It had its moments

Rating: 7/10 (25 September 2019)

Overall, this movie didn't really match up with its predecessor. I was never truly bored with this movie, but for me it was more of a comedy rather than a horror movie. Some moments worked really well with the scares, like Vicky's death under the bleachers (even though it was spoiled in the countless tv spots) and the dearth of Dean in the Hall of Mirrors.
But most of the time, primarily the entire second act, the scares just got more and more redundant. They all had pretty much the exact same setup and pay off. They all included CGI monsters that tried to attack the adult losers, sometimes in flashbacks as kids as well, and then they ran off and cut to the next loser.
The story could've been looked over just one more time before being sent off to the cast and crew for a table read. The first act felt a bit rushed to be honest, due to the fact that the losers' introductions are just rushed through to make time for the second act and reunion. The aforementioned second act was just super redundant, it had no purpose besides giving the kids more screen time, and it didn't really catch anyone in the audience for a scare. But rather the whole theater was roaring with laughter at most of the scares. And the third act was just all over the place. The way the ritual of chÃ¼d was done in the film was drastically different than the first one, and really served no purpose whatsoever. The way they defeat penny wise does make some sense, but it was not the smartest choice made by Andy Muschietti.
I'm the end, this movie does have its moments where they catch you by surprise. But those moments are pretty rare in this film. I would recommend maybe seeing it once or just waiting until it comes out on digital. Which I'm pretty sure is very soon.