It: Not terrifying, but frightful enough and exceeds expectations

Rating: 9/10 (20 October 2017)

"Take It."
From the moment when you hear Pennywise, aka "It," say those two words, the goosebumps will start to kick in.
So, "It," directed by Andy Muschietti, is about a group of kids, "The Losers," who notice the presence of this clown and try to take It down. See what I did there: "clown" and "It." Even though the name of the clown is Pennywise, the group of kids always call it, "It."
"It" gets so many aspects of a good horror movie correct, utilizing the power and fear of the characters, translating it to the audience. Speaking of the characters, everyone does a fantastic job portraying the types of characters they were assigned. "The Losers," a group of 13-year-old high school buddies are your typical (at least when I was in high school, not too long ago) teenagers. They swear, make offensive jokes, and I absolutely love that the experiences of fear they go through, are not mellowed down. This allows for each individual member of "The Losers" to shine, showcasing their full potential while facing Pennywise.
Pennywise, aka "It," is the star of the show. Bill Skarsgård does a tremendous job at being terrifying. He utilizes various tones when expressing verbal dialogue and different facial expressions, especially that smile of his (when Pennywise first sets his eyes on Georgie), making everyone freak. Even though this movie, not including Bill Skarsgård, has a terrific cast, without him, "It" would feel incomplete.
So far, everything that is mentioned here is all positive. That is because "It" is pretty much a perfect movie. There were a couple of scenes that could have been shorter or cut from the movie because it does not contribute to the end goal. Also, there was this one character trait change in the movie that does not make any sense and it will disappoint many who have read Stephen King's novel that this movie was based on.
Overall, "It" is a movie everyone should go see. Not many horror movies get so much right and end up feeling original. This is one helluva joy ride, filled with emotions, character, love and friendships, and loss. Go see "It."
Rating: 2.75/3