It Chapter Two

Stephen King's novel is a masterpiece, didn't properly appreciate it on first read but with King's style being much more familiar to me (whereas it was a bit of a shock at first) it still stands as a genuinely scary, nostalgic, at times very funny and very powerful book and one of his best. The 1990 mini-series is an uneven one, with a great first half and disappointing second half with the ending and IT's true form having notoriously poor reputations for good reasons. Absolutely loved the first 'IT' film from 2017 and consider it better than the mini-series personally.

'IT Chapter 2?' Not so much. Actually did find a lot to like about it, with a lot of what was great about the first film still here, and for me it is better than has been said. The mixed reception is more than understandable but it is not as terrible as the more negative reviews say in my view. Chapter 1 is the better film, but the second film is better than the second half of the mini-series on the whole and again it is a more than admirable and brave attempt at adapting an extremely difficult and near-unfilmable book.

While there is a good deal to recommend, there are some glaring problems. There are problems with the pacing here. Especially in the middle act, where it meanders due to being too flashback heavy. Some flashbacks being more interesting than others, with Ben's and Richie's being quite unnerving, Eddie's (the too long adult encounter not much better) was neither scary or memorable. The special effects are more variable this time round and suffer too from overuse. IT's true form comes off worst and is as bad, am not kidding here, as that in the mini-series which is notoriously universally panned.

The defeat of IT is beyond dumb and really undermines a final act that actually started off quite powerfully despite also being a bit too drawn out. Henry Bowers is also extremely underwritten, and both has little presence when having barely any screen time and quite badly overacted. Lets not get started on his very rushed, too easy and quite stupid defeat.

However, as was said before there is a lot to like. The production values mostly are terrific, not just the lighting but also the beautifully realised Derry setting, taut editing and cinematography that's both stunning and unnerving. Epileptics be warned though, there is a scene towards the end of the middle act that is heavy in strobe lighting effects. The music is haunting without being over-scored, ever since the first film it has been impossible to hear "Oranges and Lemons" in the same way again and that opinion has not changed. Andy Muschietti directs with suspense, potent realism, confidence and affection, while the writing (which is also remarkably true to King's style) has a great balance of hilarious comedy, touching drama and affectionate nostalgia. Richie getting the best lines.

Much has been said about the film being too long, am mixed on this consensus personally. The book is huge and both the child and adult time-lines need a quite long length to do it justice, having said that the middle act definitely could have done with a trim. The story is not just a horror story, but also blends humour (mostly from Ritchie), emotion and a 'Stand By Like' like nostalgia. There are memorable moments here, the Mrs Kersh encounter, the Fortune Cookie scene and the very freaky beginning (am amazed they managed to film this scene) being standouts. There is one improvement here over the previous film, Mike is much more interesting here which was necessary as this time as an adult he is something as the glue of the group.

Cannot fault the performances. All the adults are very well cast, with Bill Hader absolutely killing it as Richie, and the children are great again especially Finn Woolfhard and Sophia Lillis (the standouts in the first too). Bill Skarsgaard is again the stuff of nightmares as Pennywise, filling giant clown shoes with aplomb and putting his own spin on it. If asked who is better between Skarsgaard and the unforgettable Tim Curry, mainly because of more familiarity Curry gets the edge but they are both must sees in their own way.

Summarising, not brilliant and uneven but enjoyed it on the most part. 7/10

Everything special from chapter one an both of the originals completely removed for cheap not scary cgi effects, lost it's way for the all mighty Hollywood blockbuster dollar

Okay so saw the first remake of the movie, was absolutely in love. I went and saw the second one today and didn't feel any where near close to what I felt for the first one. It was super long but that isn't even what upset me. It was just lacking in delivery! Pennywise was hardly in the movie. He was in it but they spent so much time soul searching the past of the characters that the real present stuff went lacking. Needless to say the first remake is an all time favorite. This one, I definitely should've waited until it came out on DVD. Just being honest. The first one was way to good for this to be part 2. It didn't deliver the expectation that the first one set.

I really, realllly wanted to like this film. As a huge fan of the original mini-series (and EVERYTHING Tim Curry), I knew I'd have a challenge going into both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 with an open mind. I had to separate. I didn't have as high of expectations as I did for Chapter 1 as Part 2 of the mini series was much weaker than the Part 1 anyway as well as Stephen King's It (Book).

The actors were great. Even the first few jump scares were decent, and then it just became overkill. And not scary whatsoever. All of the CGI monsters look ridiculous and completely take you out of the moment. I grew up watching 80s/90s horror (AND LOVING IT). The baddies were REAL and TERRIFYING. For example, Mrs. Massey, the bloated bathtub corpse in The Shining. That was a real, completely horrifying image that has stayed with me 30 years after I First saw the movie. I don't understand the obsession with CGI when there's no need for it.

Sadly, this movie was just a drawn out bore.

I was originally hesitant to see director Andy Muschietti's rendition of Stephen King's beloved book "It" back in 2017, but after hearing splendid reviews from fans and critics; I took a chance and came out pleasantly surprised. Since then, I agree with why that is now considered by many to be a modern Horror classic.

Now our favorite Losers club are back to face Pennywise again in "It: Chapter Two". Adding up all of that and that this is my second most anticipated mainstream film of the year, does it live up to the hype? Well, somewhat. It's an imperfect but solid sequel.

In spite of a three hour runtime it kept my attention for the entire ride. Like "Chapter One"; it's wonderfully shot (with effective use of sepia tone colors) and the editing and scene transitions are eye popping. Many of the dialogue and scares are cleverly written (a scene at a restaurant is a highlight).

In spite of an often unsettling plot, there is plenty of levity to be found here. It unfortunately suffers from inappropriate timing with many of the jokes, causing the film to play like a dark comedy. Half of the frightening and dramatic moments are finished by gags and one-liners. There is one scary sequence that really works until it's ruined by a joke straight out of a Deadpool film.

The pacing is troubling at times; since some of the opening introductions are rushed, while certain flashbacks to the younger versions of the Losers Club could've been shorter. This makes the narrative not feel as fresh or as fulfilled compared to the first film.

It's most accomplished at being an emotionally fulfilling journey for the Losers club. This is sharpened by the adult actors being dead ringers for the kids from the original; including the main highlight Bill Hader- an instant classic as Richie, as he combines the best of his talent from "Saturday Night Live" with intense urgency to best serve the idea of "What would Richie from It be like if he grew up?"

If you're looking for a good cinematic start for this Halloween season, and something to bring you back all the feels from Chapter One from September 2017; Chapter Two is a somewhat messy but nicely done job.



Grade- B