Fight Through Your Fears

Rating: 10/10 (16 September 2017)

To preface this, I have read the book AND I am terrified of clowns. That being said, if you are expecting a shot for shot recreation of the book, you will be let down. However, do not let that deter you from watching what I can only describe as not just a movie, but an experience. I truly believe that Muschietti directed a perfect screen adaptation of the book.
"IT" revolves around the mystery of the township of Derry, Maine where every 27 years since its founding, fatal accidents occur and people go missing. It is now 1989 and kids are disappearing once again. It is up to one group of kids to face their nightmares and fend off the evil responsible for the tragedies, Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Again, if you have read the book, then you know that these group of kids will face off against Pennywise again in their adulthood. However, the way the filmmakers have gone about creating this is to split the story into two chapters with the first one being what we have now: childhood. For this installment, I cannot see another cast in place for the children that were in this film. You get to see all personalities in this group of misfits and the actors portraying them really made their characters individually stand out in their own unique way. And this was a KEY aspect to the overall flow of this film. Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd's representation of Pennywise is also incredibly masterful and is key to the atmosphere this film sets up.
For all of you Goonies fans out there, this movie will really have you reminiscing. IT is advertised as a horror film, and it definitely is (trust me, I screamed several times but again, I'm terrified of clowns so your mileage may vary). However, I think many people who come in expecting to get full on scare factor are missing the whole point of this adaptation. Growing up is scary and everyone has fears. Some people, like me, are scared of clowns. Others may have lived through (or currently are living through) traumatizing experiences and those memories haunt them. Whatever your fears may be, at some point or another, you will have to face them - and that is EXACTLY what happens in this film.
The way the cinematography is paced is a perfect representation of the whole concept of facing your fears and working through them in the company of support and people you trust. In the first hour of the film, you are pummeled with what feels like a montage of scary scenes. You have no idea what you will be expecting to see, but you know something is coming due to the ominous camera work and the eerie music that kicks in. And every single time, you get worked up and anxious about what is going to happen. Then, as the movie goes on and everyone's fears are peaking, an extremely climactic scare happens just as everyone in the film is most vulnerable. All the characters have just had to face their biggest fears once. They are all getting together to discuss what happened and an absolute nightmare of a scare happens. Now, a decision needs to be made: the kids can run from their fears or face them head on.
Without adding too many other spoilers, I will just give my cents on some big lessons this film keeps simmering under the guise of horror. First of all, if you choose to run away from your fears, they will still exist and will keep coming back. Once you start facing them, you can start to empower yourself to continue to fight. Second of all, when you do face your fears, you might not win the first time (or the second, or third, etc.). What is important is that you realize there is an end goal that can be reached if you don't stop fighting. And lastly, it's that sometimes, your fears and demons may require some help - and that is okay! With the true support of those you trust, you can start to gain ground on the problem and work towards a goal.
...Okay one last spoiler (just because this was the main factor why I thought the movie was more of an experience than a simple film). When you watch IT, keep track of how scared you are at the beginning versus at the end. With other horror films, I have found myself in fear and anxiety almost constantly throughout the entire film. However, with this film, I noticed that as it went on, certain things became less scary as they were happening. Interestingly enough, the children in the film were also in the midst of fighting their fears and were becoming less scared. I'm not sure if this was just a sole experience for me, but regardless, I think this was intentionally done with what is incredible writing, acting, and filming all combined.
To conclude, if you loved Stranger Things, The Goonies, or Stand By Me, you will love IT. If you are on the fence about watching this film because you "don't do scary movies", do not let that prevent you from watching IT. The horror is very tolerable (and I am a very timid person). You should go for what is a really well put together plot and expression of it.