Review: IT
- Tom
- Sep 12, 2017
- 5 min read
The film adaptation of one of Stephen King's most famous novels floats into theaters in a spectacularly spooky fashion while also boasting a surprising amount of heart.
I've mentioned it before in my review for last month's Stephen King movie adaptation, "The Dark Tower" but I'll just quickly remind everyone that Stephen King is my favorite author. That being said, "IT" has a very special place in my heart. It's the very first Stephen King novel I ever read and to this day it remains my favorite. Probably my favorite book of all time. I've read it at least six times and it's a 1100 page epic. With that in mind, I was VERY excited for this movie to come out but I was also a bit apprehensive. As I also mentioned in my "Tower" review, there are really only two kinds of Stephen King adaptations: good and terrible. I can enthusiastically say that this film has exceeded all my expectations and, in my opinion, become one of the best Stephen King movies of all time.
"IT" tells the story of a group of outcast kids in 1989 living in the small town of Derry who are being terrorized by an ancient, supernatural evil that feeds on their fear. This monster is a shape-shifter that delights in taking the shape of whatever scares them the most but its favorite form is of course that of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The self-proclaimed "Losers Club" must band together in order to defeat IT before IT causes anymore children to mysteriously disappear.
I could talk for hours about how awesome this movie is but I'll try to keep it concise. I first have to applaud the entire film crew: the director, the actors, the writers, the set designers, etc. They obviously worked very hard on this movie and they did a fantastic job of staying faithful to the novel. Locations, names, and even whole blocks of dialogue are lifted straight from the pages of the book. Of course it's not a shot-for-shot adaption, hardly any screenplay lifted from a book is. The creative differences from the novel work very well in the film's favor. Rather than taking place during the 1950s, the setting is the 1980s, which is a decade that, thanks to "Stranger Things," is a little more popular with people nowadays. The movie also capitalizes on last year's "killer clowns in the woods" paranoia. I seriously doubt anyone will be hiring any clowns for birthday parties any time soon...if ever again.
My favorite thing about the novel is how King's writing literally sucks you into the story. The characters and setting are so realistic and relatable that you start to feel like you yourself are one of the kids facing down this unspeakable evil. This makes the novel all the more suspenseful and horrifying when IT starts tearing kids' limbs off and feasting on their remains. Director Andres Muschietti (the guy who directed both the short film and the 2013 theatrical version of horror flick MAMA) and the cast truly bring the novel to life on the big screen. The actors breathe life into their literary counterparts in spectacular form. The Losers Club is diverse, believable and relatable. Each of them has their own personality, fears and quirks. I find it hard to think there isn't at least one of those kids you could see yourself in. Just like the novel, this helps amp up the tension when Pennywise starts popping up to scare the sh*t out of them. Speaking of Pennywise...
The titular monster is played by Bill Skarsgard, son of the Thor movies' Stellan Skarsgard and brother of True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard. Bill kills it (pun intended) in this movie. Now this isn't the first time "IT" has been adapted for the screen. The 1990 TV miniseries that starred Tim Curry as Pennywise has developed quite a cult following. To be honest, I wasn't too big a fan. I found the acting pretty terrible and a lot of it was over the top and cheesy even by 90s standards. Curry's Pennywise was the saving grace but Skarsgard takes the killer clown to a whole different level. His Pennywise is absolutely terrifying yet subtle. As scary as he is, he also brings an air of inviting to the character which poor Georgie Denbrough falls victim to in the movie's opening scene. CGI helps out in the more elaborate horror sequences but its all in the eyes and the voice for me. Every time you see Pennywise appear on screen, it's tough to look away.
This move is SCARY. Similar to how diverse the characters are, Pennywise's shape-shifting allows for a variety of effective scares. Every fright is unique and rarely, if ever, happens twice. In addition to an evil clown, there's dark basements, haunted houses, dismemberment, creepy kids, blood, heck there's something for everyone! Once this movie gets going, it doesn't let up. The marketing team also did a great job of not giving away the best scares in the trailers. Every scene that appears in the trailer does indeed appear during the 135 minute move, only better. There are tons of scares and surprises in this film that you don't see coming. They did a great job of not going overboard in the trailers; something most movies nowadays seem to have a hard time doing.
In addition to all the terror, the movie also has a generous amount of laughs. When a horror movie has too much humor, the scares fall flat. When there isn't enough humor to diffuse the tension, the movie becomes exhausting. "IT" is a horror movie that is appropriately, equally terrifying and hilarious. Most of the laughs come from hearing junior high-aged kids cursing like sailors when there isn't an adult around. Speaking of which, I have to give a shout-out to "Stranger Things" star Finn Wolfhard who plays loudmouth scene-stealer Richie Tozier. He contributes a lot of the movie's comic relief and not once did it feel forced or out of place. The movie gets the audience genuinely laughing out loud as they wait for Pennywise to show up again.
The movie also does a great job of capturing the heart of the novel. The themes of friendship, childhood trauma, and facing one's greatest fears come across naturally and in a meaningful way.
I cannot give enough praise to the cast of young actors who really captured what it feels like to be a kid during the dog days of summer. Their dedicated performances help suck you into the story (just like the novel) so you start to feel like one of them. My only complaint would be that the character of Mike Hanlon is the least fleshed out. Understandable since there are a lot of kids to learn about in this movie. I mean something has to give. Mike plays a pretty important role in the novel so hopefully he gets a little more development in the already planned 2019 sequel.
Final Thoughts: With a stellar cast, a script packed with heart and genuinely terrifying scares, "IT" instantly becomes one of the best modern horror movies and Stephen King adaptations out there.
Overall Grade: A
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