IT Chapter Two

IT Chapter 2. 2019

Andy Muschietti directs this eagerly awaited -not just by the horror community but general film goers too-sequel . This is only Muschietti’s third feature film behind the camera. The (in my opinion) underrated horror/ thriller Mama (2013) and the first chapter to this two part re imagining of the 1980’s Stephen King book which originally had a 1990’s made for TV movie made.

It’s 27 years after the first chapter concluded, with the Losers Club (Bill, Ben, Beverly, Richie, Eddie, Mike and Stan) defeating Pennywise and making a blood oath that if IT ever returned then they would come back and face the clown again. Everyone but Mike left the small town of Derry shortly after, and almost immediately their memories of the horrors they faced started to fade as they all get older and build reasonably successful lives. When Pennywise’s cycle starts back in 2016 up It’s up to Mike (who remembers everything and stayed behind almost as a watcher) to get the others back to Derry, remember their childhood, fulfill their promise and finish what they started as children.

The casting crew put a great team of actors together for these films. Not only do we have the kids from the first chapter back, they are as just as excellent this time around as they were before, with Sophia Lillis as young Beverly standing out as the best in a very good bunch. We also have the adult versions of the characters: Jessica Chastain (Beverly Marsh), Bill Hader (Richie Tozier), James McAvoy (Bill Denbrough), James Ransone (Eddie Kaspbrak), Andy Bean (Stanley Uris), Isaiah Mustafa (Mike Hanlon) and Jay Ryan (Ben Hanscom). They all did a solid job and no one felt like a passenger but Bill Hader outshone the rest by a fair distance, helped by the script which lent itself to his comic character. There was a bit more work for Bill Skarsgard’s Pennywise this chapter but still there was relatively little screen time for him. What he did have though didn’t go to waste, perhaps more terrifying then before. Both Skarsgard and Tim Curry seemed to really enjoy playing the role albeit very differently.

The cinematography is great. The overuse of red balloons is striking against the dreary backdrop of the old town and there is a scene at a funfair which was top class, once again very vivid and sharp colours in a fun house, climaxing in the best scene of the movie in a hall of mirrors.

The direction didn’t flow as well as its predecessor which was in my top ten films of the year for 2017. I found the run time of 2 hours 49 minutes (longest single story horror film ever) way too long. I’m in no way opposed to a lengthy run time as long as it’s needed. I don’t think this one was. It has the dubious honour of feeling both rushed and slow, The opening sequences when we were catching up with everybody felt like they needed more time but I get that there is a lot of people to get round so a few minutes each is all they could spare. Then the second act felt like it was maybe 30 minutes too long.

There were screenplay issues too. The film was littered with flashbacks from the first chapter and while they were extended scenes so there was some new content it felt like they were there for new viewers. I can’t imagine anyone seeing this film who hadn’t either, seen chapter one, seen the TV movie or read the book.

There was also an added plot of the Losers Club being told they had to kill Pennywise in this cycle or they would all die. This one really bothered me. It was like the childhood promise made between best friends (those friendships that the first chapter was built on; without them they would have failed to defeat Pennywise) wouldn’t be enough to motivate the characters so this added pressure had to be thrown in. We had almost the entire first film tell us that being together was the only way this friendship could win against Pennywise and yet almost the entire second act of Chapter 2 had them all split up and go around Derry on their own personal MacGuffin hunt for the final showdown.

I felt the horror aspect (while definitely still there) was diluted a bit. I think this was due to the comedy that was running throughout the film. I did find it funnier then the first chapter but there seemed to be a gag purposely placed immediately after anything scary, which lifted the suspense too quickly.

This film suffered from the same issue that the made for TV movie and the book had; when you spend your time making your antagonist so powerful and all-conquering then you really write/direct yourself into a corner when it come to the finale. It’s tough to come up with a satisfactory ending. That is a criticism that has been leveled at Stephen King for a large portion of his career.

I watched this film as a double bill with Chapter 1 and I was trying not to let my love of the first dictate how I felt about this one, but maybe I didn’t quite manage that. While visually impressive my overwhelming feeling coming home after the cinema was disappointment. I was looking forward to this sequel for two years and I felt a little let down. The casting almost saved it for me as they really were brilliant but not quite.

IT Chapter 2 isn’t a bad film but unfortunately it isn’t particularly good either. It may, however, be as good a film as can be done if you’re staying faithful to the source material. There’s also a possible argument that things just aren’t as scary when seen through the eyes of adults as opposed to those of a bunch of 12 year olds. Children in peril make for a better horror film.