Review: It Chapter 2

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Beep Beep, Richie. 

Due to personal reasons, this is going to be shorter than usual. I have other content I had previously written scheduled for Thursday and Sunday, otherwise I may be a bit sporadic for a bit. 

I went into this with medium level expectations because I personally think the kids had a better story than the adults in the novel. This isn't nearly as good as chapter one but the actors are amazing. Bill Hader, Jason Ransone and Bill Skarsgard in particular are fantastic. Skarsgard actually maybe be feel bad for Pennywise for a second which is extraordinary. His range is very convincing. Adult Richie and Eddie were everything, their banter was amazing.

I think this film had more than a few problems though. It's all over the place, which isn't necessarily the film's fault, the book is practically unfilmable once you revisit the Losers Club as adults. The CGI they used on the kids (who were shoe-horned in, though it was kind of nice to see them again, especially little Stan) was distracted. They had overly smooth faces and it was impossible for me to watch without thinking about something being digitally edited with them. The biggest problem for me, was once again Mike, this time played very well by Isaiah Mustafa. I don't think the film does a very good job of making him seem like he's one of the Losers. I don't know if it's magnified as the only POC character, but it seems like he's just hanging around them instead of being *with* them. Bev and Ben, Bev and Bill, Eddie and Richie, they all have these really powerful scenes together and Ben just doesn't get that same intimacy with the Losers despite being the one that remembers everything. He's basically treated as a prop, whereas the novel did a better job of making him feel like one of the gang. 

I'm not sure that I'll be rushing out to purchase It Chapter 2 as I did chapter one, but the actors elevate the hell out of this movie and it's very creepy.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "Who married a woman 10 times his body mass?" - Richie (Bill Hader)

Comments

  1. s.September 10, 2019 at 1:25 PM

    I'm so glad you liked it! Hader and Ransone elevated it so much and made it so much fun, that dog scene very nearly killed me especially with Bill being on the verge of breaking when he said "Ok, he is NOT fucking with us!". I didn't mind the de-aging CGI but Grazer's voice in the clubhouse scene was....a choice lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 10, 2019 at 10:26 PM

      That was so distracting. I think Finn got the worst of the de-aging. His entire head was legit a different shape lol.

      Delete
  2. Often Off TopicSeptember 11, 2019 at 6:52 AM

    Once the jetlag has settled I'm going to see this as soon as I can. I never thought I'd be so excited for a horror movie...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 11, 2019 at 9:58 AM

      I hope you like it and that it doesn't scare you too much.

      Delete
  3. m.brownSeptember 11, 2019 at 10:43 PM

    Good call on Mike. Like if they had some weird reveal that Mike was a ghost the whole time it would probably make more sense.

    And I'm with you, the kids had a better story to tell.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ChrisSeptember 14, 2019 at 4:46 PM

    The scene with Pennywise and the little girl is creepy. The rest of the scares were too predictable. I was still entertained though thanks to the well-paced story. Didn't notice the de-aging CGI for the kids so that wasn't a distraction for me. I wouldn't call it a great sequel but it's better than part 2 of 1990 mini-series!

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 14, 2019 at 6:57 PM

      Oh God the mini series. I agree the scares were predictable. They did draw out the tension on them, which I suppose is a good thing too.

      I'm not sure the de-aging would've stuck out to me as much had I not just watched Stranger Things so I know Finn Wolfhard doesn't look like that anymore.

      Delete
  5. KatySeptember 15, 2019 at 1:23 AM

    Nice review! Maybe if the director releases an ultimate edition, I'll like this more...but the editing and script were so wonky. I feel like if they cut all the flashbacks/kids randomly popping up, and fleshed out the characters more, it would've easily been 10x smoother and layered. I wish the first half of the movie was as strong as third act.

    ReplyDelete
  6. HeatherSeptember 16, 2019 at 7:32 AM

    Great review! I feel the same way, especially about Mike and the de-aging of the kids. I didn't really find anything too stand out about the film, except for Bill Hader, it all just felt a bit meh for me.

    ReplyDelete

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