They All Float Down Here

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2017)

Stephen King is no stranger to big screen adaptations of his work. The prolific author even directly wrote a handful of these films And I think he'd like to forget the time he directed one. Some of King's classic film adaptations include such titles as; The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Stand By Me, Carrie, The Shining, Misery and It. Now, adeptly made 27 years after the classic Tim Curry starring miniseries, Mama director Andy Muschietti brings Pennywise the dancing clown to the big screen with IT. The film tells the story of the losers club, a group of outcast kids suffering from varying degrees of domestic issues, as they encounter a sinister being that takes the form of a clown and feeds off children's fear No not like in Monsters Inc. IT both works as a horror film and a coming of age movie with Andy Muschetti proving himself to be an extremely competent horror/genre film director. IT is a heartfelt and truly creepy movie even if it does underwhelm slightly due to the hype surrounding it.
This adaptation of part one of Stephen King's classic novel is brought to life with nightmare-inducing imagery rather than loud sound effect jump scares. For this reason, director Andy Muschietti has my respect, as I can clearly tell he wants to truly scare and disturb his audience rather than conforming and relying on the laziest horror trick in the book. The opening sequence, aka the paper boat scene, is so fantastically executed by Muschietti, the tension drives you to the edge of your seat, and the payoff is frankly one of the most shockingly brutal things I've ever seen on a cinema screen. IT is unflinchingly gory for a film centred around a group of adolescent teens on the verge of puberty. However, the brutality and shock factor have been hyped up so much in the many articles written on this film, that you can't help but feel underwhelmed by the end product. Muschietti and his actors have gone on record about the number of "extremely disturbing" scenes that were cut, that you can't help but wish they had left them in. The paper boat scene is perhaps the most hardcore scene in the entire film, thus establishing the film's tone with this, will only lead to disappointment.
As good as Muschetti is at directing horror unconventionally, leading with the visual, not the sound, he does rely heavily on characters being lured into obviously dangerous situations. I understand that the protagonists are children and so are easily manipulated, but Muscetti literally builds to every scare with a character being overly curious and following a creepy sound/voice, or an ominous red balloon, a weird easter egg looking thing, or even their long-dead brother Although I'll allow the emotion transcending logic on that one as that is realistic, you get the idea, it's majorly overused and makes the film repetitive.
This all being said, IT doesn't just work as a horror film, but also as a coming of age film. Perhaps Muschietti's most effective use of horror revolves around the horrors of domestic life, abuse and growing up. Bill, Mike and Beverly are so emphatically brought to life in the script with such horrific back stories that no child should ever have. I believe that Beverly is fleshed out the best of the entire losers club, the tension between her and her father is so subtly constructed yet so effective. Mr Marsh's dialogue motif is so unnerving as it implies something much more disturbing and dark than what we see, which in itself adds a whole new dynamic and layer to Beverly's character, one of immense empathy. As well as this, the bathroom scene is wonderfully constructed to represent the ugliness and loneliness of a girls menstruation. This all being said, I couldn't help but dislike the films ending for sending the wrong message surrounding Beverly's character. The characters in IT are developed in such an engaging and distressing way, that you wish there was more of it. The horrors of home are great and really add to both the horror and coming of age genres, yet I feel a greater focus on this was severely needed, but then again this is chapter 1 after all.
Last but not least the acting is outstanding across the board. All the kids act better than most adults today, to the point that you forget you are watching a group of child actors. Bill Skarsgård makes Pennywise his own in this film, many would say Tim Curry is impossible to top, however, I do believe Skarsgård rose to the occasion and makes for a far scarier Pennywise in the few scenes that his makeup doesn't do all the talking for him. I wanted more of Skarsgård, just like how I feel about everything else in this film.
Overall, IT is an impressively made horror/coming of age film, that works on a number of levels. All the departments, from production design to make up, are doing a phenomenal job of bringing Andy Muschietti's horrific vision to life. Shocking and gory yet still coming off as tame, IT is a film that should have remained tight- lipped, however, everything Muschetti offers is so intriguing and engaging you simply cannot get enough. I for one cannot wait to see what Chapter 2 has in store, but one thing for sure, chapter one certainly floats.