What Cinema's Been Missing

Rating: 9/10 (7 November 2017)

Let me start off by saying I've never sat down and watched the TV movie, 'It.' I have seen clips of the original, some of Tim Curry's work seemed pretty good, however not as timeless as some people make it seem. I realize it was a low budget, scary movie for teens in the early 90's...but it's really not that great.
This, however...this is a good movie. Was it scary...no. It wasn't scary. I'm not saying you should plop your 6-year old kid in front of the big screen to watch this film, however it's not as nightmarish as the trailers made it seem. What this movie had going for them was 1 thing. This one thing was something that Stephen Spielberg had nailed to a tee in the 80s, and what Stephen King was most pleased about in this film as well...the kids.
The kids in this film were so lovable, I felt like I was watching the Goonies. Stranger Things wishes they had the same lovability that Andy Muschietti had in this film. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the characters in Stranger Things, but not as much as I do the characters in 'IT.' After my second viewing, I didn't leave the theater thinking about Pennywise...I didn't leave the theater reminiscing over all the scares I was apart of...I came to the realization that I wouldn't watch another film with the Losers Club at the young adult age. The director, the actors, the writers, everyone nailed the way the kids were supposed to be and act and how the audience should care about them. My Dad stated after watching the film that he wishes he could go to lunch with the Loser's Club because they're THAT FUN!
Bill Skarsgard does a phenomenal job when it comes to playing Pennywise, and even the biggest Tim Curry fan would appreciate this take on the horror icon that Bill brings to the table. He is very eerie, mysterious, and (at times) so cheesy, it makes it even better. The 80's feel was super cool, again, just like Stranger Things, however stuck enough to the story that you weren't distracted by the time frame. I felt that some of the acting by the grown-ups was not very good at times, and made the kids look like they were better experienced in the film industry. Some of the plot points were in the book but uncomfortable, however brought character development to a certain character that needed to be there. The bullying scenes were hard to watch, but it made the film seem more surreal. The different forms of Pennywise were cool, sometimes scarier than the clown itself. Some of the ways they developed getting to know the kids seemed drawn out-like a collection of scenes in the first act. However, once you get passed it, you forget about it and becomes more enjoyable. The cursing is used throughout the whole film and some of it includes blasphemy paired with the f bomb, which can be frustrating at times, especially coming from a supposed 12 year old, but if you can look passed that, it can be sometimes comical.
I titled this review "What Cinema's Been Missing" because it's true. The 80s feel is present. It is there. Not just in the way the kids are dressed, what's playing at the local movie theater in Derry, or how the kids talk...it's the film itself. You're not going to find a film within the past 20 years that's going to bring the nostalgic 'Stand By Me' feel with the characters, the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' or 'Gremlins' scariness, or even the 'Goonies'-type adventure as strongly then you will in Andy Muschietti's 'It'. These types of adventures, these thrills, these characters are something that people adore, myself included. It's what made Spielberg films work, and it doesn't tend to fail whatsoever in this one.
'It' may not be the best film based off of a Stephen King book, but it may just be a close second. I loved every minute of it, and I'll be attending 'It: Chapter 2" when it is released in 2019. -O