The opening for IT Part 2 is the most brutal and cruel scene I’ve ever watched. It also does a perfect job at setting the tone for the rest of the film, and what to expect.
In a good way, the scene is more raw and horrifying than what I imagined when I read the book. On that note, who said movies can’t be more terrifying than your imagination?
Before I jump into what will be a (mostly spoiler-free) essay length article about how great the movie is – if you’re here to find out if it’s worth watching I’ll answer that for you now. It really is! It goes down in history as one of my favourite horror movies ever, and my movie of the year.
Anyways back to what I was saying, IT Part 2 is unforgiving when it comes to the gore in a good way. Pennywise is downright disturbing. The movie shows you everything. They really don’t shy away from how cruel IT can be.
It’s no secret that I’m a massive Stephen King fan. Its one of the first things that people find out about me, and over half my bookshelf is dedicated to just him. Books, pop vinyls, movies, you name it and I’ve got it.
I’ve read almost all his books, and IT floats up there as one of my favourite novels, so you could imagine how delighted I am that the movies are the best adaptation a fan could hope for!
I was skeptical at first, Stephen King movie (and television) adaptations usually miss more than they hit. Fortunately, Andy Muschietti does an amazing job at bringing The Loser’s Club and Pennywise to life on the big screen.
I want to get the obvious out of the way first, there are some subplots and events in the book missing in the movie. I personally don’t think these detract at all from the film though.
Understandably, not everything translates well from a book to a movie, and you also run into issues like budget or runtime. Even with the changes though, I think its an extremely faithful adaptation as it follows the tone and themes.
The pacing was one of my bigger worries going in when I heard about flashbacks, but I was surprised. They managed to balance that with when the Loser’s Club are adults really well, and in pretty creative ways.
Similarly to the first, there was also a good amount of humor and banter blended into the story. I personally found that all the jokes hit the mark for me, and really strengthened the portrayal of the characters friendships.
Which reminds me, I was initially worried that the adult cast wouldn’t have nearly as much chemistry as the children from the first movie, but I’m glad I was proved wrong.
Not only does the adult Loser’s Club manage to carry on the amazing chemistry on screen, the casting is spot on and the performances were amazing.
I can’t even pin down just one standout performance, because every single one of them just shine when they’re on screen.
The movie also wastes no time establishing the identity of the adult characters, I was scared it might be a bit hard to keep track, but it was easy and just further points out how good the casting was!
Finally, lets talk about jump scares. I don’t think the movie over-used them at all. Also, whenever they do appear, Andy Muschietti had already built such tense and creepy atmospheres that they were deserved anyways.
Is there anything I’d like to see changed? Not really. I just wish we could have seen more. The only “complaint” I really have is there are a few scenes where the lights are flickering and it can make the action hard to see. It’s not bad enough to bring the movie down though.
Finally, I love the variety of forms we see IT take on. I think the first movie relied too much on Pennywise, so Part 2 was a massive improvement. The monster designs all looked great, and are nightmare inducing!
I’ve read that the director is open to a “supercut” combining both movies into one. I’d love to see that if it ever happens, if not I’m sure fans will take on the task. I’d watch it in a heartbeat!