Very good as a standalone movie, but somewhat disappointing to fans of the original novel (so, what else is new?)

Rating: Null/10 (9 September 2017)

Not a fan of Stephen King by any stretch of imagination, I nevertheless consider "It" to be among my most favourite novels. "It" is a "losers bonding" story. To that we can add coming-of-age. Those two ingredients are key to the charm of this story that is packaged as a horror.
As screen renditions rarely satisfy fans of the source book, I am a little surprised that I found the 1990 two-part TV version satisfactory on the whole. That one, incidentally, has John Ritter from the household-name series "Three's company" of the 1970's. There is also A-list actor Tim Curry portraying Pennywise the hideous Clown.
The structure of the novel has a time span of 27 years, the recurring cycle of re-emergence of the titular being, an extra-terrestrial monster that landed on Earth in prehistoric times in a spot that later became the humble New England town Derry. The subterranean sewage system of Derry eventually became a perfectly cozy home. With hibernation as its normal state, It comes out every 27 years to feed - on human children. In the original novel (as well as the miniseries) the 7 protagonists, 12-year-olds in the summer of 1958, find comradeship in forming a "Losers' Club", initially to oppose school bullies. Eventually, together they defeat the monster, but come just short of killing It. When summer is over, before going on their separate ways in life, they swear that if It comes back 27 years later, they will come back to finish the job. The second part, naturally, happens in 1985 when 6 of them who have almost completely forgotten that life-changing occurrence are rudely awaken by a phone call from the seventh who has stayed behind in Derry to keep watch.
The above paragraph recounts far more than the current movie reveals. Shifting the story of the kids to 1989 (from the original 1958), this movie tells only the first half. That much was quite evident to me well before I bought the ticket to the cinema, from the cast shown in IMDb which has only the children. While the book starts with the adults receiving the aforementioned phone calls, this movie is a standalone, just about the kids. The hint of a "part 2" comes only in the very end when the kids vow to return, if needed. Then, quite playfully, at the very last frame showing the title of the movie, "Part 1" is superimposed ever so nonchalantly.
The movie is a commendably successful effort in adapting the novel to a standalone movie. But I cannot help feeling disappointed, as one who has re-read the novel several times over the last three decades since its publication. Some of the best parts have been left out in the movie, for perfectly good reasons (to customize a standalone movie), I do agree. Unfortunately, that does not change the fact that they are left out.
The best part of the story is bonding of the "losers". The movie has done a very decent job in depicting that. Yet, the best sequence can only be found in the book: the building of the dam. Fleeing from the bullies, Ben bumps into the Bill, Eddie and Richard who are trying, unsuccessfully, to build a dam on a stream in The Barrens. While they immediately sympathize with this new kid on the block as a fellow-victim, it is Ben's skill as a builder (an innate ability) that wins the respect of these new friends. As well, Bev has also been invited into the group initially to participate in this project.
Equally disappointing is "the Apocalyptic rock fight" (a chapter title in the book), which is anything but. Throughout the story, up to that point, a very important thing repeatedly alluded to is that these seven kids have somehow been connected, way before they know it. There is one incident (in the book only) in which Stan and another kid drop by to play, and right away the "losers" have that uncanny feeling that Stan is "one of them" while this other kid is not. Mike is the last to join, barely knowing these kids hitherto. The six others are playing at the edge of a rock pit and somehow there is a premonition that something important is going to happen. Mike then bursts into the open from a bush, desperately running from the bullies. What ensues is the "Apocalyptic" rock fight that finally cements the group of seven. The scene in the movie is disappointingly lame, compared with the book.
Just one more major deviation, but with this one I have no bones to pick. I am referring to the climactic finale and has to do with the true identity of It. While the clown is the collective visual manifestation to all, It also appears in different hideous images to different individuals (leper, mummy, werewolf etc). However, the true, final form of this monster is a spider. In the movie, only a glimpse of a spider's claw in shown coming out of the clown they are battling, the significance of which will only be recognized by people who have knowledge the novel. I have no problem with that. Obviously the spider form is saved for Part 2.
The cast, comprising new faces to the screen, is uniformly excellent. Playing the clown Pennywise is Bill Skarsgard, the son of seasoned veteran Stellan whose performance I have enjoyed in movies too many to list. Just one other to mention is Sophie Lillis who plays, and inhibits, Bev Marsh with charm and defiance in equal measure. Her smile alone is sufficient to melt down The Wall. As well, moving the time frame of the story to 1989 allows incorporation into the dialogue the mention of Molly Ringwald (reigning teenage idol at the time), a clever reference to the uncanny resemblance both on-screen (Marsh) and and off (Lillis).