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Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2020)

The novels of Stephen King have been transferred to film perhaps more than any other author of all time. The fact that he writes nonstop might have something to do with that. But even now a number of his books that were turned into films are being remade before new ones are even filmed. A remake of THE STAND is in the works. And last year we were presented with the first of two parts of IT, a remake of the TV film. Now IT CHAPTER 2 is out on disc, completing the story that began in the first film.
If you recall at the end of the first film the group of kids known as the Losers faced off against Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) the clown, defeating him at least for the moment. Pennywise is supposed to return every 27 years. At the end they all swore to return to combat Pennywise once again if he did come back. That time is now.
The only member of the group to remain in Derry, Maine, was Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) working in the library. When a group of teens beat up a gay man and toss him in the river, his boyfriend watches as Pennywise eats him. Mike overhears what's taken place over the police scanner and knows what to do. He begins calling the rest of the gang.
But for the rest of them life has moved on and the further from Derry they moved the more their memories of what took place have left them. Bill (James McAvoy) is married to an actress and now an author and screenwriter in the middle of a film being made out of one of his books. Richie (Bill Hader) is a professional stand-up comedian with anxiety issues. Ben (Jay Ryan) has lost weight, become a great looking guy and is a successful architect. Eddie (James Ransone) is an insurance salesman and married to a woman who is reminiscent of his mother. Beverly (Jessica Chastain) is in an abusive marriage and ready to leave for Derry. And Stanley (Andy Bean) remembers more than the rest, so much so that he kills himself rather than face Pennywise once more.
The group gathers together and meets in a Chinese restaurant in Derry where Mike reminds them of their past and what they faced long ago. All of them are ready to leave and abandon their promise when Pennywise makes his presence known frightening all of them. Then Beverly reveals that when she was exposed to It's deadlights, she saw that if they didn't fulfill their promise she has seen their brutal deaths, beginning with Stanley's.
The movie then moves back and forth from past to present as each one of the members must find an artifact that connects to themselves before they can face off against It. Mike has found a potential way to eliminate It, discovering where it came from and how it was defeated millions of years in the past. The artifacts each one finds shows them in their past and how they acquired the item and then how they find it once again in the present. This fills up quite a bit of the time of the film.
Of course a final battle is on the way and before they get to it It will once more let them know he's out there and preparing for them himself. He wants revenge for what they did to him 27 years ago and he'll use anything in his power to have it. He'll play on their insecurities and their fears, he'll manipulate situations involving innocents and he will find a way to stop them in their plan. The only hope they have is if they can summon the courage that they had all those years ago and face him once again.
Let me say from the start that the first problem this film has was the success of the first film. While that film was just over 2 hours the success gave the studio and director her enough confidence that they mad this one even longer, running just 11 minutes shy of 3 hours. It doesn't need to be that long. The proof of that is that the film feels 3 hours long. It's an overindulgence that doesn't destroy the story but does make it a movie you might not want to revisit any time soon.
All of the actors involved are at their best here, making the characters not just believable but mirror images of the child actors that played the roles in the first film. That's not an easy task to achieve and make the character their own at the same time. And the kids from the first film return here (or were more likely than not shot at the same time as the first film) and remain perfect in their roles.
There are a few good scares in this film like there were in the first but we're beginning to see a time in films when there is a strong dependence on CGI effects that result in their usage making the films not near as frightening. The last sequence of the film involves much of this and for me was one of the weakest moments when it should have been the highlight of the film.
All in all the film isn't bad and if you've seen the first film you will definitely want to make sure and see this follow up. Perhaps the biggest fear I have is that even though this concludes the story as told in the novel the studio will look only at numbers and decided to make yet another sequel with less money involved and no creative folks returning. Should that happen it would be sad to see.