As the newest adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name, "It" has a lot to live up to. Not only is the novel a classic, It has to contend with the fact that the original mini-series; that had the great Tim Curry as Pennywise the dancing clown, is really well loved by many, and is known to have scared a lot of kids watching it. Does this 2017 version as directed by Andy Muschietti live up to the great expectations? I would say that yes it does. It most definitely does. If some kids weren't already scared of clowns before, they probably will be after seeing this.
There's a lot to like about this adaptation. At 135 minutes, this movie moves at an impressive pace. Mixing in character developing moments back to back with the scary moments is done in such an efficient manner, that by the end of the whole thing, I just wanted more of this good stuff. I also appreciated the fact that while there are many really well created creepy and scary set pieces here, I don't think the movie went overboard with the scares. A jump scare here, an ominous moment there, or a little bit of bloody gore, this movie allowed the premise itself to provide the stuff of nightmares. Although there was one particular set piece that was uncomfortably dark and creepy, that it was arguably the most realistic scary scene of the whole thing.
Bravo to Bill Skarsgard for giving us his own great take of Pennywise. Although some of his monstrous forms can be attributed with the help of CGI, Bill himself was fantastic in the role. The whole young cast itself is phenomenal here! Some times capturing the spirit of youth can be hard to translate on screen, but these talented kids pulled it off greatly. Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, and the rest of the gang really carried this movie. I particular like the fact that just like kids in real life, they constantly keep teasing each other, which also helped add that welcome levity to this horror tale.
Although there were just enough character development to allow you to have some attachment to these scharacters, I admit that there were a few that were given just a little bit more attention than the others. While the narrative itself was told well, there were some plot holes whose answers were just left to our imagination, and that may annoy some viewers. So besides the fact this may not be a completely perfect movie, "It" is still an absolute blast to watch. Fun and enjoyable entertainment, to go along with the idea of a killer clown that lives in the sewers. Good times!
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