It Chapter Two
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Written by: Gary Dauberman - Based on the book by Stephen King
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Teach Grant, Nicholas Hamilton, Javier Botet, Joan Gregson, Stephen Bogaert, Luke Roessler, Stephen King, Peter Bogdanovich, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Jackson Robert Scott
Horror - 169 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 4 Sep 2019
Written by: Gary Dauberman - Based on the book by Stephen King
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Teach Grant, Nicholas Hamilton, Javier Botet, Joan Gregson, Stephen Bogaert, Luke Roessler, Stephen King, Peter Bogdanovich, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Jackson Robert Scott
Horror - 169 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 4 Sep 2019
Director Andy Muschietti painted himself into a corner. It is not all his fault; the two halves of “IT” mirror each other. Both sections chart the formation of The Loser’s Club, the part where they confront their respective inner demons, and a climactic clown encounter. Muschietti repeats himself in Chapter 2, but there is no way around the episodic symmetry. What he does have control over is the much too long running time and the monotonous storytelling whereby each character takes their turn toward the macabre. It’s not all tedium though, Muschietti proves he can still make your stomach churn delivering nauseating ways for a clown to massacre children. Chapter Two is not as fear-inducing and absorbing as its predecessor, which happens to be the number one grossing horror film of all time, but it’s worthy of its star cast and contains just enough frights to avoid any serious complaints.
First off, don’t be like the family I saw bring their three year-old to the screening. IT is about how childhood fears and demons impact the adult versions of the characters. They are scarred, but don’t really know why. That toddler witnessed torturous screaming, a clown biting into children’s heads, and a dead kid’s disembodied cranium turn into a spider and climb up the walls. If Toy Story 4 left the boy with dreams of sugarplums, It Chapter Two is certain to leave him with nightmares of jagged teeth and naked witches. Muschietti should be proud - he is very adept at murdering little kids. Georgie’s early death in the first film is already a classic horror moment and the two new scenes, one underneath crowded bleachers and one in a carnival mirror maze are not as blood-curdling, but they’re rough to watch.
First off, don’t be like the family I saw bring their three year-old to the screening. IT is about how childhood fears and demons impact the adult versions of the characters. They are scarred, but don’t really know why. That toddler witnessed torturous screaming, a clown biting into children’s heads, and a dead kid’s disembodied cranium turn into a spider and climb up the walls. If Toy Story 4 left the boy with dreams of sugarplums, It Chapter Two is certain to leave him with nightmares of jagged teeth and naked witches. Muschietti should be proud - he is very adept at murdering little kids. Georgie’s early death in the first film is already a classic horror moment and the two new scenes, one underneath crowded bleachers and one in a carnival mirror maze are not as blood-curdling, but they’re rough to watch.
It’s been 27 years and Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård, Deadpool 2) is back wrecking havoc on tiny Derry, Maine. I can see why Derry would attract a murderous clown; it is not a welcoming place. The opening carnage shows some inbred townies committing a vicious hate crime. If anybody needs an omnipresent clown to remove their internal organs in an unpleasant manner, it’s these greaseballs. Of the seven Loser’s Club members and survivors of Pennywise’s earlier malevolence, only Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) stayed behind. Calling the others back home is not an easy maneuver. Yes, people are busy out in the real world with jobs and families, but for some reason, the thought of going back to Derry fills them with a queasy sort of dread. They have forgotten. Leaving Derry meant leaving behind what happened, even though there are shadows in their minds suggesting something terrible affected them as children.
Most of the adult cast resembles their younger iterations, especially Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, and Jason Ransome. They are the spitting images of younger Beverly, Richie, and Eddie. Their personalities are mostly the same, but amplified for the adult world. Wiseass Richie is a stand-up comic, hypochondriac Eddie is an insurance risk analyst, and older Ben, who built the club’s impressive playhouse, is an architect. Ben (Jay Ryan) is no longer the awkward fat kid though, he’s lean and confident now. James McAvoy (Dark Phoenix) as older Bill is still the natural leader of the crew and has his hands full trying to keep most of the team from fleeing, remembering what happened to Georgie, and trying to protect a neighborhood kid from becoming Pennywise’s next meal.
To fight Pennywise, the team must split up, confront the past, and face their darkest fears. It is these back-to-back scenes times six which really chew up the running time and some are much stronger than others. Beverly’s interaction with an old lady in the apartment where she grew up is masterful. Unfortunately, Eddie’s run-in at the local pharmacy and Richie’s arcade scene are forgettable fluff. The theme of, “the past is buried, you’re gonna have to dig it up” is beat to death. If Muschietti employed some effective editing and saved some of these episodes for a later Director’s Cut perhaps, Chapter Two may have had a fighting chance of matching the first one. The sequel also does not stand on its own. There is no skipping the first film and entering the story from the middle - it is beholden to its older brother. Referring to the group as the Loser’s Club does not work so well since the majority of the time they are all by themselves making the film feel much stronger when more than one or two of them share the screen. Chapter Two is not a terrible disappointment, far from it, but it is a glaring step down.
Comment Box is loading comments...
