Needed restraint

Rating: 4/10 (7 November 2018)

A film that needed some subtlety, but then again I'm not into modern horror so take whatever I say with a grain of salt (or ignore this review entirely). I wasn't wild about the canned moments to induce shock, the CGI, and the gratuitous violence, and wish some restraint had been exercised (but I know I'm in the minority, and what the hell did I expect?-) I did like the underlying symbolism of the evil that besets this town and these kids. It's unleashed every 27 years, which I took to represent each new generation that comes along. Everyone has their demons while growing up, their fears, their nightmares. We see evil in the form of sadistic bullying, incestual rape, and in the apathy to kids who simply disappear - all of which are real life things. Adults are rarely to be seen, and when they are, it's certainly not to bring order to the chaos. It's clearly written through the lens of the adolescent and the hell of growing up. Standing up to one's fears and sticking together is the only hope of overcoming them, and it felt like it echoed some of the themes of 'Stand By Me' in that way. I think if it had been tightened up - edited down, less haphazard, less jump scenes, shorter - I think it would have been more powerful. I also wasn't a fan of the unabashed reference to a sequel at the end. If you're into the genre, I'm sure you'll like it better. Hey, I'm just a guy who thinks of the earlier 'It' movie - and no, not the 1990 version of the same Stephen King story, the 1927 lighthearted film starring Clara Bow. :p