Frightening in parts but massively over-hyped

Rating: 6/10 (14 September 2017)

The enormous amount of hype surrounding this movie made it something of a must-see for any horror fan, including myself. I was prepared to be let down, as I always am when a movie is talked up so much, but I was left with mixed feelings overall. There's no doubt that 'IT' is a brilliant production and there are some effectively frightening individual scenes but, as a whole, it just doesn't live up to the hype.
The first half of the film is too slow. It contains more laughs than scares and, while I appreciate the need for character development, many of the scenes are completely pointless and not at all relevant to the overall plot. It also relies heavily on cheap jump scares, which is particularly disappointing given the naturally creepy and disturbing nature of Pennywise. The film picks up though and the final quarter of 'IT' is a real treat for any horror fan. It moves at a breathless pace, maintaining a high level of tension with a long, relentlessly creepy final sequence. On balance, the positives outweigh the films flaws and I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so over-hyped.