Still Clinging Afloat

Rating: 7/10 (9 September 2019)

Saw IT: Chapter Two Thursday, and I it was a pretty fun film. For those that have read the novel or watched the first chapter would know that 27 years after the events of the first film, It resurfaces in Derry, Maine, to continue its spree of terrorizing the denizens and eating its children. Mike Hanlon, the token black member of the Losers Club, remained in Derry to document information on how he and his friends could possibly destroy It if he ever returned. And sure enough, he had, thus began the revival of the blood oath they made years ago.
The acting is stellar for the most part. While many have already stated this, it is true; Bill Hader does an amazing job at portraying the grown up Richie Tozier. He carries most of the humor in the film, but when the time calls for emotion, he does fantastically. The other cast members also do a good job at portraying the grown up Losers and they do resemble them in some likeness, but I felt they weren't as impactful. Bill Skarsgard once again kills it as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, who here is actually a little more goofier, but nevertheless, the 27 years did nothing to file down his fangs. He's just as creepy as he was in the first film - maybe even more so.
Unfortunately, my issues with the film mostly lie in the writing. The film for starters is 3 hours long. Normally I don't mind long films. I mean Avengers: Endgame was roughly around the same length of time but I felt that it flew by quickly without me having to excuse myself for a bathroom break. It: Chapter Two, however, didn't need to be that long. I am aware that the novel is a long read, 1,138 to be exact (and I read it for a few months to complete it), but the side quests that the Losers go through really weigh down the runtime and are nowhere as interesting as they may as well should've been. There were also new additions to the film that I felt could've provided something new for a story that had already been established, but those moments are ultimately for nothing. The biggest issue, however, is the adults. The adult portion of the story was never my favorite part of the original book, not in the miniseries, and it's still there in this take. I guess what makes it problematic is that...let's be real: children being put into dangerous situations with an evil, ancient monster is infinitely more terrifying than adults facing those childhood traumas. This is especially true if you have little ones who you do not want to be put in harm's way. That is what made the book Pet Sematary and its 1989 adaptation scary. The adult portion of the It story was always the weakest of the two.
Overall, It: Chapter Two is a mixed bag. As a conclusion, it is definitive and mostly satisfying, but when you take what the first film had done, it comes off as more feeble.