Didnt float my boat, sadly.

Rating: 5/10 (11 September 2019)

I loved 2017's "IT", I have heard a lot of criticism about how the fim wasn't scary. But i dont watch "IT" for the horror. I watch and love the film for the journey. I dont watch "IT" for the scares, but for the adventure. "IT chapter 2" doesn't feel like an adventure to me. It's a movie of moments and a non compelling story, strechted out over a bloated run time.
The story here just isn't that compelling. Pennywise returns, the losers retun to deal with him. Thats it, stretched out over 2hours and 50minutes. The film moves briskly to start. Opening on a grim note showing just what lurks in the shadows of Derry. The opening shows promise that is never consistently maintained, just peppered throughout. And then the film gets bogged down in flashbacks and having the characters slowly remember what happened the first time around. The reasons why they fear IT.
IT when in the form of Pennywise, is amazing. Bill Skarsgard giving the role everything he has. There is one amazing moment in the film involving a little girl at a baseball game who encounters Pennywise, a fatal encounter framed beautifully with just the head and hands of pennywise visible from the shadows. But this is the only standout set piece for me, and it doesnt even involve the main cast. Every other scare has IT assume the form of some grey CGI monster. And the CG in this film is clean and shiny. Any tension built during these sequences dissipated upon the reveal of the CGI monster. When it comes to horror, i much prefer my effects practical. You dont seem to get the same feeling of grime from CG. The monster can seem to lack presence and weight.
The Losers club is cast brilliantly. The casting director went above and beyond with these actors, with everyone looking like adult versions of the kid losers. the film is also very funny, funnier than i expected. And the film is shot brilliantly and features some smooth tranistions into flashbacks. No one can say this film isn't well made, but i found it lacking the sense of adventure i came for. And when adventure failed me, the films horror aspects did nothing to fill the void. The film is worth watching, I believe you should give everything a chance. But after 2017's "IT", I couldn't help but leave the cinema feeling let down.