Enjoyed it, but some gripes

Rating: 7/10 (9 September 2017)

I have fond memories of the original having watched it in my teenage years. I even re-watched it with my wife to set up for this remake (maybe don't! Whilst it was useful to remind myself of the characters and story, the acting all round was awful and it hasn't stood the test of time well IMO).
I did enjoy this movie, but it didn't blow me away as I had hoped.
The good stuff; Pennywise was great. Fair play getting away from the more comedic original but without losing that eeriness. Loved the first scene.
Bill and Bev I thought were excellent! Really, really well played. Bill was very genuine and relatable and had just the right balance of vulnerability yet toughness when it was called upon. Bev was perfect as the girl of their dreams with the complex home life. Eddie, Stanley and Ben pretty good in that order. Although for me Ben was just a little younger and softer than how I liked him in the original. I think they could have explored the backstory of Eddie's medical misuse more as I barely saw him have a wheeze on his inhaler until far into the film. I'd have liked him to have started much more as the sickly victim before breaking free from it.
Finally I thought they navigated the hardest part well which was exposing IT as a bit more than a clown at the end, with out it coming off as ridiculous (that terrible spider in the original anyone!?).
The not so good stuff.
Richie. Clearly from the reviews I have read I am in the minority, but I didn't like him! Even weirder considering I loved the actor in stranger things. I thought he swore WAY too much, which just cheapened everything he said. He made jokes in really inappropriate places which made me question his actual basic morals (which you certainly don't do with the losers club).
Mike. A total non event. In the original he was great, here, a total shadow. I kept looking at him and thinking 'you don't fit in at all' and he never did much apart from being pretty handy at the end. His backstory was not really explained at all unless I missed something. Even the rock throwing scene where they saved him and met him for the first time wasn't as powerful as the original.
The group as a whole. Don't get me wrong, there was rapport between them, but I guess the issues I have with the 2/3 characters (if you include Ben) just spoiled it a bit for me.
Lastly, I just didn't feel they acted scared enough when being exposed to some horrendous visions. Bev certainly did during the sink blood scene, and Stanley with that weird picture lady, but with a few other scenes (Ben in the library) I just didn't buy it. I'd have literally been weeping as I ran and a quivering wreck! Maybe it's the limitation of child actors and I'm expecting too much? Overall, really good film, but destined to be picked apart by fans like me due to the original.