Skarsgård steals an often underwhelming show

Rating: 6/10 (11 September 2019)

My biggest problem with It: Chapter Two is that it isn't "Chapter Two". Rather than following up on the original film, only now with the heroes as adults instead of children, it instead emulates the original miniseries by cutting back and forth between the adult plotline and scenes with the kids, that could have been deleted from this film, lest the previous one seem like unnecessary viewing and this one too long. It is effectively a whole new adaptation of the Stephen King book (without the underage orgy, luckily).
We join the Loser's Club from the first It as they've moved on with their lives and, by some dark magic, forgotten about their encounter with "It" in Derry, Maine the summer of '89. It is only when the group is reassembled by Mike (Isiah Mustafa as an adult; Chosen Jacobs as a boy), the only member who stayed in Derry and thus somehow kept his memories, that the others also begin to recall. The supernatural in-Universe explanation is a front for clear themes of nostalgia, "moving on" and returning home, and they would be clear enough without lines about childhood memories.
James McAvoy plays now Jaeden Martell's character, Sophia Lillis grew up into Jessica Chastain, the foul-mouthed Finn Wolfhard became an edgy stand-up played by Bill Hader, Jeremy Taylor's "fat kid" evolved into a ripped Jay Ryan, and Jack Dylan Grazer became James Ransone. There is one more character who doesn't quite make it in, but I won't give away too much.
Even without my bias as a fellow Swede, Bill Skarsgård is spectacular as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, It's primary form, and the character does all the unnerving stuff you expect. He stalks, he lurks, he transforms based on his victim's innermost fears and anxieties, he mauls, and he terrifies. He also attacks a homosexual character, which was reportedly the final straw for the Internet journalists, totally not proving that these people are officially the dumbest f-cks.
Also involved are Javier Botet as the Leper, either one of It's forms or an image he creates within a given victim's mind. Teach Grant portrays an aged and insane version of the bully from the previous It, and Xavier Dolan has a decidedly unexpected cameo. Stephen King as a store clerk is a little less shocking.
Speaking of King, I don't know how well this movie fares in terms of faithfulness. It recaptures some of the iconic Stephen King silliness - willingly or not - but it is in many ways more moving and scary than, say, the original miniseries or any given adaptation that Steve wholeheartedly approves of. I'm told there's also supposed to be a giant space turtle, even though I could have sworn readers of King take him very seriously.
The movie is indeed rather silly when it doesn't mean to be, and often falls flat when it does. Nonetheless, it delivers in terms of excitement, performances (mainly Skarsgård), and a sense of nostalgia that even those not born in the '80s can relate to. It also has jump scares and a clown so the average horror viewer will get what they're looking for, no questions asked.
All the same, a more apt "Chapter Two" would have been a film that focuses on the first movie's heroes all grown up. I thought the whole point of following the children on their own in 2017 film, instead of playing both plotlines back-to-back like the original It, was to give the adults their own movie. Whether you want to make one King adaptation with flashbacks throughout, or a double feature with one film per time period, either option is fine. But I'd advise you pick one and stick to it.