Written by: Kevin Berge
Second scariest clown ever, behind the one in The Brave Little Toaster. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Quick Take: It is a frightening and effective horror flick that captures the heart of its famous source material. While it does a good job getting to the heart of the tales of its characters, the film does not reach deeper largely, defining every character by singular dominant characteristics.
***This is a review of the recently released It with the reader not expected to have seen the film. Given I have not seen the TV series with Tim Curry nor read the book, it will not contain any spoilers on the film nor the source material, just focusing on the basic set-up and overall execution.***
I have mentioned my lack of affinity for the horror genre in the past particularly in my review of The Witch, one of my favorite movies in recent memory. I grew up watching very little of the genre and never grew accustomed to it, but I have recently been giving it more of a chance, seeing whether it sticks.
It is easy to see the appeal of the genre on a surface level. In its most cliche form, it is about gore and violence, driven by the desire to connect to the audience through one of the most primal of emotions: fear. No genre though can be defined by its tropes even if horror is more known for its tropes than any other genre.
What truly fascinated me about horror is its focus on powerlessness. Horror is the rare genre that is always first and foremost on its villain, and the creation of the object of fear leads to the birth of something that is overwhelmingly more powerful than the protagonists (usually plural).
It is a movie that understands this better than most. Just its set-up alone creates that sense of dread that comes with a lack of power. The town of Derry, Maine is being terrorized by an indomitable force who likes the name Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) who can change into any shape (but most enjoys to be a clown) and warp reality in a way only his victims can see.
Who is meant to combat this frightening evil? The Loser's Club, seven young middle schoolers who have been bullied into outcasts consisting of the stuttering Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), the dirty minded Richie (Finn Wolfhard), son of a Rabbi Stan (Wyatt Oleff), hypochondriac Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), African American farmboy Mike (Chosen Jacobs), overweight historian Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), and only girl Beverly (Sophia Lillis).
These children must piece together their understanding of this creature and combat it him all on their own, knowing they could be quickly picked off on their own. Their mental fortitude and maturity are constantly tested particularly as Pennywise plays with their minds and attempts to traumatize them.
It is pure powerlessness with the movie quickly gripping you through the belief that anyone can fall at any time. While this film uses jump scares at times, that sense that this fight seems hopeless along side creepy steady visual manipulation is the true heart of what makes this movie terrifying.
I have mentioned my lack of affinity for the horror genre in the past particularly in my review of The Witch, one of my favorite movies in recent memory. I grew up watching very little of the genre and never grew accustomed to it, but I have recently been giving it more of a chance, seeing whether it sticks.
It is easy to see the appeal of the genre on a surface level. In its most cliche form, it is about gore and violence, driven by the desire to connect to the audience through one of the most primal of emotions: fear. No genre though can be defined by its tropes even if horror is more known for its tropes than any other genre.
What truly fascinated me about horror is its focus on powerlessness. Horror is the rare genre that is always first and foremost on its villain, and the creation of the object of fear leads to the birth of something that is overwhelmingly more powerful than the protagonists (usually plural).
It is a movie that understands this better than most. Just its set-up alone creates that sense of dread that comes with a lack of power. The town of Derry, Maine is being terrorized by an indomitable force who likes the name Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) who can change into any shape (but most enjoys to be a clown) and warp reality in a way only his victims can see.
Who is meant to combat this frightening evil? The Loser's Club, seven young middle schoolers who have been bullied into outcasts consisting of the stuttering Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), the dirty minded Richie (Finn Wolfhard), son of a Rabbi Stan (Wyatt Oleff), hypochondriac Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), African American farmboy Mike (Chosen Jacobs), overweight historian Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), and only girl Beverly (Sophia Lillis).
These children must piece together their understanding of this creature and combat it him all on their own, knowing they could be quickly picked off on their own. Their mental fortitude and maturity are constantly tested particularly as Pennywise plays with their minds and attempts to traumatize them.
It is pure powerlessness with the movie quickly gripping you through the belief that anyone can fall at any time. While this film uses jump scares at times, that sense that this fight seems hopeless along side creepy steady visual manipulation is the true heart of what makes this movie terrifying.
The ultimate group of best friends plus token fat and black kid. (Image Courtesy of: ihorror.com)
I expected to be terrified by this film, and it rarely disappointed. The film's director Andy Muschietti (Mama) knows more than anything how to make Pennywise terrifying, creating a visually captivating story that makes each encounter with Pennywise just as frightening as the last.
The writing of the film though is not always as captivating as it should be. This script went through many hands from Chase Palmer (Neo-Noir) and Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) to Gary Dauberman (Annabelle: Creation), and, while it does the source material justice as a whole, it lacks a degree of intelligence with its symbolism or character development.
Primarily the victims here are the Loser's Club who are boiled down to basic identities. This film will not do well under many literary lenses from its simplified sexualization of the abused Beverly to spending so little time on Mike that it is hard to understand why he's around beyond playing up the racism of this 1980s town.
This could certainly come down to a movie not being able to spend enough time with these characters as the book is 1138 pages with at least half of that focused on the basis of this story. It is inevitable that corners would have to be cut to sell this story, but the bond between these characters is certainly underdeveloped as are their emotional subplots.
That said, the young actors here do a fantastic job with the material, making their characters more likable and interesting than they are written to be. In particular, Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) is hilarious throughout, and Sophia Lillis (37) captures the endearing strength of Beverly.
The star of this film though is clearly Bill Skarsgård (Hemlock Grove) whose playfulness with the role is enchanting. He makes every line count and physically captures the disturbing presence of Pennywise in every moment. This movie is as good as it is because of his performance.
The writing of the film though is not always as captivating as it should be. This script went through many hands from Chase Palmer (Neo-Noir) and Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) to Gary Dauberman (Annabelle: Creation), and, while it does the source material justice as a whole, it lacks a degree of intelligence with its symbolism or character development.
Primarily the victims here are the Loser's Club who are boiled down to basic identities. This film will not do well under many literary lenses from its simplified sexualization of the abused Beverly to spending so little time on Mike that it is hard to understand why he's around beyond playing up the racism of this 1980s town.
This could certainly come down to a movie not being able to spend enough time with these characters as the book is 1138 pages with at least half of that focused on the basis of this story. It is inevitable that corners would have to be cut to sell this story, but the bond between these characters is certainly underdeveloped as are their emotional subplots.
That said, the young actors here do a fantastic job with the material, making their characters more likable and interesting than they are written to be. In particular, Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) is hilarious throughout, and Sophia Lillis (37) captures the endearing strength of Beverly.
The star of this film though is clearly Bill Skarsgård (Hemlock Grove) whose playfulness with the role is enchanting. He makes every line count and physically captures the disturbing presence of Pennywise in every moment. This movie is as good as it is because of his performance.
The ultimate question of horror: was it worth the coming nightmares? I'll get back to you on that. (Image Courtesy of: news.com)
While It clearly skimps on narrative depth and takes safe routes in its build-up, it is far from a safe tale to tell. This is a brutal film that does not shy away from violence toward children. This is a movie entirely about these kids who go through some terrible things not all caused by Pennywise.
There is blood galore as well as violent spectacle with a frequent emphasis on sexuality that feels a bit guarded. While I have not read the source material, I have heard enough to know this movie scales back in many ways from King's original work which may at times lead to its failures with interesting symbolism.
I honestly came in expecting to be more shocked by the events of the film. While the movie is certainly intense and constantly had me on the edge of my seat, it does hold back in its portrayals, often allowing implication to sell the violent edge to Pennywise.
The movie also has a surprising amount of comedy which is well written but is so quickly slipped in that it can often distract from the tone. It never made any scenes with Pennywise funny which was certainly a potential concern, but it would have been nice for the film to pace the sprinkled in comedy better.
As a whole, It was a satisfying ride to take. Scary enough as well as emotionally resonant, it just missed the mark of capturing the characters and personalities of the central protagonists, spending so much time selling the thrills.
The movie has stuck with me long after leaving the theater, and I certainly plan to watch it again. I just wonder if there was a better movie in the pieces here that was missed, one where The Loser's Club stood tall on their own and the biggest moments of the film were truly unforgettable.
There is blood galore as well as violent spectacle with a frequent emphasis on sexuality that feels a bit guarded. While I have not read the source material, I have heard enough to know this movie scales back in many ways from King's original work which may at times lead to its failures with interesting symbolism.
I honestly came in expecting to be more shocked by the events of the film. While the movie is certainly intense and constantly had me on the edge of my seat, it does hold back in its portrayals, often allowing implication to sell the violent edge to Pennywise.
The movie also has a surprising amount of comedy which is well written but is so quickly slipped in that it can often distract from the tone. It never made any scenes with Pennywise funny which was certainly a potential concern, but it would have been nice for the film to pace the sprinkled in comedy better.
As a whole, It was a satisfying ride to take. Scary enough as well as emotionally resonant, it just missed the mark of capturing the characters and personalities of the central protagonists, spending so much time selling the thrills.
The movie has stuck with me long after leaving the theater, and I certainly plan to watch it again. I just wonder if there was a better movie in the pieces here that was missed, one where The Loser's Club stood tall on their own and the biggest moments of the film were truly unforgettable.