A bland, boring assault on an iconic story.

Rating: 1/10 (9 September 2019)

It: Chapter Two is bad.
As a fan of the book and first film, there were a few scenes I enjoyed and though there are one or two performances that hit right, they dropped the ball hard with this one.
Starting with where the bad of this film begins, the writing is awful. It tried and failed to capture the parts of the book and Chapter One that intrigued so many people.
Then, there's the acting. I expected so much more from such huge names, who I'm an active fan of because of their talent, and I think the biggest disappointment for me was Jessica Chastain's Beverly. Being the powerhouse of an actress she is, I expected her usual quality of performance but something was lacking. It could have to do with the writing, but I can't pinpoint it. Bill Hader and James Ransone have satisfactory performances. Isaiah didn't feel like Mike, though he is a good actor. Jay Ryan was alright, I guess? And while his performance as Bill was good, James McAvoy's American accent took me out of the story a lot and he, like everyone else, didn't feel like his character to me.
To flip to a positive take though, the two actors I do think had the best performances are Andy Bean and Jaeden Martell. Andy Bean was the only adult Loser who felt like their character and delivered in his portrayal (though James Ransone also came super close) of his younger counterpart despite only being in a few minutes of the movie. He perfectly captured Stan better than any of the other adults did with their characters. And, then, Jaeden Martell gave such a quality performance as young Bill with only so little time, even stealing the screen from James McAvoy for a few moments. You can tell they both understand their characters deeply and it shines through in the end, with their performances being so natural that they seamlessly slip into the roles of their characters without fault.
It was not a scary film, which is where it fails as a horror movie, and the only scary part was the hate crime that opened the film. (Or if you're like me, you'd agree that the changing of Eddie's last words was a horribly scary part). Every death was a for shock factor and it was a useless gore-fest that drones on. The wacky editing, shock-value deaths, and strange writing direction feels nothing like the tone of Chapter One. As a duo, this sequel fails to match the quality and tone of the first film. It lost its heart and scare-factor in the attempt to make a "bigger and better" blockbuster film.
Another aspect that particularly bothers me is the glorification of obsessive behavior on Ben's part toward his love interest Beverly. In Chapter One, one of the only parts I disliked was the blatant romanticization of him kissing her while she was unconscious and the objectification of Beverly in the love triangle. A man obsesses over a woman he barely remembers/knows for 27 years, whom he once kissed while unconscious, and we're supposed to be happy that he "gets the girl". We're supposed to be okay with the fact that his entire character arc depends on her loving him so he can cure himself of his insecurity, which boils down to bad and misogynistic writing. Woman are not a tool for you to use to feel better about yourself and they're certainly not there for you to push yourself upon when they aren't able to consent. Do better, write a story about a plus size man being worthy of love and overcoming his own issues without it being at the expense of a girl/woman's autonomy. Stop romanticizing men who take advantage of women, especially when the one in question is already a victim of sexual abuse, as he so clearly did in Chapter One.
When it comes down to it, it's a rushed attempt to recreate the magic they had in the book and while making It: Chapter One and it did not deliver. Just reinforcing how wonderful the book and first film are, Chapter Two is not scary, lacks the charm and charisma of the first film, and lacked good writing at its core. Rushed, low quality, and corny can all be used to describe this, as sad as it is to say. With only a few good performances and scenes, It: Chapter Two gets 1/10 for me.
I'm incredibly disappointed in the movie that was put out and down to the core, it starts with how badly it was written and the ripple effects of that couldn't be outrun. A horrible movie, through and through. Forced jokes, bad writing, and overacting killed this film for me.
While entertaining at surface value, it lacked everything that made you love the original story and Chapter One. And, more importantly, it didn't feel like It.