A Modern Day Classic

Rating: 9/10 (25 September 2017)

I had been watching updates over the past year on the evolution and development of this new version of Stephen King's IT. I had seen the Tim Curry version in 1990 and though I thoroughly enjoyed it, IT just does not stand up today and is quite cheesy by today standards. I was very nervous about how this 2017 version would be handled. Thankfully my worries were quickly washed away. Andy Muschietti delivers a film that just plows through the material at a breakneck pace, in a good way. He keeps the tension high but also delivers some real humor thanks in part to Richie Tozier, (Finn Wolfhard in a polar opposite role from his Stranger Things character) . I would not call this a horror movie though, more of a supernatural thriller. I recall Joe Hill calling IT one of the 5 scariest movies ever, which is certainly not the case, but what IT lacks in pure horror, IT more than makes up for which tension and atmosphere, Though the projector scene is certainly jump worthy. The kids that make up The Losers Club all do an awesome job and you can feel their camaraderie right from the start. Though I do wish Mike's character had received a little more depth, hopefully they do this in Chapter 2, and all indications are that they will. I am hoping that the blu ray release will extend the film a little, in fact I would dearly love a "Lord Of The Rings" type of extended cut for the film and IT's subsequent Chapter(s), as the novel is almost 1200 pages. IT has broken records left right and center and for good reason. This is an excellent film, yes with it's faults for sure, but the good WAY out weighs the bad here. With a running time of 135 minutes, IT literally felt to be about 90, great movies can do that. I am waiting with baited breath to see how Chapter 2 deals with the adult versions of the Losers 27 years later.