My Personal Thoughts on "IT"

in #story7 years ago (edited)

If there was one movie that screamed out for a modernised remake, few would argue with IT being a likely candidate. I remember only too well the potential of the original 1990's made-for-tv serial adaptation. With a stirring performance by Tim Curry as the chill-inducing Pennywise the Clown, this 2-part retelling of Stephen King’s renowned masterpiece had all the hallmarks of being an instant classic. However, the final product was beset with problematic issues. Especially the poorly executed finale of the second movie. So, could a new attempt at this phenomenally successful story be done any justice this time around?

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The narrative follows the book and previous film very closely. A young boy, Georgie Denbough, is murdered by the creature known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Though to the knowledge of the none-the-wiser townsfolk, his abduction is put down as an unsolved disappearance. Soon after, the boy’s brother Bill, as well as his band of five young companions (known as “The Losers Club”) are terrorized and savaged by the pale-faced demonic manifestation. As the clock ticks ever closer to their final demise, they must frantically search for clues to beat “IT” once and for all or else suffer the same fateful consequences of Bill’s deceased brother.

I went into this movie placing my expectations as neutral as possible. Bearing in mind the horrifying (in a good way, mind) impression left by Tim Currys incarnation of Pennywise, I was more than intrigued to see what our new replacement in the form of Bill Skarsgard had in store for us. To put it lightly, I was blown away. His portrayal of the demented maniacal monster was more than I could have ever hoped for. The subtle sneers, the fact that in no single scene does he ever blink, the almost involuntary saliva sporadically oozing from his mouth. He gave this character his all... And then some. Given that the main focus of this movie lay solely in his hands, he delivered to us a masterclass in his acting prowess to be remembered long after the movie credits finished rolling.

But what of the other six main young protagonists of the movie? In the past, then people heard the words “child actors” mentioned, this used to usher in a chorus of raised eyebrows as to how bad they would affect the quality of the movie in question. Though I can tell you right now, their acting abilities were equally as riveting, charismatic and believable as any of the adult stars on screen. The television series Stranger Things showcased what this new breed of adolescent stars are capable of and the young cast members of IT are no exception. In fact, you may pick out the familiar face of Finn Wolfhard in IT who, amongst the half dozen of them all, pull off an exception job with the roles they play.

I found the movie itself to be thoroughly enjoyable and offering up enough of the “creep factor” to satisfy even the most horror-hardened fans of the genre. The different iterations of Pennywise littered throughout the film are equally as disturbing as they are horrifying. Admittedly, there are no “deep” messages embedded within the story narrative nor any major twists in the plot to speak of. But what there is, on a generic base level, is done so with enough “panache and brilliance” that it raises this film into the echelons of movie excellence. Director Andy Muschietti has done a superb job with the rich source material and, in case you weren’t aware, will be reprising his role on the next movie which bodes extremely well for fans of this utterly entertaining franchise.

In a nutshell, I thought IT was an absolutely fantastic movie going experience. It had all the tension, scares and action you could ask for. Even a little romance and humour thrown in for good measure, though thankfully not overly so. I'm glad to say the end result of this 2017 adaption of a classic novel by legendary horror writer himself, Stephen King, is at long last given the celluloid treatment it so desperately needed and deserved.

Now, if only someone could follow suit from this outstanding example and produce a proper version of I Am Legend

My Verdict: (9/10)

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*Source: (1,2,3,4)

Hope you enjoyed this post, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy)


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That's awesome you noticed his eyes. Not many people did. Actually the thing that scared me the most about his character was how his left eye kept trying to stray. I thought it was a brilliant CG tactic, but I found out in an interview that the actor actually has a lazy eye and has trained certain eye muscles to keep it in place. During the filming, he said that every now and then he would just relax those muscles and let his eye slide to the side.
Amazing and SO creepy. It made it seem to me like something was trying to get out of the clown body. Or that his clown facade was slipping and the eye was the first indication. Loved it!!

What an awesome comment! Yes, the "lone swiveling" eye scenes, very creepy indeed. I had no idea Skarsgard actually did that on purpose with his eye muscles! My respect for his unique take on Pennywise just shot through the roof once more, lol!

Great to see we both share the same level of "awe" in his performance. Thank you for stopping my, buddy. :)

Thank you... 👏🏼

This movie was pretty tight. Hollywood seems to be in a 80s styled nostalgia grip but this was very well executed. For me the kids absolutely nailed their performances. Pennywise was pretty darn scary but had a few stray moments like his jukebox performance:

And when he straight up goes pettywise and says "I'm not real enough for you? I was real enough for Georgie."
Ouch. Right in the nuts.
But overall IT was a welcome change from all the jumpscare horror movies we've had recently.

Totally agreed. He's mix of dark humour and pure terror hit all the right spots. Though I remember even with that famous "dancing Pennywise" scene, it looked funny at first but still hid something sick and twisted beneath. The audience didn't know whether to laugh and be downright terrified at its weirdness!

Love that emotional play... :)

Yep, its unpredictability is almost charismatic. I think we are yet to see the best of it. If we have the same characters in the sequel, all grown up as hinted, then it'll be really interesting how the more complex fears of adults are manifested.

As someone who watched Hemlock Grove (have you seen it?) and was extremely impressed with his acting, I was 100% on board with him being Pennywise - and his performance definitely did not disappoint - in fact it was even better than Hemlock Grove (which was already great!).
Pretty much anything he gets cast in I'm going to watch, and there are only a few actors that have the distinction for me.

have you seen Bright yet? I'm curious your thoughts.

Thanks for the recommendation for "Hemlock Grove". I'll be most definitely checking that one out given what I saw in "IT". And "Bright" is on my to-watch list too, buddy.

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this film. I have yet to see it (and believe it or not any of the previous version, or even read the book for that matter - it is on my ever growing list of too be read books). I enjoyed your take on it, and it sounds like it is worth the small time investment.

Oh, judging by what I've read from the awesome stories on your blog, I doubt very much you will be disappointed by either book nor film. Both are very entertaining on a few levels and thoroughly enjoyable. Maybe just give the 1990 movie version a miss...

Thank you for your kind words, buddy. :)

crazy as well as scary

Totally. :)

That evil clown and scares were the best!
He went all out for his character!

So sad that I'm not a fan of kids as protagonists.
Even though they acted very well.

Lol, I know where you are coming from in regards to "kids" and "serious movies" though I'm sure we can agree things have definitely improved. :)

Crazy movie...can't wait to watch it

Hopefully you'll love it just as much as I did. :)

good skill to write.
thank 's for sharing

Many thanks, @shagorshikder. :)

Nice collection

Great review! I loved this movie too and you put my thoughts into words!
Thanks for sharing :)

Thanks, @zombabejoy! Looks like we share similar sentiments about his movie. :)