IT (2017): Movie Review [Minor Spoilers]

Note: “minor spoilers” refers to basic plot details that may or may not include specific events and features to use as talking points. Continue reading at your own risk.

The old “IT” was terrible and that’s OK.

Seriously, take a step back and remember how bad the original “IT” was. It’s poorly acted (from the adults anyway), not very scary, and is the result of trying to squeeze 1300 pages into a 3 film on a TV budget. The only reason anyone cared about it was Tim Curry’s simultaneously charming and unsettling performance as Pennywise The Clown. So, for this new “IT”, all it really had to do was be scary and be able have a memorable version of Pennywise. And it (ha) certainly does those things.

The setup is the small town of Derry, Maine (because it’s a Stephen King story) and a group of children all have sightings of horrible nightmarish creatures and ghouls and such while also seeing a creepy clown and come to the conclusion that this clown is the work of an ancient evil that has been plaguing their town for years, and plot to take it down before “It” (this certainly won’t be confusing) kills them.

So compared to the grand scheme of horror movies in recent memory, IT 2017 certainly does many things right. Namely, having characters that don’t make me want to bash my head in. During the film’s 2 hour length, the great majority of the first act is spent getting us acquainted with the main cast, and driving home just how honest the friendship between the main cast actually is. I was genuinely invested in these kids’ lives and their relationships. Each child comes off as being a genuinely relatable character whose motivations and desires are clearly established and understood. Yes, it seems like a basic and broad way to put it, but with every horror movie in recent memory being some combination of “scared family” or “scared teenagers”, the characters of Bill, Ben, Richie, Beverly, Mike, Eddie, and Stanley may just be the most lovable out of any movie in recent memory. And it should go without saying that all the child actors do a fantastic job with Richie the loudmouth being a riot and Ben the fat kid being the most sympathetic.

That being said, Richie, Mike, and Stanley all end up feeling a little underdeveloped. With a cast this large, it’s understandable but the plot loses some weight when a character we care just a little bit less about gets into trouble, and all I can think is “why is he even here?” Mike is the biggest offender of this, who gets introduced very early on in the film, then gets forgotten about for the better part of the next hour.

Then there’s the actual horror and after some consideration, I’ve come to terms with the worst thing about IT 2017 is the way it plays out its horror scenes. Now, it’s has nothing to do with Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. His performance as Pennywise has none of the charm of Tim Curry’s performance, but that just makes Skarsgård’s all the more unsettling now that all the possibility of Pennywise being funny is gone. Skarsgård reminds me of a guy who just really likes being a clown, and his performance being so expressive and off putting even under all that makeup is a true feat. The problem with IT 2017’s horror is that it lacks all form of subtlety. Every horror scene becomes a haunted house, with the reveal of some monster or Pennywise himself, followed by the same loud banging noise seen throughout any mediocre horror film to let the audience know “boo! Haha you are scared now no?” The result is each horror scene leaving no real lasting impact other than, “oh, I’m startled now”. It’s a shame, considering the way Pennywise moves and the monsters he creates (like a woman from a painting that Eddie is afraid of) show the creative potential of IT 2017’s scenes, but no place for them to breathe.

So IT 2017 is a well done character piece with some ok horror sequences sprinkled in. Does that make it good? Well I guess this comes down to personal taste. Sure IT 2017 is just a haunted house, but a well done haunted house can still get a reaction out of you (it certainly did me), and every scene developing the kids feels very genuine and touching. In my opinion, if you’re the least bit curious, you’ll certainly get your money’s worth with IT 2017, but from a more critical perspective, something more subtle could have been far more lasting.

7/10