IT Chapter Two movie review

‘IT’ poster from imdv.com

Writer and producer Andy Muschietti is back with his second installment of the movie, “IT”, based on the novel by author, Stephen King. 

“IT: Chapter Two” hit theaters Sept. 6 nationwide. The first movie hit theaters on Sept. 5, 2017. The movie made over $700 million across the globe..

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

“IT: Chapter Two” takes place 27 years later from the events of the first film.  Mike Hanlon, (Isaiah Musfafa), the last of the friend group in Derry, brings the losers, Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan), Beverley Marsh (Jessica Chastain), Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy), Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransome), Richie Tozier (Bill Hader), and Stanley Uris (Andy Bean), back together again to fight the evil that has cast a shadow over Derry every 27 years. 

The film picks up right after where the last film ends when the losers club make a promise to  each other to come back to Derry if ‘IT’ would ever return. Once Mike brings them to Derry yet again, the film shares each individual character retracing their steps to remember the horror they faced when they were kids and first confronted Pennywise. 

The new adult cast features big names and also actors who are not as recognized. Each adult actor gets their fair share of screen time as we get glimpses of what really makes each one of them scared. 

One actor who stood out the most was that of Richie Tozier, Bill Hader. Tozier is a comedic big mouth both in the novel and film adaptions. Hader in respect to his part is most known for his comedy. 

“IT: Chapter Two” gave Hader the acting appreciation he deserves. While, Hader settled the suspense with comic relief, he also proved how serious he can be. Hader had his moments of solitude and heroism which shined the whole way through and reminded audiences how powerful friendships can be. 

Another standout actor is, Bill Skaarsgard, who reprises his role of Pennywise the clown. The actor does not let the audience down as he can be menacing and unsettling one moment and delightful the next.  

With a run time of approximately two hours and 50 minutes, the film does itself justice by keeping the audience in suspense with the next big jump scare. 

Throughout the film, fans are paid justice with almost identical scenes right out of the book as well, such as the Jade of the Orient scene.

The scene depicts the first time the kids are back together again in Derry as adults at a Chinese restaurant when they are first reminded of Pennywise and the tricks he plays.  The film also depicts its own version of other intense scenes from the novel such as the hate crime of Dan Haggardy, who is beaten because of his sexuality. Haggardy who is preyed upon by Pennywise, shows how merciless the evil can really be. 

Later on in the film, Stephen King makes a cameo when he sells Bill the old bike, silver, he used to ride when he was a kid. Throughout the entirety of the film, there is a small nod to Stephen King through the adult Bill who is also an author in the movie. 

Several characters joke with Bill about having books with endings that are not good. Fans should pick up on this as a nod to King because most of his horror films never end with the cliché storybook ending. 

Overall, the scares and action were much more intense than that of its first counterpart with a more mature adult cast. The scares were also timid compared to other films in the horror genre. 

Jump scares were relied heavily upon to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. With jump scares, the film also shows the real fears  that adults and children share. The film shows these fears of not being able to come to terms with abuse and death. The way the characters overcome these true fears, is what makes the movie so satisfying. 

The film also had its unsatisfying features as well. With a film that has quite a few scenes of monsters and demonic beings, CGI was used a lot. 

Even with the amount of CGI and jumpscares, the movie is entertaining to say the least. Overall, if you are a fan of King novels and the first film adaptions, “IT: Chapter Two” is worth a visit to the cinema. 

Published By: Caitlin Srager

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