Logan Sork Film Reviews
It
When people tend to think of iconic horror author Stephen King’s best works, It is usually one of the first things to pop into their heads. Featuring one of the most iconic monsters in King’s body of work, Pennywise the clown, the novel uses people’s underlying fear of clowns to exploit childhood memories and traumas. Due to the novel’s popularity, it was adapted into a TV miniseries in 1990. And while Tim Curry was fantastic as the sadistic clown, the rest was… not good. After a troubled early production period, director Andy Muschietti produced a new film based on the iconic novel and tackled only the first half of the book focusing on the characters as children. So, does this new version improve upon the miniseries and do King’s source material justice?
It is directed by Andy Muschietti and is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The film stars Jaden Liberher, Bill Skarsgård, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard and Jack Dylan Grazer. The story follows a group of 7 children growing up in the town of Derry, Maine as they navigate their way through their troubled childhoods. One summer will change their lives forever, when Bill’s (Liberher) brother is brutally murdered. Seeking out answers, Bill comes cross the other kids all of whom have been having the same nightmarish encounters with a mysterious clown named Pennywise (Skarsgård). Realizing their lives are at stake, the kids’ band together to stop Pennywise before they are picked off one by one, all while facing their own inner demons.
What elevates the film above most of the other recent horror films I have seen is the way it explores the characters and the difficult childhoods they face. Yes, they are being chased by a killer clown that wants nothing more than to eat them, but while that may be scary on its own the characters in the film often have to go through ordeals and challenges that are somehow even scarier. A vast array of traumas and personal dilemmas are explored in this film. These range from small things like childhood fears and worries to more traumatic experiences such as the loss of a loved one and even child molestation. While certain aspects of the film may be off-putting for some viewers, I applaud the filmmakers for taking the time to explore the traumas that these kids face rather than just making a straight-up killer clown film. This traumatic undertone can be felt throughout most of the film and gives it a real sense of humanity that makes it all the more enthralling.
Adding to the film’s humanity is the fantastic cast, who give it their all to make sure the horror of the film and the traumatic undertones are to be taken seriously. The cast of child actors featured in this film had me really worried when I first went to see this film. Typically, child performers have a tendency to over act and exaggerate certain things in order to make themselves look better and I think that could’ve resulted in a miserable viewing experience if that were the case. Thankfully however, all of the younger actors are incredible in this film. The best performance from the younger cast for me was Sophia Lilis as Beverly. She has to carry a subplot that is arguably more terrifying than a killer clown and she does so brilliantly, turning in a great performance. Jaden Liberher as Bill is also terrific, as his performance gives the film a lot emotional weight. Other standouts include Jack Dylan Grazer, whose character has to deal with an overbearing mother and Finn Wolfhard as the wise talking Ritchie.
Despite the kids in this film turning in some truly great performances, none of them hold a candle to Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the clown. Stepping into this role was not going to be easy, as it had already ben made iconic by character actor Tim Curry in the 1990’s miniseries. Despite this, Skarsgård truly makes the character his own, with this version of the character drawing his appearance and mannerisms from European clowns as opposed to American ones. This helps the character not only stand out in terms of appearance but also in mannerisms. While Pennywise may be all goofy and genuinely entertaining one second, he becomes a bloodthirsty monster the next. Skarsgård is able to change like this on a dime, making Pennywise’s unpredictable nature seem both more natural and unsettling as a result. Skarsgård truly steals the show and is easily the best thing about the movie.
That’s not to say that the movie surrounding him is bad, quite the opposite in fact. The creepy atmosphere that Muschietti creates is very unsettling and keeps you locked in for the majority of the runtime. The sequences in which our characters encounter freighting obstacles on their journey are also entertaining. The film has the benefit of featuring a shape-shifting antagonist, meaning that he will change into the thing that each character fears the most. This not only gives insight into the character’s psychological fears but also keeps the film fresh by featuring other monsters rather than just showing the same clown over and over again. The production design of the film is also quite varied and well designed, giving the film a unique look and feel that helps elevate the horror elements even further.
While the film has a lot of great things going for it, there are a few things that keep it from being perfect. One of the most prominent ones being the film’s tonal shifts. For the most part, the film maintains It’s dark and creepy tone throughout most of the running time. There are, however, moments in the film in which the filmmakers try to lighten the mood only to feel oddly out of place rather than entertaining. Part of the reason for this is that transitions to these lighthearted moments are rather abrupt with very little buildup. These shifts in tone can take the viewer out of the experience, ruining any sense of tension if even for a couple of seconds. There are also quite a few terrible adult actors in this film that try way to hard to impress the audience. These performances are made all the more terrible when you compare them to the young performers of the film. And while I did like all of the younger cast in this film, I think that the core group of friends was a little too big, resulting in some characters receiving very little to no development.
Despite these shortcomings, It is fun, scary, complex and an all-around entertaining ride. The level this film is at can be attributed to its willingness to tackle complex childhood traumas, fantastic performances and having a great creative team behind the camera to capture it all wonderfully. This is easily one of the best horror films to come out in recent years and does justice for King’s iconic novel. If your looking for a scary fun time that also has so much more than just scares, then the 2017 adaptation of It is the film for you.
8.5/10