IT was a surprise hit for Warner Brothers and New Line in 2017. The film captured the essence of Stephen King's magnum opus while being modern and terrifying. I am not easily scared by movies, but I can say I didn't get a restful sleep post viewing. This might have been influenced by someone dressed like Pennywise popping out at me while I took a bathroom break mid-film, but the movie itself was still horrific. After becoming the top-grossing horror film of all-time, IT Chapter 2 had a high standard set. Adding A-list stars such as James Mcavoy, Bill Hader, and Jessica Chastain, the bar was raised for the finale of the series. Does IT Chapter 2 meet these expectations? Sadly...no
IT Chapter 2 is not a bad film by any means. The casting of the adult versions of the young stars was particularly well done. The casting department deserves great credit for this fact. Bill Hader and James Ransone were the stand out performances. I will say that it felt like a waste of the talents of James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain in pretty standard roles, with a lack of substance written in their respective stories. I especially loved the cameos that I refuse to spoil. I forget that there is an actor behind Pennywise because of how daring Bill Skarsgard's performance is. He is nightmarish as always as Pennywise.
That being said, a lot of the film felt redundant. In the first movie, the viewer was exposed to almost every skin-crawling act that Pennywise could conjure. Seeing them again over a nearly three hour span felt not only monotonous, but also somewhat humorous. There were more laughs than shrieks throughout the whole viewing by the audience. Every film I see, I try to understand the purpose of the film. For example, blockbusters are meant to entertain, documentaries are to enlighten, and horror movies are supposed to scare. This is a failure on the part of director Andy Muschietti.
There was a two-pronged component of IT that I really enjoyed. It was the brilliant coming of age tale combined with the horror aspects, which is what makes the original King novel so revered. IT Chapter 2 does the storytelling very well, minus the explanation of the return of Pennywise. However, the film needed a more firm ending. There were about seven points that could've ended the film that just kept dragging. It felt like trying to unravel a giant cable-knit sweater that someone kept knitting and knitting and knitting.
IT Chapter 2 is a serviceable film that does its source material relative justice. The film felt a bit bloated and delectable, rather than trimmed and sinister. the performances and story kept me interested, but I can't give a stellar grade to a sub-par movie.
Grade (6.5/10)
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