In review; IT stays afloat in 2017 adaptation

Grace Griffin, PHS Paperclip Journalist

Right from the start, you’re thrown into the fictional town of Derry, Maine, where a monster is lurking in the sewers just below a gang of kids who call themselves the “Losers Club.” The monster, known as IT, is making kids disappear left and right, using their fear to feast on them.

Based on Stephen King’s terrifying novel, the 2017 adaptation of IT is one of the truest book to movie adaptations to come out in recent years and has now become the highest grossing horror movie of all time. This is a terrifying movie that does what the book did so many years ago, capturing the horror of IT and bringing the characters right out of the pages of the novel to life. This is a universal film that is understandable and enjoyable to moviegoers just looking for a scare but also entertains the hardcore Stephen King fans.

There will be spoilers as you continue reading.

The horror movie genre has been lost over the past few years, but IT is a breath of fresh air for horror movie enthusiasts.

Movie lover and Keene State Film Major, Zac Defreze, stated, “Most of the movies that have come out over the past few years are what I like to call, “Middle School Horror.”  My point exactly being one of the trailers that plays before IT in theaters called Polaroid.  It’s a cheesy high school horror movie that revolves around a haunted polaroid camera that kills whoever is in the picture that is taken.  It’s a formulaic movie that revolves around a bunch of teens with jump scares, and people pay to watch it.  It’s really sad for true horror movie fans like myself to see this type of horror being promoted, but thankfully IT isn’t one of those.”

The horror elements in the film are truly jaw dropping, and director Andy Muschetti captured these events perfectly. While there are some jump scares throughout the film, they are used sparingly and truly surprise you.

Viewers emotions will come full circle during this film. Anxiety levels are taken on a roller-coaster as feelings of fear, humor, and love are evoked. The horror undercut by comedy was an act of genius. After reading the gargantuan novel, my excitement for this film was through the roof, and I was not disappointed. What made the movie special for me, were the characters. All of these terrible things are happening to the kids that you have grown to love and you are rooting for them to make it out alive.

Bill Denborough, Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrack, Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom, Mike Hanlon, and Stan Uris make up the ‘Losers Club.’  They are the misfits of their town, and are so realistic and lovable, you want them to be your friends.  Each actor brought their character to life perfectly. Child actors can be hit or miss, but these actors gave solid performances across the board.  During their encounters with IT, viewers truly felt that they were scared, but they smartly lightened the mood with Richie “Trashmouth” Tozier, and Eddie Kaspbrack cracking jokes at just the right time to let you breathe a bit before getting back to the action.  The true essence of being a kid was captured perfectly.

Bill Skarsgård had big shoes to fill being cast as Pennywise the Clown after Tim Curry’s performance in 1990. When Bill Skarsgård was cast, there was a huge uproar among fans.  He was a nearly unknown actor, and for playing one of Stephen King’s most notable characters ever, Skarsgård knocked it out of the park. Skarsgård gave a chilling performance, and as someone who had high expectations for the voice of Pennywise, Skarsgård nailed it. He truly made the character his own, and adding more layers to the character while not trying to outdo, or copy the past.

While IT has amazing moments, there are some flaws in comparison to the novel.  The bullies, that are so prevalent in the book, are all very underused. In addition, two of the Losers, Mike Hanlon and Stan Uris are somewhat absent throughout the middle portion of the film, and don’t really get the same amount of development that the rest of the Losers got.

In the book, the story takes place when the characters are kids and then when they are adults.  The Chapter 2 Film will be released in September 2019 and will be the adult side of the story, with flashbacks to their time as kids. If you have not seen IT already, go check it out, it is worth the fear, laughter, and the tears.

 

9/10

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/