Struggling with this review...

Rating: 7/10 (13 September 2019)

It was a cool, confident 80's-style throwback, whose strong visuals and rare timbre made it a standout among the lame high-concept, overly dark excuses for terror we normally get. My enjoyment led to reading the novel, and I'm glad I did. Not only because it's great, but because I think I would be emotionally lost by Chapter Two otherwise. While it certainly hasn't lost any of the boldness of the first film, much of the actual storytelling skill and tonal control has been lost under an effort to shove 6+ hrs of story into 3. What we're left with is ultimately not a very "good" movie, but one with enough sincerity and fantastic individual moments that it's sloppiness can almost be overlooked.
We find The Losers all grown up, returning to Derry when their clown-friend begins wreaking havoc again. Despite perfect physical casting, the chemistry among these grown up performers comes nowhere near the endearing heights of the younger cast. When the kids return, it serves as a cheap but effective reminder of why we love these characters. The gentle naivete and fear of a young outcast teen proves to be paramount to the success of the horror, so this sequel seems to choose to either move away from scares altogether, or it falters.
Instead its strengths lie in individual scenes and unique themes. The Losers must relive their traumatic pasts, which not only provides the best 45 minutes of the movie, but beautifully and tenderly speaks to the effect childhood has on identity and engrained fear. It's a brave movie, even if kind of a "bad" one, which is a combo I prefer to safe (boring) "good" movies.