Wickedly entertaining, funny, and insane

Rating: Null/10 (10 September 2017)

These thoughts are coming from someone who has never read or seen the original TV miniseries- I liked it a lot. The fact that it manages to work is quite impressive. It has the usual mainstream Hollywood jump scares, the usual set up and structure, and it's in your face. Yet it manages to work for many reasons. One reason is that the horror set pieces, despite being kind of obvious, are incredibly fun. The film has the benefit of having a villain that can manifest in different ways and the film definitely takes that opportunity to run away with really throwing horror scenes out there like not many recent horror films have. Its biggest strength is in its characters though. The character work isn't flawless, but the cast delivers and you grow to really care for them. Even if the horror failed, the characters might have been enough, and the humor they bring is infectious. Great horror + great characters = A definite success. However, it's not without its share of flaws
I mentioned that the horror in the film works. It does, but I'm also not quite sure why. Like I said, it has the usual jump scares along with loud, over-the-top music that, while startling when the scenes happen, don't build enough atmosphere. The insanity of the horror seems to work, despite the horror being exactly what people criticize when they think of mainstream horror films and their lack of nuance. Horror scenes are fun when they're happening, but they don't really have any lasting impact after they end. It's a type of horror that very much works in the moment, and while scenes work in startling you, it's not exactly scary. The film is also sometimes awkward and rushed. It takes some time for it to start flowing smoothly, as in the first thirty minutes it feels like it's showing a bunch of random scenes with characters we don't know very much. I'm sure all of that worked better in the book, but the film definitely feels like an adaptation that needs to hurry up and get where it needs to be. The pacing isn't terrible, but it definitely feels rushed in moments (some more than others) and all of that contributes to what I said about there being a lack of atmosphere. The pacing and first act could have needed some polishing to feel crisper and cleaner. Still, those problems weren't significant enough to damage the film too much or to take away from the enjoyment.
As someone who has never read or seen the source material. I did walk away with quite a few questions. I don't require all films to explain the events that transpire. I mean, I finished Twin Peaks: The Return just a few days ago and I don't feel like the series owes me any answers. However, once you open the door midway, you need to reveal everything inside it. I feel like the film gave promise of explanation and there was none, and I walked away with a few questions that I am really interested in seeing explain and that I have included below (I have probably already gone online to get them, but I'm still mentioning this here). The following contains spoilers
What exactly was It? Who was Pennywise? I had a theory throughout that perhaps it was an innocent man of some sort who was killed in some accident. I also strongly believed that the townspeople were in on it. The way all of them acted was so bizarre, but this was never touched on. It just seemed like the film opened up the possibility of explanation (outside of the 27-year recurrence) but nothing. I was also annoyed that of course the girl ends up with the male lead of the film, despite the film trying to give Ben moments. What was all of that for? It would have been amazing had Ben and Bev ended up together. I also expected the film to jump forward in time to 27 years later, but I guess the "Chapter One" thing revealed why they didn't show that just yet.