An honest review from a 40+ guy who read the book

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2017)

Really liked it, but it's not perfect.
Hard to judge how much of the liking is because of the 80:s (like Stranger Things) nostalgia, but it's far from all of it.
+ Kids act great, especially "Ben Hanscom". Good touch and psychology in the coming of age scenes. Dark and serious social stuff in between the jump scares. Like most Steven King stories, the best parts are in between the horrors. As a member of my own hometown's "loser club", as a kid, I really felt like I was one or all of the protagonists. The film has a good heart. Pennywise is a great mix of a powerful, psychopathic, godlike entity, and a playful kid. Scary and sad at the same time. Music is good too.

The pacing feels rushed, scenes are stacked on top of each other in a "too fast" tempo, just to stay true to the book. We don't have enough time to really get to know our young heroes. I feel this movie could really have benefited from being 30-45 minutes longer, or even better, a 5-10 hour TV series.

I think this story is hard to do justice in 2 hours of film, but it does a good job, the visuals are also great. Art direction and all.
Overall: Way, way better than the weirdly over appreciated 90:s TV series. I saw that as a teenager, who really looked forward to it as well. It sucked then, and it sucks now. Don't understand how that production was ever talked about by fans. Tim Curry might have been OK, but the dialogue, makeup, production value, and acting (except the kids) was horrible.
This adaptation is 10 times better. Recommend it, if you like this sort of stuff.