Hi everyone!
Welcome back for another review at One Movie Punch. Today’s film is obviously the sequel to “IT” (Episode #337), which I got to finally check out on HBO in the aftermath of last year’s wildfire evacuation. I’m definitely a huge Stephen King fan, which you can check out in the opening paragraphs of that particular review. For a few other films in the same vein, I would also recommend “The City of the Dead” (Episode #250), both “Halloween” films (Episodes #302 and #303), and “The Evil Dead” (Episode #555).
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our friends at the Grief Burrito podcast. Every week or so, Harrison and Jordan wrap up the latest in games, films, technology, science, and weirdness into a tortilla of a podcast, then share it with you for an hour or so. Check out their latest episode on the World’s Rarest Game and be sure to enter their Overwatch competition! You can catch them on Twitter and Instagram @GriefBurrito, and by searching on Facebook for Grief Burrito. Don’t miss a single episode!
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Here we go!
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Today’s movie is “IT: Chapter Two”, the sequel to 2017’s “IT”, directed by Andy Muschietti and written for the screen by Gary Dauberman, based on the rest of the novel “IT” by Stephen King. The film takes place 27 years after the first installment, and Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) has returned with a vengeance. Now the Losers Club must fulfill their promise to reunite and stop this monster forever. The film stars Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, and Andy Bean.
No spoilers.
However, there is a trigger warning for a pretty vicious, opening hate crime and heavily implied sexual abuse. If any of that will cause you trauma, skip this review and the film.
“IT: Chapter Two” is a long movie. Two hours, forty-nine minutes long, to be precise. You’ve probably heard other critics say it, and it’s true. There’s a small subset of movies that can be made within this timeframe. Tarantino was able to do it with “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” because of his incredible filmography. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was able to do it with “Avengers: Endgame” by dumping their entire roster on the screen at once. It’s hard enough to make a movie that long that’s worth watching. My main question going into “IT: Chapter Two” was whether it would be able to keep enough pace and interest to fill the time, and secondarily, whether the film would fit the small subset of films that can do it effectively. And whether someone who struck gold with the first film could do the same with the sequel.
I was worried I would be bored, but thankfully that wasn’t true. “IT: Chapter Two”, in many ways, is a typical Hollywood movie sequel from the franchises of the 80s and 90s. We’re doing the same thing, only this time the threat is bigger and badder, and we’re upping the ante with the frightful visuals, and, oh yeah, we’re going to use the entire cast from the first film again. A lot. I had expected a few flashbacks to tie to the present day, since the first film focused exclusively on the children, maybe one or two flashbacks to add poignancy, but they are featured rather extensively in this film. It’s fun to see the side-by-side, and I think this approach is much more faithful the novel’s narrative. I also feel like if you were going to use the children to this extent in the second film, that you should have used the adults more in the first film. Or just confined this film to the adult story. I’m sure, right now, there’s a Hollywood executive rubbing their hands together to make “It: Chapter Three”, which will have three times the cast, and the Losers all come together to defeat Pennywise in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Oscar please!
After watching today’s film, I think adapting “It” to the screen is one of those Quixotic endeavors that will never succeed the way you want it. Setting aside the material from the novel that will never be seen on the screen without breaking international laws, “It” is a very long book, covering a lot of ground and detail, that a wholly faithful adaptation would require at least a limited series. You can use the back and forth storytelling technique effectively then, as the original “IT” mini-series sort of did. I was amazed at how Dauberman, Palmer, and Fukunaga encapsulated the first film, but the rest of the story is simply too much for one film and not enough for two more, and with no clear break.
The rest of the story in the novel is also disjointed, but also surprisingly follows the steps of forming a team. We get the forming step, which follows the Losers getting the band back together, done in a very clever montage that acts as a show reel for the adult characters and contains some clever special effects transitions that help set the art direction and tone. We get the storming step, where the characters are divided on their team’s purpose, actions steps, etc. We get the norming step, where the characters come to grips with their purpose on the team and get the supplies they need to act. And finally, we get the performing step, where they join forces to attempt taking down Pennywise. Every scene takes its time, which is great for the rest of the film, but not the norming part, where each member of the Losers Club goes on a personal journey to find an artifact, facing Pennywise in some fashion, and moving through flashbacks to their childhood at the same time. Each, taken individually, is beautiful, but taken times the size of the Losers Club, becomes a significant portion of middle of the film. Each of these side quests before the main boss could be a full episode of a limited series, but it’s too much for a film.
It’s clear Dauberman and Muscietti want to be as faithful as financially possible with this adaptation, because the visuals are incredible. Some of the best, and most diverse, art direction while still maintaining an overall theme. No denying this film is visually stunning, and that plays a large part in preventing boredom. From the practical effects, including the costuming, sets, and locations, to the incredible special effects for the supernatural horror elements, it’s solid. Especially Pennywise, which Skarsgård reprises and complements well with the special effects swirling around him. Pennywise is one of King’s more famous characters. For King, characters come first, and this is definitely an excellent rendition between the acting, the practical, and the special effects.
There’s not time to talk about the entire cast, but I do want to give some serious praise to Bill Hader’s performance of Richie Tozier, who is played as a younger character by Finn Wolfhard. Hader and Wolfhard are a wonderful side-by-side for the film, and they both provide well-timed comic relief with their poorly-yet-perfectly-timed jokes. Hader is almost a show-stealer and competes effectively against Pennywise not just for the soul of Derry, but also for best performance.
I do want to say a few words about the ending without spoiling anything, even though it will feel quite familiar to the ending of the first film. When reading the ending of “IT” in the novel, the process is thematically potent, a culmination of the characters varied journeys, their relationships, and a memorable scene that you can put away. However, the ending doesn’t translate well to the screen, and I’m not sure it ever will. I didn’t like the ending of the “IT” mini-series, but I had always chalked that up to the state of special effects, and the budget it took to do anything, at the time. Seeing it in today’s film, I realize it will probably never work.
Some stories can only be told at the speed of a book. Not every story can be told at the speed of film. And if we’ve learned anything from “IT: Chapter Two”, it might be that. I think Muscietti’s gamble is that including this visual feast and staying as loyal as possible to the story will have it age better over time than its current reception by the critics. Or perhaps a massive, dear god let there be an intermission full edit, akin to “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair”. Only time will tell.
“IT: Chapter Two” is unintentionally a typical Hollywood sequel, seeing the Losers Club returning to fight the same fight with a bigger and badder enemy. Between the flashback-heavy storytelling technique, and the complications of adapting a story meant for a novel, the film remains faithful at the expense of being too long for effective viewing. However, Stephen King fans, and fans willing to endure the long running time at the theater for the visual experience will be well rewarded, as well as fans willing to at home, with the aid of a pause button.
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Metacritic: 58
One Movie Punch: 7.3/10
“IT: Chapter Two” (2019) is rated R and is currently playing in theaters.
A three-hour film... a three-hour film...
