(PHOTO PROVIDED VIA IMDB)
***WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
RELEASE DATE: September 8, 2017
RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 2 Hours and 15 Minutes
DIRECTOR: Andy Muschietti
WRITERS: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman
BASED ON: Stephen King's It (Novel)
STARRING:
Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough
Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Henscom
Sophia Lillis as Berverly Marsh
Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier
Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon
Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak
Wyatt Oleff as Stanely Uris
Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise
(TRAILER PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)
A few days ago I posted my premiere edition of my Halloween Movie Series featuring 1990's "It." Later that very same day I went to see the new remake. Walking in, I was unsure of how I felt about the remake. The marketing and promotional material seemed great. The images of the new Pennywise were creepy and scary. I was happy that there was a fresh take on the clown and not just the same make up on a new actor. The general feeling of the new release was to start fresh and new and to stand alone from the original mini-series but still honor it. After reading my "It 1990" review, you would be able to see what the original mini-series meant to me and that it ignited my love of the genre. My fear was, would this new take on the material effect all that for me? Would it make me feel that same passion and excitement to be scared and love it?
The answer is yes. I found this movie to be terrifying and funny and incredibly entertaining the entire time in the theater. There were times I would look around the theater and see grown men and women sitting with one hand up against their heads pretending to lean on it. You know the move I'm talking about. They are really covering their eyes by trying to play it off like they're not. Personally, I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. I have described this film to friends by saying that "It 1990" is a kids movie compared to the new one.
(PHOTOS PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: THE FIRST SEWER SHOT, FULL BODY SHOT, CHECK OUT THE LEFT CORNER AND YOU WILL SEE TIM CURRY'S PENNYWISE)
I'm not going to go into the details of the film. It's essentially the same story as the original mini-series. What is different is that we do not meet the characters as adults at all. The original relied mostly on flashbacks to introduce the characters as children and we were able to get to know them throughout said flashbacks. The 2017 film introduces you to the characters as children and they are children throughout the entire film. We never meet them as adults. You really get to know them all in childhood and get to see everything they went through as it happened to them as children. I really enjoyed this way of telling the story. I think it gave for a better movie. By the end of the film, we are told that this was only chapter one of the story through a graphic. We get to see the character grow up to one day destroy "It" and also get to refer back to all the content shown in chapter one. The children were casted great with some really talently young actors.
Pennywise was terrifying. This statement dies not take away from. Tim Curry's performance at all. He was great as Pennywise, he always will great as Pennywise. Bill Skarsgard made this version of Pennywise his own. From the empty blank stares to the creepy smile, Mr. Skarsgard truly embodied the evil that this character is and left me wanting more. It was a fantastic mix of fun with killer clown. I feel we will get a whole lot out of Pennywise in chapter two. I can't wait to see what it is.
2017's "It" lived up to the hype and set a new bar for Stephen King adaptations. "It" was a great film with a wonderfully fleshed out story and amazing acting. Did "It" live up to my personal expectations and reignite my passion for the genre? It did that and more. I give Stephen King's "It" 4 out of 5 stars. I look forward to not only seeing chapter one again, but can't wait for chapter two.
So remember whenever you see a lonely red balloon or drop something down into a sewer, you'll float too.
