Logan Sork Film Reviews
It: Chapter Two
There’s a running gag throughout the film in which one of the main characters has grown up to be a writer and has written a lot of great stories. The catch however, is that he can’t write a good ending to save his life. While this is obviously a reference writer Stephen King and his widely known habit of writing bad endings, I can’t help but feel that the film is also poking a little fun at itself in some regards. Sure, there are a lot of good things to be found, but there are also some not so good things that keep this horror sequel from reaching the heights of the original.
It: Chapter Two is once again directed by Andy Muschietti and is the sequel to the 2017 film It. The film stars Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, and James Ransone as the older versions of the Losers club from the original film. The story picks up 27 years after the events of the first film, with most of the Losers having moved away from the town of Derry to start their own lives. Their new lives are interrupted when Mike (Mustafa), the only one to have stayed behind, tells them that people in Derry are once again being terrorized by the evil creature that takes the form of Pennywise the clown (Bill Skarsgard). Keeping true to the oath they swore as kids, the losers once again band together to stop It once and for all.
Much like the first film, this one looks and sounds absolutely fantastic. Muschietti and his production team once again craft a visually stunning, yet ultimately eerie looking film with tons of amazing set pieces. The cinematography especially deserves praise as the team behind it find a lot of cool visual transitions that give the film a couple of nice touches here and there that really make this movie feel special. The set pieces are also great and help contribute to the film’s unique look and feel. There are also a few fantastic creepy moments involving the titular monster that really help give the film some great dark moments. However, there are a lot more CG effects employed in this film and they aren’t as convincing as most of the practical effects employed in the original. While the effects are admittedly interesting to look at, there’s this underlying synthetic feel to them that causes the film to lose tension. Still, the other production elements and the overall look of the film help balance out the fake looking visual effects.
One of the things that made the first film so great was the young cast and the chemistry they had with one another. I was nervous to see if the adult versions of the characters would be as good their younger counterparts, as I though this could not be replicated. Thankfully however, I was wrong as this cast is absolutely fantastic. The adults perfectly emulate their younger counterparts not only in appearance, but also in mannerisms and their fantastic chemistry. The best scenes in the film (aside from a few great moments involving Pennywise, who once gain steals the show) are the ones in which our characters interact with one another, showing that even though our characters are older, they are still wonderful friends. The younger cast also makes a return in the form of flashbacks and are just as good. However, because they had changed dramatically between this one and the original, some of the kids had to be altered with visual effects in order to maintain continuity and boy is it distracting. And while it was fun to see the younger cast members again, their presence often felt unnecessary.
This brings me to my issues with the film, which is that the story in this film is all over the place. The film wants to not only tell a story about adults confronting their childhood fears, but also add in scenes that took place during the events of the original AND tries to explain the confusing and ridiculous mythology of Pennywise. Trying to do all of this in one film not only causes the run time to bloat up (this film is three hours long and could’ve easily lost forty minutes) but it makes it hard to clearly develop one of the many plots this film is trying to juggle. On top of the three main plots going on, there are also several subplots that feel either underdeveloped or completely unnecessary. And while there are a couple of great character moments spread throughout, they aren’t enough to save the film’s clumsy handling of these multiple stories and plot lines.
But the one thing that really bugged me about the film is how not scary it was. Sure, there are a handful of creepy moments involving Pennywise and the other forms the creature takes throughout the film, but there was not a single genuine freight throughout the entire film. This is a surprise for sure, because the same creative team behind the original film has returned here, and the original was no slouch when it came to the terror department. In fact, this film plays more like a horror comedy than an actual horror film, with tons of creepy moments being undercut by a funny moment or a silly visual. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy funny horror films (A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of my favorites). But as someone who was a fan of the hardcore scares of the first one, it was a little disappointing to see this creative team take a more lighthearted direction this time around, especially given how scary the first one was. There were also quite a few moments where I could not tell if they were trying to be serious or funny, resulting in quite a few tonal inconsistencies throughout the running time.
In the end, It: Chapter Two bites off a little more than it can chew, resulting in a sequel that can’t hold a candle to the original. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of good to be found here, from the fantastic production values and the overall look of the film to the creepy Pennywise moments and fantastic cast. These great things are however weighed down by a convoluted plot, a lack of overall focus and a more lighthearted approach that loses the edge the original had. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a lot of fun watching this film, as there are some truly standout moments. So, while this film ultimately can’t provide a satisfying ending to this horror saga, there are still a good amount of fun moments and interesting elements to warrant at least one go around.
6.5/10