PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Andy Muschietti’s 2017 film, IT: Chapter One (read my review here). I had always loved the 1990 miniseries, despite its differences from Stephen King’s book. When going into a remake of one of my favorite stories, I always assume that I’m going to hate it… but I didn’t this time. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. So, after two years of waiting, the time has finally come to see the sequel, IT: Chapter Two, and I went into it with different expectations. The first one was great, so part two will be just as awesome, right?
Synopsis:
Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.
Returning for the sequel are Director Andy Muschietti, Scriptwriter Gary Dauberman, Producers Barbara Muschietti, Dan Lin and Roy Lee, Composer Benjamin Wallfisch, Editor Jason Ballantine, Special FX Supervisor Kristy Hollage and several Visual FX artists including Jimmy Uddo, Nicholas Brooks, Joan Amer (Cúbica), Arnaud Brisebois (Rodeo FX) and Justin Cornish (Atomic Arts). Returning child actors include Wyatt Oleff, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Lieberher (now Jaeden Martell), Jack Dylan Grazer, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Jackson Robert Scott, Owen Teague and Nicholas Hamilton. Bill Skarsgård (Castle Rock TV series) and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’s Javier Botet (read our interview with him here) came back as well.
The newcoming adult actors playing the adult Losers are James McAvoy (Split 2016 – read our review here), Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live! TV series), Andy Bean (Swamp Thing TV series), Jessica Chastain (Dark Phoenix 2019, Crimson Peak 2015), Isaiah Mustafa (Shadowhunters TV series), Jay Ryan (Beauty and the Beast TV series) and James Ransone (Sinister franchise).
What Works
IT: Chapter Two is infused with the same raw, unadulterated childhood fear that the first movie reveled in, even though the main characters are almost 40 years old. Muschietti and Dauberman combined their talents once again to make the audience feel the pure, formidable terror that one often outgrows, the kind of dread that only Pennywise can induce in even the most grounded adults. Everyone is afraid of something, and the Dancing Clown can pick his way through your mind to find the one fear you can’t ignore, just to shove it straight down your throat.
The thought of not being good enough has followed Ben (Ryan) into adulthood, while losing control of a situation has always made Eddie (Ransone) sweat. Even 27 years later, the memory of Bev’s (Chastin) first period and her father’s decision to sex up his 12-year-old daughter made her insecure and overwhelmed, leading her marry a man exactly like Daddy. As an adult, Bill (McAvoy) may have gotten over his stutter, but the second he drives back into Derry, it’s back with a vengeance. Unfortunately for him, the guilt he feels over the death of his little brother, Georgie (Scott), has never left him, making him an easy mark for Pennywise. The same goes for Mike (Mustafa), who, as a very small child, watched his parents die in a fire, always regretting that he couldn’t do anything to help them. Richie (Hader) has carried a secret deep in his heart, one that he could never live with his friends knowing. Unable to accept the fact that the world is not the way he thinks it is, Stan’s (Bean) thin hold on his sanity slips beyond reach.
The chemistry between the older actors is striking, especially the love/hate relationship between Bill Hader’s Richie and James Ransone’s Eddie. They both have impeccable comedic timing, with Ransone playing Abbott to Hader’s Costello. I could watch those two play off each other all day. The old lady that Bev meets in her former apartment is creepier than any of the monsters from IT: Chapter Two. Holy shit, the woman is terrifying. Fun Fact: Bill Skarsgård was born in 1990, the year the original miniseries premiered. The fake teeth he had to wear made him drool a lot. Rather than fight it, Muschietti worked it into the movie, showcasing the slobbery sputum in all of its glory.
The de-aging used to make the young Losers look like they did in 2016 was wonderfully done. I was sure that they had actually filmed these scenes while shooting the first film, but after some research, I found out that Lola Visual Effects were able to manipulate the kids’ scenes in post to make them look younger. This usually isn’t a big deal, but because pre-teens Wolfhard, Jacobs, Grazer, Oleff, Lillis, Taylor and Lieberher (now Martell) had changed so much in the three years since the first movie was filmed, the only way to keep up consistency was to de-age them visually. I thought this was a great idea and one Hollywood has been using more and more lately. I do worry that this will become commonplace in films, and the natural look of actors will be phased out completely. I did think it was a cool tactic to use in IT: Chapter Two, though.
Seventy-one year old Stephen King made a funny, creative cameo appearance in IT: Chapter Two as a Derry local. It’s always such a kick when he make an appearance. There are some cool new monsters in the film, but I don’t want to spoil anything by telling you guys what they are. Just know that Pennywise isn’t the only terrifying sight you’ll see. I’m glad that they didn’t reveal them all in the trailer like they did with Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (2019 – read our review here). Casting did an award-winning job finding adult actors who are not only incredibly talented, but also look remarkably like their younger counterparts. This helped the two films dovetail nicely.
What Doesn’t Work
I am so very disappointed in the terrible visual FX in IT: Chapter Two. Like the first film, the CG images seem 2-dimensional and glossy. They have no weight and don’t seem to affect their environment the way they’re supposed to. While I do realize that visual FX artists are put under a lot of pressure to create masterpieces in record time and are often not compensated for the work they do, I would have thought that the filmmakers would have learned from the first film that if one is creating main characters in post, then they should make sure the visual artists have plenty of time to make things look right. I couldn’t believe how not scary said monsters were. Many of them are laughable, even silly, when they should be frightening the audience as much as they scare the characters. Guys, stop telling jokes and get down to the scaring, pronto!
Henry Bowers (Teach Grant), the bane of the Losers’ existence, is not the menace he should be, especially with his evil partnership. His major plot point from the book was left out, and he became more of an annoying fly than a real threat to anyone. A few of Pennywise’s shapeshifts reminded me more of silly Predator or Beetlejuice incarnations than anything else, and realizing this took me completely out of the film. There’s a definite streak of humor in this nearly three-hour sequel, almost making it a horror comedy. I usually love horror comedies, but I wasn’t a fan of it in this film. The ending of IT: Chapter Two is pretty anticlimactic, especially after all that the Losers’ Club goes through. I was hoping for a few bloody fireworks, but instead, I got a whimpering wrapup.
Final Thoughts On IT: Chapter Two
Muschietti and Dauberman took a complex, multi-character story and wrapped it up nicely in a bloody bow, bringing the trials and tribulations of the Losers’ Club in full circle. IT: Chapter Two traded frights for humor, which is a big disappointment for fans of the 2017 film who are expecting an elevated experience with more nightmares. Don’t let that stop you from watching it. This film is a must see for all horror fans.
