Bill Skarsgård (r) stars in It Chapter Two |
Nothing Lasts Forever
Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Evil resurfaces in Derry as director Andy Muschietti reunites the Losers Club in a return to where it all began with "It Chapter Two," the conclusion to the highest-grossing horror film of all time. Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) he has returned to terrorize the town of Derry once more. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, kids are disappearing again, so Mike, the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home. Damaged by the experiences of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears to destroy Pennywise once and for all... putting them directly in the path of the clown that has become deadlier than ever.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, and Bill Skarsgård
What's Good: Pennywise returns, luring kids (and adults) to their doom with unrivaled creepiness, and (dare I say) panache. If only there was more of him, and less of everyone else... with the notable exceptions of Bill Hader, and Joan Gregson as a kindly old lady, who turns out to be anything but.
What's Not: First the obvious, it's almost three hours long: No horror movie should last that long, especially one that isn't a fraction as scary as the first chapter (yet alone, the 1990 miniseries with Tim Curry.) In addition to the lack of thrills, there's none of the charm that made the first movie so much fun. In its place? An overemphasis on cheap/ludicrous special effects, and a series of listless performances from normally solid actors (James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, etc..) P.S. One flashback is OK. Perhaps even two. More than a dozen? That's poor direction.
Budget: $60-70 million
Runtime: 169 minutes... or 10,140 seconds. Either way, too long.
Target Audience: Horror/Stephen King fans. Folks with three hours to kill.
Bottom Line: I really wanted to like it (pun intended) but the best part of this movie is its trailer. Pennywise is terrific. So much so, it makes better sense to set him loose in another location, with an all-new cast of potential victims. Instead, we're left with an uninspired retread of a far superior movie. No thanks.
Grade: D+