Half true horror, half South Park

Rating: 7/10 (16 September 2017)

Pennywise himself was definitely terrifying, and the way his jerky, unpredictable movement was shot makes you feel very uncomfortable. I usually find it hard to relate to film experts' analysis on cinematography, but even a layman like me could tell this was well done - when he emerges from the water I physically wanted to run away. What's more, he featured a lot, which was pleasantly surprising. We go to horror movies to be scared, and there were plenty of moments which achieved this, without it becoming tiresome.
The cast is solid and the kids' dialogue amusing. However, what many people much more knowledgeable than me have seemed to agree on is that this really does feel like 10 minutes of coming-of-age then a few minutes of horror back and forth. I found the tone of the film difficult to establish. Unfortunately the story was a little muddled and though this only the 'first chapter', the subplots felt underdeveloped. The child actors themselves are talented yet the story very unbelievable, even if it is fiction. If I was one of those kids I'd be running like Bolt and singing like BB King...
Overall it was a fun experience, nonetheless, and that is for someone who rarely visits the cinema.