IT CHAPTER 2 by Urizen

  

For someone who really loves horror movies, I suck at actually keeping up with and watching them. Still haven’t seen any of the Conjuring movies, haven’t seen Psycho, who knows how many there are I haven’t seen that I told myself I would watch. Finally though, the other day I gave in and watched 2017's It. I had put it off for a while, not really caring about the movie. Truth be told, while I like some of the movies based on his work, I’m not a big Stephen King fan. I don’t see the fascination with him or really feel the horror that I imagine I should from his works. After seeing the trailer for It Chapter 2 earlier this year, I grew highly interested in the movies and knew I had to see the first one. About a week ago. I gave in, sat down and put it on, finding that I really enjoyed It. While not this terrifying movie people made it out to be, Bill Skarsgard gave a pretty creepy performance. The actors playing the children were also fantastic and really made the movie to me. The only thing I didn’t care for was the CGI at times seemed unnecessary, could have done with less zombies, and more time could’ve gone to some of the children that didn’t get as much time in the movie. Overall though, I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t intend to see It Chapter 2 until a few weeks after release, but after watching the first one, I had to give in and go earlier. Only thing is, with taking away one of the great things from the first movie, the child actors, would this one still be just as good?

   Taking place 27 years after the first film, It Chapter 2 returns to the town of Derry as mysterious murders and disappearances begin to happen once again. The Losers must reunite, and travel to Derry to fulfill their childhood promise, to end  the evil entity known as It once and for all. I don’t know where to begin with this movie, so let’s just go with the fact that I liked it. I don’t quite know if I would place it above the first movie, but it is probably close to be on equal ground with it. I think this one went a bit harder with the scares, had some great shots and sequences, excellent casting  and some really good emotional moments. Unfortunately this film also took some of the things I had a problem with in the first film and didn’t improve much on those. Overuse of CGI, missed opportunities, some characters not getting enough screen time and opportunities are some of those.

   Let me start with the characters. I loved the group of kids in the first movie. They were all wonderful and well acted. Only thing I wished for was to see more from some of them, mainly Stan. I also wish we could’ve gotten more from Bev. When they let her, she was a great character. With how much chemistry the cast of the first one had, and how well the roles were performed,  I was nervous at the idea of new actors taking these roles.  I knew it had to be that way, given the 27 year time skip,  but I still couldn't help my nervousness.

    Jessica Chastain plays the older version of Beverly Marsh. Since her time in Derry, she became a successful fashion designer. After getting away from the abuse of her father, she has ended up in several abusive relationships, including the one she is in at the start of the movie. Logically, it makes sense that since her father sort of shaped her views on what love is, that she would end up in a relationship like this, but I had hoped for better for her. Beverly seemed like such a cool, character who unfortunately ends up being written more often as a trope than anything. Out of the Losers though, she has always seemed like one of the more mature ones, and that certainly continues in this movie.  

   Bill Denbrough is played by James McAvoy, who I at first was a bit unsure about. McAvoy is a great actor, though it is still weird hearing him with an American accent. The main concern I had with his portrayal of Bill was that he didn’t remind me much of Bill at first. When we meet him, he is a writer who is known for having terrible endings to his books. His stutter seems to be gone and he is even married. I think the problem comes from, minus being the leader of sorts, Ben didn’t have as many character traits in the first movie. Writer makes sense for a career path, but otherwise, he was one I had trouble identifying until they told me. We eventually learn that part of this whole thing with It is that once people leave the town, it has this sort of curse on them, making the people forget. The further away from the town they go, the less that is remembered. By the time they meet up, they barely remember each other, don’t remember their promises, barely remember the town even existing. The main reason to bring this up is, once Bill gets back to Derry, his stutter starts to come back again, he starts acting more like his normal self. Once that happens, I really can see the original Ben in McAvoy's performance, and he nails it.

   A surprise to me as I am writing this is looking and seeing that Isaiah Mustafa played Mike. I thought he looked familiar, now I understand why. He did a great job. Nothing for how he was acted, but it almost felt like he and Ben should’ve been switched in this. Mike is the one who calls the Losers back to Derry. He has stayed in the town, monitoring everything that has been happening so when the time came, he could unite everyone to fight Pennywise again. More on him in a second.

   Adult Ben is played by Jay Ryan. He does a good job at capturing younger Ben's personality. He was a lot of fun and a character I loved. One of my favorite things though is to just watch him in the background getting jealous during the moments when Bill and Beverly are talking. He gets so jealous.  Now here is the biggest thing to me. Ben was always exploring the history of Derry and learning all of these facts about the things that happened in the town. He spent almost all of his time in the library. Like I said previously, Mike stays in the town to keep an eyes on things in case he needs to bring everyone back. Mike also does extensive research on the history of the town, and on It. He also has a headquarters of sorts, and where is this location? The library. Everything to me felt like this should have been Ben's role. I don’t want to say it is disappointing, just an odd choice.

There is also Andy Bean as Stan. There isn’t much to say with Stan truthfully. His story makes sense, but like the first movie, I just find myself wanting more from him. We get a tad more but not much. He just seems to get the short end of the stick in this series. That said, Andy Bean did a great job.

   Last and certainly not least Bill Hader takes over as Richie. I love Richie. He and Eddie were probably my two favorites in the last movie and remain two of my favorites in this one. Eddie in this is played by James Ransone. I can’t even begin to say how great these two did in their roles. The performances from Hader and Ransone were spot on with the child versions of these characters and made this movie. Most of my favorite moments involved these two characters. Richie ended up being a stand up comedian, while Eddie became a risk assessor. Both jobs really fit the characters and seemed like natural progression for them both. I won't give too much away, but these two are the best.

   Truth be told, I don’t know how much I can see this as a full on horror movie. It almost feels like a horror comedy given how many really funny moments are in this movie. Honestly the comedy works a lot better than the horror. Part of the problem is maybe the over use of the CGI. Moments that are supposed to be scary end up losing their effect. A lot of the time, if they went with something a bit more simple, it could have been so much more effective. An excellent example of this is from the trailer. You see Beverly in an apartment with an old lady that ends up being Pennywise. We see in the trailer as she begins acting stranger saying how no one who dies in Derry is ever really gone, or something along those lines. After that line she stops and stares at Beverly, and it is genuinely a creepy and unsettling moment. In the trailer, you also get the shot of her charging at Beverly. Unfortunately this is where that scene goes downhill. What you ultimately get is a moment that had so much potential to be legitimately scary or creepy that just is mediocre. I’ve said that some of the problem is the overuse of CGI. It creates visuals that are supposed to be scary but just look a bit goofy.

   If I am talking about the horror, I have to bring up Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgard. Skarsgard is so great in this role. If the visual effects didn’t get in the way, this movie could have been so much better just from him alone. The smile, the eyes, the voice, it all works really well. The moments when Skarsgard is just being Pennywise the clown and isn’t transformed or anything, it is so creepy. You really get the evil clown, but also can see how he could lure a child in. While the climax with him was a headache inducing bit of disappointment, throughout the rest of the film, I loved every single second Pennywise was on screen. I also love his run. It isn’t terrifying, but it is wonderful.

   While it has it’s problems and isn’t particularly scary, It Chapter 2 is still a fun, enjoyable movie. With very well acted, likable characters and some genuinely creepy, suspenseful moments, I’d say it is certainly worth watching. I had no plans to check out the book, but watching this had me invested in the series.  I want to know more about this universe.  I want to see more of these characters.  It wasn't something I expected to have happen, but it is most certainly welcome.  Very few movies fall into the category of “Not necessarily a great movie,  but super enjoyable" for me, but this is one of the few. So take the time and go check out the series. You'll have a bloody good time.