It doesn't float. It sinks.

Rating: 5/10 (19 September 2019)

I've never read Stephen King's It, nor have I seen the 1990 two part miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise. I was, however, very impressed with Muschietti's 2017 remake, which was revealed to be the first chapter of a duology during its closing credits. It's no wonder Muschietti has opted to follow the same route as the miniseries; King's epic novel is practically impossible to adapt into one feature length effort, given how much story is packed into its whopping 1,138 pages. Taking place twenty-seven years after Chapter One, the Loser's Club are called back to Derry once it becomes apparent that Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) has awakened to feast on the next generation of Derry's children. Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), who never left Derry, calls his old friends back so they can fulfil the promise they all made twenty-seven years ago: to kill Pennywise once and for all should he ever return.
High expectations were set following Chapter One. With Muschietti back on board as well as Dauberman and Skarsgård, all was looking promising for Chapter Two to be a worthy companion to its predecessor. One of the highest praises sung about this film is its casting, and rightfully so. Chastain, McAvoy, Hader are excellent choices to play the older incarnations of their respective characters. Everybody looks the part and it strikes as wholly believable that these are the same characters we followed back in Chapter One. Unexpectedly, Bill Hader (primarily a comedy actor) steals the show as the adult Ritchie. Bill Skarsgård also delivers another fantastic performance as Pennywise, although his role isn't as prominent this time around, which is a real shame. There has also been much discussion about the films lengthy runtime; clocking in at just ten minutes shy of three hours, this is a long horror film which, unfortunately, results in some serious pacing issues.
Many of the film's problems are present during the painfully dull second act. It is here where Dauberman's script falls into repetitive territory, leading to unimaginative scares and boring, drawn out sequences that slam the film to a grinding halt. Most of the time, there's just too much going on with little by way of plot progression. In a novel, you of course have all the time in the world (as King clearly demonstrates), but in a film you don't get that luxury. Chapter One was paced very well, the plot moved swiftly, and it was an engaging experience overall. Chapter Two, on the other hand, doesn't share this quality.
Troubling the film also is an overabundance of CGI. Excessive CGI in a horror film never upholds well, and given how many of the most remarkable practical effects ever put to screen can be found in the realms of classic horror, it astounds me as to why filmmakers still endorse it to the lengths they do. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark suffered from this exact same problem. Much of the CGI on show here looks pretty distracting at times, and I couldn't help but wonder what some sequences would have looked like if brought to life via practical effects. Facing the struggles of repetition, just about every sequence during the second act ends with a lazy jump scare or the emergence of an average CGI creation. It's hardly effective, and it gets boring staggeringly quick.
There are a handful of noteworthy sequences to be found here, though. One of the most effective of the bunch happens early on, including the Losers Club reuniting in a Chinese restaurant where an admittingly haunting scene plays out including fortune cookies and a tragic reveal. But what's largely frustrating about the scenes that actually work is how the insertion of comedy often downgrades these moments of genuine terror. Dauberman (for some unknown reason) injects quite a few punchlines and gags throughout the film, and just like the excessive CGI, this is annoyingly distracting and pointless.
It Chapter Two is a crushingly disappointing sequel that doesn't live up to its superior predecessor. Excellent casting, good cinematography and a pretty enjoyable final confrontation between Pennywise and the Loser's Club aside, this is a film that could have greatly benefited from a few more cuts. Entire scenes and characters could be removed from the final cut, and the absence of these unnecessary additions wouldn't at all affect the overall narrative whatsoever. Chapter Two is a clumsy, bloated experience with moments of greatness, but unfortunately, this is a film that sinks rather than floats.