Formulaic Horror sequel saved by its comedy

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2020)

As a fan of the source material, the 1990 miniseries, and the 2017 film - "It Chapter Two" manages to deliver unexpectedly well considering its plot was based on the unanimously agreed 'weaker section' of King's novel.
Whilst CGI remains at the forefront, with it being used so frequently that it can prove distracting in many instances (along with some intense strobe lighting near the finale prompting my theatre to post an epilepsy warning on the door) - it's sort of what you're buying into when choosing to watch a film like this. You're never going to be particularly intellectually stimulated - but it provides a much higher level of enjoyment than many other recent horror films (although perhaps overstaying its welcome at almost 3 hours in runtime).
Interestingly, many of the "scares" in the film are almost instantaneously followed by humourous moments - which occasionally presents the scenarios as being quite jarring, the payoffs tending to be much more satisfying than the CGI-ridden creations that come before. This in my view saves the film from a trap it could have, and very infrequently does, fall into - taking itself too seriously.
Whilst by no means being a masterpiece, nor even the best "clown" film of 2019 - "It Chapter Two" is well worth a watch for fans of the novel and the first film; I doubt they'll be too disappointed.