to circumvent the obstacles of our lives increases. Yet, as we come to depend on this technology we lose some sort of independence within ourselves that allows us to thrive outside of the confines of this anchor. There are many reasons to be concerned about our utilization of technology, but what if there was a more concrete terror attached to our devices? Such is the case for director Jacob Chase’s feature-length adaptation of his 2017 short film Larry. The technology of Come Play seems like a godsend for the parents of Oliver (Azhy Robertson, Marriage Story), a young non-verbal autistic child who only communicates through his smartphone. They will soon come to find out that they may be dealing with someone from a little south of Heaven when a monster named Larry reaches out to Oliver in search of a new friend. Larry is a “misunderstood monster” who has been tracking Oliver for the longest time due to his perfect circumstances for manipulation.
Oliver is an intensely isolated boy thanks to his inability to speak and his complete lack of friends. Even his homelife is not as stable as he might wish, as his loving but exhausted parents Sarah (Gillian Jacobs) and Marty (John Gallagher Jr.) find themselves fighting more and more. Sarah resents that Marty misses out on many of the tough moments and only swoops in to be the “good guy” in the parental dynamic. Money issues are also a major concern for a family with a child with very intense therapeutic needs. Add in Sarah’s intense desire to find Oliver friends and you have a family stretched to their limits. As Larry keeps popping up on Oliver’s phone eager to get into the real world, there is a strange plot point to consider. For a misunderstood monster who is trying to coax children into finishing his story to free him of his technological prison, Larry never brings anything but terror to young Oliver. At least Pennywise had the foresight to be nice to Georgie in his attempt to lure him into the drain.
The movie thankfully does not keep the parents completely oblivious for too long, as they quickly learn what exactly Oliver is dealing with in Larry. Unfortunately for this horror movie, things never really get too frightening even at its most intense. If you have a familiarity with anything modern PG-13 horror films have to offer, you know what you are going to get out of Come Play. The frights are capable and straightforward, but lack any sort of bite that might elevate it within the genre. Where the film tries to excel is the story underneath the scares. The fact that Larry is preying on a child that feels completely isolated from the world is extremely heartbreaking, but the monster never capitalizes on this aspect by further isolating him from the world. Larry never behaves in a way that seems beneficial to his own survival. The best moments are when Larry is not in the picture at all and you just see these worn-down parents trying to do everything they know to do to give their son the life they feel he deserves. The dynamic between Oliver and his parents is rife with tension, but the film fails to mine that for scares.
While the movie often squanders much of the potential it has to succeed, one consistently steady aspect is the incredible ensemble on board for this story. Gillian Jacobs is not allowed to stretch as much as she is capable of, but she is able to convey so much love for her child through subtle glances. John Gallagher Jr. is key to bringing some much needed levity to the proceedings, but he should also be given kudos for his emotional turn late in the film. Come Play does not exactly fail as a horror film, but its lack of innovation feels like a major disappointment considering all of the strong elements they had to construct the picture. The special effects in the film are well done and allow Larry to be a touch more terrifying than he might be in less capable hands. Although, Larry is at his most terrifying when you do not see him. One of the more innovative moments in the film is when it has some fun with face-recognition software to ratchet up the tension to eleven. It is more of this type of creative thinking that could have helped the film rise above its major studio trappings. Come Play is passable entertainment that really could have been a modern classic with a different approach.
Video Quality
The film debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio that captures the film really well. The movie itself has a muted color palette that was never going to make this a disc you show off, but there is a grand amount of detail and clarity. There is slight loss of detail in fast panning shots, but it is not pervasive throughout. For a movie that relies on darkness to build tension, it is important to have deep black levels, which this thankfully does. Objects hold up pretty well in the shadows and retain their depth. There is no damage or digital noise detectable in this transfer. There are not really any moments that are going to jump off the screen, but this is an incredibly solid video presentation overall.
Audio Quality
Come Play comes to Blu-Ray with a commendable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The movie is mostly on the quiet side with bursts of activity when Larry is terrorizing the family. The low end of the track is especially active during these moments with a bit of wall shaking happening. The dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the creepy score where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity during the scenes in the field outside the school and with the creaky house during any lead up to a “scary” reveal. There are no issues whatsoever with this track.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Come Play fairs slightly better than the average studio horror film thanks to a strong core story, but it often fails to capitalize on its full potential. Genuine scares are in short supply, but the drama that comes with isolation is effective. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation, but nothing in the way of special features. If you are a horror fan that does not expect anything particularly innovative, you will probably find some joy in this.
Come Play is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
