It Chapter 2

[dlbpharmd]

I'm a big fan of It Chapter 1 - well, mostly. The actors were superb, and they had great chemistry, especially between Ben and Beverly. The film captured the terror appropriately, and really did a great job explaining why the kids had their specific fears. Pennywise was played very well, not as cartoonish of the 1980s mini-series (of which I'm also a fan, but for different reasons.)

Thus, I eagerly looked forward to Chapter 2. I didn't really expect the same chemistry to be there, but the cast looked great, especially Jessica Chastain as Beverly and James McAvoy as Bill.

So, imagine my chagrin when I realized halfway through the film that it fucking sucked.

It started out well enough. There was similar tension as the film began, and the flashbacks to the young characters worked well. There's a great scene with Pennywise and a little child that was very tense. Sitting in the nearly full theater, the crowd sat still and quiet, on pins and needles and the movie progressed.

And then, there was a scene with Eddie and Pennywise that was staged horribly, and with the most bizarre 80s song/soundtrack choice, that had the whole audience horse laughing - that is, except me. I looked at my wife and said "what the fuck was that supposed to be?"

From that moment on - no more tension, no more fear. The movie turned from a thriller into a comedy. Literally every time that Pennywise jumped out or chased a character, people in the theater laughed.

I'm angry that I spent my time and money on this stinker.

[wayfriend]

I had been hearing that. You confirmed it. I'll probably still do a Redbox double-header in a few months.

Maybe less.

[Avatar]

I didn't even watch the first one, although the GF enjoyed it. King's books have never translated well into movies for me.

--A

[Zarathustra]

I didn't even watch the first one, although the GF enjoyed it. King's books have never translated well into movies for me.

--A

Shawshank Redemption. Not a book, but a good movie.

[Sorus]

I hadn't seen the first part, and it's been about 25 years since I read it, but I figured I'd remember it as it went along.

Hadn't realized they'd modernized it. Probably would have enjoyed the first part more. Never really found 'monster' movies scary. Pennywise was creepy, sure, but Beverly's father was scarier. At least from what I remember reading the book as a teenager. Human monsters are nearly always scarier than monster monsters.

But yeah, they would have been better off relying on psychological terror over jump scares.

[Avatar]

Shawshank Redemption. Not a book, but a good movie.

I'd call a novella a book I guess. Yes, it wasn't a bad movie, I'll agree. And relatively minimal changes from what I remember. (Easier with a novella than a novel probably). Might be the exception that proves the rule...The Shining too I suppose. Still preferred the book(s) though.

--A

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Very ironic given today's social themes:

Spoiler

The Losers defeated Pennywise by verbally bullying him.

[Zarathustra]

Did they include the prepubescent gang bang in a sewer? That would have been hot!



King is an odd dude.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

No. That part of the book will never be put onto film.

[Sorus]

King is an odd dude.

Definitely. His cameo was entertaining, though.

[Cagliostro]

I definitely had the opposite experience. I had such a great time watching it. And I feel very protective of It. It was the first Stephen King book I read, and I fell hard for the characters. The gang bang scene was pretty weird though (in the book). When I heard that they were making a bunch of changes, I got very nervous.
But for the most part, it really worked for me. I felt part 2 followed the book a lot more and interjected into it a few things they left out of the first one (that belief helps defeat the clown).
The part with the kids is always going to be the superior part of the story, because so much of the book is about childhood, from how we forget so much of what happened during childhood as we get older to how different our beliefs are during childhood, and how open to magic we are. I always loved those aspects in the book. The adult part has its moments, but most of the book is focused on how the stuff in the past was affecting them now as adults. The movie had a lot of that too.
I was happy most of the focus of this movie was on the characters, which was the right approach. The supernatural clown had less to do with it if you think about the theme of childhood. While the boogeyman still emerging as an adult is scary, it isn't quite as powerful as when you are young. Growing up in Wichita when I was a kid, the BTK serial killer was running around, and then disappeared. Years later when he re-emerged (and then was caught), it was terrifying at first, but when he was caught, it made him a little less scary.
What really was scary in the book was Henry Bowers, Bev's dad, and Bev's husband (which only had the briefest of scenes in this, sadly). It seemed the end of the book got pretty cluttered with all the villains running around, so I understand why they simplified and streamlined it, but it would have built for a stronger scare.
Now for the spoilers:

Spoiler

What I liked:
The nod to the miniseries where Pennywise says, "Kiss me fatboy." I can't explain, but it may have been the moment I got the most excited.
The shocker of Henry Bowers piecing Eddie's cheek. That wasn't in the book, was it? I know he took Mike out of the final fight, but don't remember the details that well.
The scene under the bleachers. Very creepy indeed.
Bev's dad new scene with the perfume. ::shudder:: REALLY made me uncomfortable. Thankful when it didn't go any further. Although I'd probably put this into the category of "what was effective" rather than what I liked about the film.

What I didn't like:
The fact that Henry Bowers was a minor impediment to the Loser's Club. While he does Eddie a treat, it would have been more effective if he had followed them down the sewers and been another force of chaos down there.
The bullying that Hashi mentioned. In the book, the bit where they had to "bite the other's tongue" (but not literally) and tell a joke and whoever laughed first won I thought was better because when you are a kid, you tend to be terrified of things of the supernatural kind, but once you learn to laugh them away, they lose their power over you. Another in the theme of childhood in this book that sadly was lost to the creators of this movie.
The bittersweetness of the characters forgetting again at the end of the book. I wish that had stayed.
Richie being gay. I don't complain too much about wokeness in movies and tv, as long as it has a point. I don't see any reason for this other than to make Richie cry a little harder when Eddie bites the big one. I had the bad feeling that this was it when Pennywise mentioned a dark secret and then Richie carving R+ into the fence. I knew it would end up irritating me, and it did. As they said on Mystery Science Theater 3000, "love pads the film." This film needed no extra padding.

[wayfriend]

Good to know! I feel someone more encouraged.

[High Lord Tolkien]

I thought it was great!
No complaints.
The movie ending made sense too as compared to the book.