Highly Recommended

Rating: 9/10 (15 October 2017)

'IT' - 2017
Directed by Andy Muschetti
Starring ​Bill Skarsgård, Jader Liebherer and Sophia Lillis
Plot Overview: ​Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare -- an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town's children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.
Right, let me start of by saying that.... wait for it... THIS MOVIE IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY! People are complaining that the film is bad because its funny. Oh, you don't think the JOKES were designed to make you laugh? That is the point of the jokes! The humour is what MAKES this movie so compelling. I've watched this film twice. Once with my sister and the other with some friends. And I loved it just as much both times. It's not gonna win any Oscars or change cinema forever but it's a fun, inventive comedic-horror movie with a couple effective scares and creepy scenes. What more do you actually want? Oh you do want more? Let me break it down why I love this movie so much.
Firstly, the impeccable cast. Every single member of the Loser's Club was cast to perfection and each child actor provides an adult- actor level of quality. I would normally condense them into one statement to converse space but each and everyone of them deserves their own praise. Jaeden Liebherer was absolutely fantastic as Bill Denborough. He sold the dark, troubled child in search of his younger sibling and provides an excellent leader for The Loser's Club. Jeremy Ray Taylor was excellent as Ben Hanscom. He was so likable and sells both the emotional and funny scenes to perfection. ​Sophia Lillis was phenomenal as Beverly Marsh. She struck a spectacular balance in performance between herself with the other Losers and herself not with them. Finn Wolfhard(greatest name ever btw) was excellent as Ritchie and was easily my favourite character in the film. He was so witty and funny and strangely likable. He was a primary source of comedy and he did is excellently. Jack Dylan Grazer was also excellent as Eddie Kasbrack. I really should have more to say about him but I don't really know what to say.
Wyatt Olef and Chosen Jacobs were both good as Stan and Mike respectively but I 100% need more from their characters in the sequel. They weren't utilised at all and they may as well have not even been there.
Then there is the man of the hour: Pennywise. ​Bill Skarsgård is both funny and terrifying. I understand that a lot of people won't find his portrayal of Pennywise to be all that frightening but I think he nails both aspects of the Clown perfectly. He was very funny when he needed to be and could be genuinely creepy and scary when he needed to be. I highly commend the man's performance.
I love the story of this movie. I love the story and the premise. It is such a fantastic idea. A clown that preys on your fears and eats kids? That is a horrifying concept but truly an excellent one. The story surrounding that was also great. You could argue that there isn't really much of a story, more of a knitted together collection of just barely connected scenes, and I understand where you would be coming from. That said, I personally think the story is about the underdogs overcoming their fears and fighting back against oppression. And that is a pretty excellent story in my opinion.
Then there are the visuals. It is a gorgeous movie and the cinematography and editing and stunning. I absolutely love the way this movie was shot, edited, lit and directed. It looks absolutely fantastic and is truly a treat for the eyes.
I am gonna defend an aspect of this movie that gets CONSTANTLY picked apart: the tone. 'It' is one part horror movie and one part comedy. The horror aspect is generally well done and has a lot of great buildup and some genuinely intense sequences. The comedy side is also excellently done and is pretty consistently in making the audience laugh. So what is wrong with it? Please explain to me what is wrong with the tone. Both sides of the movie work very well and I honestly think that Muschetti has blended the two together very well. I honestly think people are just complaining for the sake of complaining because there isn't much wrong with the tone. Is it irregular? Of course it is. But would you rather they try something new or stick to what they know. I don't know about you but I want innovation in my movies.
As for flaws, I can name one main one. The CGI wasn't the best. Obviously it looked decent occasionally but, for the overwhelming majority of effects, it looked cheap and lazy and fake. I rarely believed something was really there. I wish more time could have gone into making it look more realistic.
In conclusion, I loved this movie. It's fun, it's goofy and can be at times genuinely creepy and tense. It is an excellent movie so, even though I don't think it's the second coming of Christ, I can highly recommend 'It'. I'll rate 'It' 9 'Red Balloons' out of 10!