It Review: The Losers Win Big
With Fall fast on the horizon, one of the most anticipated horror releases has finally hit theaters. An adaption of the incredible Stephen King novel of the same name, many fondly remember the 1990 mini-series featuring the incomparable performance of Tim Curry as Pennywise. This new version is very likely to be remembered as fondly as its other incarnations in the future.
The strongest asset of the film comes from the performances of The Losers Club. The assembled young cast pulls off a fantastic performance making our heroes incredible likable and relatable. The group is feels like an authentic circles of friends, and it is very easy to root for them in their fight against Pennywise. In particular, Finn Wolfhard as Richie, and Sophia Lillis as Beverly steal the show. However, some characters, in particular Mike, seem a tad bit underdeveloped, but overall the film does a good job fleshing the Club out.
Bill Skarsgård is an effectively creepy and unnerving Pennywise. His scene with Georgie in the beginning sets up how terrifying this character will be. His voice and mannerisms are effective at keeping the audience on edge throughout. Unfortunately the character is not given a whole lot of time to talk, mostly popping up for jump scares. Although effective, it would have been nice to give Pennywise more time to interact with the kids would have made him even scarier.
The overall handling of the story and dark subject matter is quite impressive. The most terrifying arts of the film belong to the various adults in the town of Derry. Whether it be the a pharmacist making the name Lois Lane feel unclean, to Beverly's dad just being downright unnerving around his “little girl”, the adults make it feel like the Losers are truly on their own against the evil infecting the town. The movie also does not shy away from violence, and does a great job early on showing anyone can get mangled.
Sadly, for all the good of the film, the weakest part comes from the Bowers gang. In a film with plenty of creepy villains, the gang comes off as a bit over the top. The gang, with the exception of Henry Bowers, is mostly just there. In particular, fans of the book will find the character of Patrick to lacking any of the disturbing story line that makes him a standout in the novel. The bullies are just there to be another obstacle to the Losers, and really get the short end of the stick when it comes to character development.
Overall, It may have some character issues, but it manages to mostly cover those issues using great use of dread and tension, as well as strong performances from the entire cast. It is a great film to kick off the Halloween season, and It Chapter 2 in 2019 can not come soon enough.
4.5/5 stars
