IT: Chapter Two Review

IT Ends! "IT: Chapter Two". Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Stanley Uris: "Be who you want to be. Be proud. And if you find someone worth holding on to, never, ever, let them go. Follow your own path, wherever that takes you."

As I start to review this film, I just want to start by saying how much anticipation I had for it going into 2019. When the sequel was announced, I had so much excitement because of how great the first film was. And since this granted the telling of the Adult Losers Club story, I began to think how they would incorporate the elements from the novel to some of the changes they would do. I thought “Chapter One” was handled with care and precision, diving into the characters of the children and expanding on the ideas of being scared while overcoming the fears you may have at that age. “Chapter One” leveled out what was unnecessary and kept what was necessary, plus adding the essential elements from the novel that would be suitable for fans. When it comes to “IT: Chapter Two” there is a feeling of unorganization and a sense of frustration in certain ways. While I liked the film to a degree, and praising it for really going bold, “Chapter Two” definitely has its faults and some of those include the script, jump scares and characters.

“IT: Chapter Two” is about the Losers Club coming back to their hometown to fight Pennywise the Dancing Clown once again since every 27 years he comes to feed on the children of the town. There is not much I can go into detail without spoiling, and I will not in this review just because there are a ton of people who want to see this film that I may know. But while its premise seems logical and easy to grasp, I believe it is far more complicated than one might actually think after seeing this film.

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in "IT: Chapter Two". Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

And I will go into many of my criticisms, but I do believe there is some unique worthy elements that the film contains. Mainly being the cast. James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan and James Ransone. This entire cast embodies each character perfectly, to the point where they cross cut and match up their younger self’s with the older self’s, which feels incredibly identical. And the one character that truly has an arc, which is one of my faults in the film but that is for later, is Richie played exceptional by Mr. Hader. All of the praise that he is the scene stealer, that is true. The acting in this film is by far the best part, and they have to work with a lot here and carry this nearly three hour horror film.

That is one priaise that I would like to go back and revisist with “Chapter Two” and another element is the cinematopgraphy. There are many shots in the film where I was genuinely impressed by how it was crafted. And when the craziness happens near the end of the film, there are many subjective pieces that have the camera moving in weird directions, while having some imprssive effects for the most part. And there is no doubt that Andy Muschetti has a knack for directing. He surely elevates this film to highs that I did not expect, but without his craftiness this film could have been a complete mess. Which is where I find “Chapter Two” overwhelming.

I think the best way to start my critiques is by stating the obvious, “Chapter Two” is long. And a long film that easily could have been shortened or extended. Kind of like “Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood” this year. Except with “Chapter Two” this film sits at nearly a three hour runtime and does not have the greatest conclusion to the Adult Losers Club story. These characters in the film are given a chance to shine and have their arc come into full furuension. However, due to the amount of jump scares this film has, it takes out the emotional arcs these characters can have. Not to mention that these characters, who blantly overcame their fears in the first film, end up having the same fears in the second. It is a repeat in their ideologies, which surprised me because why would they not develop different fears? How come they did not come back to Darry and have Pennywise exploit those fears?

Not to mention the scares in this film become increasingly repetitive as the narrative progresses. Since todays audiences have no patience to sit still and take in a scene where characters just talk, they have to add some elevated tension to have the film progress as a faster rate, since the film is nearly clocking in at three hours. And yes there are innovative scares that Muschetti creates that makes some of the scenes stand out, but that also is what makes the film not stand out. “Chapter One” handled the characters so well that jump scares and the scares themselves became elevated on their own because we cared so much for them. However, when we watch “Chapter Two” on a separate viewing, even combining both films to that matter, the film just relies too much on the success“Chapter One".

And for that reason the film gets messy, while trying to balance jump scares with character development. It becomes extremely muddled. I believe it has to take one route or the other and keep the other element to a lesser degree, instead of trying to balance all of it. Why do you there was a miniseries and a TV movie? It’s because the source material is LONG. There is so much to cover and change. And it might be a personal preference, but “Chapter Two” tries so hard to incorporate the development thorugh the scares themselves, when really it should be the opposite. Not to mention that horror films have to establish the reality within themselves. With no established setting, it becomes unclear what is happening and what we define as “real” to us the audience.

From Left to Right: Isaiah Mustafa, Bill Hader, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Jay Ryan all star in "IT: Chapter Two". Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Partly it is due to the script as well. There is a challenge when adapting a novel like “IT” because it is regarded as one of the best horror stories ever made. Many have argued that the story is filled with brilliant ideas, but is also a giant mess. So maybe this is the best we can get out of the Adult Losers Club storyline? But I like to beg a differ. I think “Chapter Two” could have been a unqiue horror epic, which to a degree it can be, but that normally does not get made. And many of the decisions are trying to suit fans of the book, comtemporary audiences and partly filmlovers with innovative filmmaking. It is a film I might be puzzled about for a long time because most audiences might say that they liked “Chapter Two” “for the most part.” Which means they were asking for better as well.

While it seems I have been a little harsh on “Chapter Two” I did not “hate” this film because of the many disappointing choices that came into play. For myself, I believe there should have been many instants where chaaracters could have their moments in a quiet and emotional setting. It would have given us the audience, and honestly the characters themselves, a chance to breathe and take in a silent moment that does not do much. Where the scenes could speak for themselves. Instead the film goes all over the place with its scares, essentially making the fatigue feeling stand out the most, atleast for myself. All the scares became predictable with the music dropping to a quiet level and then having us wait for a second and then BAM! Scared you! Imagine that lookout, but for about two hours of this film. Nearly over a 2/3 of the film is just jump scares. “Chapter Two” while contains moments of brilliancy from the acting and directing department, the rest of the film does not know when to “float” when it needs too. I hope to rewatch “Chapter Two” again and I know I will with Halloweens in the future, however, I need to gather myself first before I hop back onto the rollercoaster again. Its fine. The film is good but not great. It lies right in between for me.

Rating: C+

Run Time: 2 Hours 49 Minutes