Review – IT: Chapter Two

Synopsis:

Because every 27 years evil revisits the town of Derry, Maine, “It Chapter Two” brings the characters—who’ve long since gone their separate ways—back together as adults, nearly three decades after the events of the first film.

What We Thought:

I saw IT: Chapter Two a few nights ago and I almost didn’t review it because I couldn’t come up with anything better than if you like the first movie, you’ll like this one. That’s really all I have for the film. I didn’t really like the first film and I didn’t really like this one either.

This new movie, Chapter Two, is pretty much the exact same movie as part one except the characters are now 27 years older. The first movie saw them as teens, now they are adults played by adult, big named actors (that you can see listed below). Other than a few scenes in the beginning showing the adults living elsewhere (besides one character) and returning home to Derry, the entire movie takes place there just like the 2017 film. The same jumpscares are there as well with Pennywise being all creepy and awkward looking and all the typical horror tropes used nowadays. I like slashers, I don’t like jumpscares. If you find a door opening by itself or an old lady moving in the background scary, well you’ll like this nonsense then.

Basically you have the same style and you also have the same plot. In part one the Losers Club had to band together to stop Pennywise. Well guess what happens here? Yep, the adult Losers Club must band together to stop Pennywise. They go to the same house, the same well and try to trick the scary clown.

But the biggest issue with the movie is its runtime. It’s almost 3 hours long (169 minutes) and it should barely be two hours long. There are scenes and substories that serve no purpose to the movie. I understand the book it’s based on is over 1000 pages long, but the movie(s) don’t need to be. So much could be cut and still have the same final result. The opening scene in the carnival is useless besides to get Mike to realize Pennywise could be back. There are too many flashbacks to the teen versions. There is a substory about the bullies from the first movie now being adults and crazy. You could get rid of that completely. There is a child that James McAvoy’s character tries to save at the carnival that ultimately means nothing by the end. It’s so much filler just to get to the gang fighting Pennywise by movie’s end.

I waited this long to review IT: Chapter Two because ultimately what I think is irrelevant. It will make a ton of money like the first film and people will claim to love it. The audience jumped at scenes that anyone should see coming. Bill Hader is the comedic relief the entire movie and as much as I love Bill Hader, it grew tiresome on me. He’s actually a fantastic actor beyond comedies and he could have done a lot in a horror movie besides one liners and hinting at being gay. But again it will make bank so who really cares what I think?

Director: Andy Muschietti

Writer: Screenplay by Gary Dauberman, based on the novel IT by Stephen King

Producers: Barbara Muschietti, Dan Lin, Roy Lee

Cast: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Teach Grant, and Bill Skarsgård, Andy Bean, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer