Warner Bros. Pictures
IT: Chapter Two was one of my most anticipated films of 2019. After the gory and well-directed first film, I was excited to see how the second film would close up the Losers’ storyline set 27 years after they thought they killed Pennywise. I haven’t fully read ‘IT’ by Stephen King, but I would like to finish it at some point in my life. It is just so long! I have seen the 90s miniseries that saw Tim Curry as Pennywise and I am a fan of that.
Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) has never left Derry. After the horrifying events that took place when Mike was younger with his friends, everyone except him left Derry when they got older. Pennywise returns every 27 years and once Pennywise started killing citizens of Derry, Mike calls every one of the Losers Club and reminds them of the pact they made 27 years ago. Every one arrives back in Derry, with hazy memories of the past. Mike informs them that he knows how to kill Pennywise, which could end his terror on Derry.
IT: Chapter Two brought on an impressive cast to play the older members of the Losers Club. From Jessica Chastain to Bill Hader, the actors that were picked were perfect to match their younger selves. I was most excited to see how James McAvoy would handle the leader role in the film since his character Bill Denbrough suffered a lot in the first film.
The film relies heavily on the first film and the children’s interactions with Pennywise. Their past plays a significant role in how they could defeat Pennywise. The film offers new footage of the younger members of the Losers Club and interactions with Pennywise that haunted them as children. The film has a structure that plays it safe when going back and forth between past and present. Every member of the Losers Club has to go on a journey to collect an item that will help them defeat Pennywise. I don’t mind the story, but the way each member had their scene bothered me. I knew what was coming next since it was like a checklist. First came one member, then another, then another and so on and so on. Each member got a significant amount of time to find an item and remember their past. Also, each scene felt the same. The adult would wind up in a place in Derry, have flashbacks, and then experience some supernatural being that was controlled by Pennywise. The structure felt safe and repetitive. This added to the long run time of the film, which ultimately didn’t pay off in the end.
The first film offered great chemistry amongst the seven friends and it felt like an authentic group of friends. The sequel took some time for the adults to get back to that relationship since they have grown apart throughout the years. As the movie progresses, certain emotions come out and help the group feel a bit stronger. After being in Derry for a few days, the members were able to get back to joking with each other, with some funny moments between Richie (Hader) and Eddie (James Ransone). The film explored more of Bill (McAvoy) and Ben’s (Jay Ryan) feelings for Beverly (Chastain), which tested the dynamics of the group.
Bill Hader was easily the best thing about the movie. His performance as an adult Richie Tozier was both humorous and heartbreaking. By exploring more of the Losers Club’s past, we were able to learn more about them and the feelings they wanted to hide. Hader always surprises me with his roles, but this is easily the best performance I have seen Bill Hader give. His performance alone is worth the price of admission.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Pennywise takes a step back in the film, but still is menacing in the movie. The adults experience a lot of zombie-like creatures throughout the movie, which aren’t impressive, and it left me disappointed. Bill Skarsgård gave another terrifying performance as Pennywise and he was challenged more this time around since the members of the Losers Club have grown up. With such a long run time, I expected more of Pennywise and him terrorizing Derry. There were a few graphic scenes involving him and children, much like the opening sequence to the first film, but they were few and far between.
IT: Chapter Two was a decent film. I would say that the first chapter and the 90s mini-series is better, but there are things to appreciate about this sequel. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the film. The constant back and forth of the past and present took away from the adults’ journey to kill Pennywise. Stephen King’s book is so long and bizarre (from what I heard) and I think Andy Muschietti did a fine job adapting what he could.
IT: Chapter Two has a run time of 2 hours 49 minutes and is rated R for disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive language, and some crude sexual material.
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