IT delivers.

Rating: 8/10 (9 September 2017)

To be honest, I cannot not remember the last time I was really stoked to go and see an R rated horror movie in the theater, but the remake of Stephen King's IT got me back there, and the film was well worth the matinée ticket. There are many who have fond memories of King's novel and the 1990 TV mini-series that gave us Tim Curry's terrifying take on Pennywise the Clown and this new movie will do nothing to sully them, but I think this new film is an improvement on both the book and the TV version, because, first of all, I thought King's book was somewhat overwritten and bloated in length, if the story had just stayed with the kids in 1950's Derry, Maine, it would have been a classic, but, for me, the contemporary 1980's story with the grown up kids, just did not grab me. I know that is not a popular opinion, and I respect anyone who begs to differ. As for the old TV series, the best thing about it is Curry and his interpretation of Pennywise, a performance that has given more than one generation a phobia of clowns, but the rest of the show has not aged well. So as far as I am concerned, IT was a good subject for a 21st century reboot.
What works so well about this version, is that director, Andy Muschietti, and screenwriters Chase Palmer and Cory Fukanaga, did not forget what worked best in King's book: the battle between The Losers, a loose collection of junior high misfits, and the awesome evil of Pennywise, an ancient entity that lives beneath the town of Derry, Maine, and feeds off the fear of children, whom it murders at will. One of King's best talents is the ability to create great child protagonists, and Bill, Eddie, Mike, Stanley, Richie and Beverly were among his most memorable. The movie lets us get to know each one of them; what makes them unique, what makes them losers in the eyes of their classmates, what the fear the most, and most of all, what makes them heroes. One of the secrets to making a great horror movie is giving us characters we really care about and fear for when they are in peril, and in this aspect, IT delivers. Too bad so many other horror flicks fail miserably in this regard. All praise to the young actors, Jaeden Lieberther, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, and Sohpia Lillis for bringing making The Losers such winners.
But the other secret to a great horror movie is having a compelling Big Bad, and in this, Bill Skarsgard is a great Pennywise; he won't make you forget Tim Curry, but his take on the most evil clown of all is a winner. Skarsgard's Pennywise is buck toothed cartoon character from hell, with a painted on grin and yellow eyes of pure evil behind a facade of childish mirth. He is good enough to lure a small child like Bill's little brother, Georgie, into the sewers (in a harrowing opening scene), but like the big bad wolf, the older kids see right through him. There is also a gang of punk bullies hanging around to also make our young heroes lives than much more miserable. I like the way the movie's setting is so vividly rendered, Derry is a town filled with dilapidated houses and apathetic adults who fail to notice the danger their children are in, an 80's community where it is most definitely not "Morning in America Again."
My biggest complaint about the movie would be that it is too dark in many scenes; lighting seems to be an especial problem with movies made in the 2000's. Also, I do not find CGI effects particularly scary or frightening; it is just a matter of over saturation. I had no problem with moving the setting of the film forward to the late 1980's with Tim Burton's Batman on the theater marquee and New Kids on the Block playing on the Sony Walkman. I do commend the screenwriters for dropping one aspect of King's book, the "problem scene" in the sewers after the battle with Pennywise, when our young heroes become lost; if you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about.
This version of IT is subtitled, Chapter One, with the intention being that we will see the adult versions of The Losers reunite 27 years after the events of this movie to take on Pennywise once again. That's all well and good, but if it does not happen, I won't be disappointed too much, as this film has more than done justice to the best part of Stephen King's epic novel.