Louder and more action-packed

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2019)

This instalment has a marvelous cast, and everyone, including James McAvoy (because he is James McAvoy), was great. But Bill Skasgard is the true star and does not disappoint one bit. Though he is not creepy, he is a fullblown murderous entity out to eat kids. There are many jump scares, and the loud sounds make the movie particularly jarring; making the horror more enjoyable. It has less character exploration than the first one, and less creepy, but it is an all out monster fest in the end. The movie seems to drag, and could have been a standalone movie without having to feature the previous casts. Though the decision to do so was to connect the story with the furst instalment. But it dragged the story and felt repetitive. The only backstory that was effective was James McAvoy's character, provided good character motivation. In short, the movie was fun, the casting was great, though the story coukd have been leaner.