IT (2017) ***

Run Time: 2:15

U.S. Release Date: 2017-09-08
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Gore, Profanity)
Genre: Horror
Director: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hamilton

Fans of Stephen King have had a lot of ups and downs when it comes to film adaptions of his written work. Let’s face it, when the bulk of your writing is in the horror genre it can be expected that most, if not all of the films based on it will be schlocky, pulpy fodder more interested in turning a quick buck than presenting interesting characters and a genuine sense of dread. Think back to many of the films over the last forty years that proudly display Stephen King’s name above the title and you’ll realize that most of it is utter garbage. The Mangler, Graveyard Shift, Children of the Corn, Sometimes They Come Back…the list goes on and on. The original mini-series IT came out in 1990 and doesn’t escape this either although it had one thing that made it stand out a bit above the worst of the worst, Tim Curry.

Much has been said about the irreplaceable Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and you’ll get no argument from me. I first saw that film in the fall of 1990 and, while it never scared me, I was 15 at the time after all, it did leave an impression that carries to this day; I can’t read the book without visualizing Tim Curry as Pennywise, something Bill Skarsgard hasn’t really accomplished in his reinterpretation of the role. He nails the creepiness of Pennywise when playing menacing but fails all around at playing enticing. In the opening scenes when Pennywise is first introduced he comes across as so creepy that it is unbelievable that a child in the late 80’s would stop to have a pleasant conversation with him rather than turn tale and run for home. This isn’t a fatal flaw of the film. It does instill a strong sense of dread over nearly the whole film but it makes it hard to believe Pennywise could entice any little kid close enough to grab.

The story, for those who are unfamiliar with this one, revolves around the losers club, a group of 7 kids lead by Bill Denborough (Jaeden Lieberher). Bill’s brother Georgie went missing along with many other children in their hometown and he’s certain Georgie was washed into the sewers and missing, not dead. Bill and the other ‘Losers’ play down in the barrens, an area of town where the excess rain water and ‘grey water’ washed out before feeding into the Penobscot River, in hopes of finding Georgie and bringing him home despite the certainty that Georgie must be dead after all this time.

Meanwhile more kids turn up missing or dead and each of the ‘Losers’ has an encounter with Pennywise, taking on forms that will scare them the most before reverting to his clown façade just long enough for them to get a good look at him that way. It provides some insight into each of the kids’ fears while giving them something in common to latch onto when they put it together that they have all been seeing Pennywise and need to face this evil together.

To further add to this mix is Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton) and his cronies. Henry is the bully to end all bullies who seems to pick on everyone except his cronies for no apparent reason. Only he isn’t limited to simply shoving and calling names; he’s flat out psychotic, wielding a switchblade like a greaser in a 50’s movie and more than willing to carve his name into someone’s flesh. He adds a level of danger that’s less supernatural but somehow less realistic, too. It doesn’t help that he’s given no real motivations behind his actions beyond a single scene with his father that only serves to show us the actor is lacking in any real acting abilities. Even his cronies have more depth, although not much, as we see uncertainty in their faces during a few of the more extreme examples of Henry’s sadism.

Much has already been said about Bill Skarsgard’s portrayal of Pennywise. The marketing of this film has all but ruined these scares as we’ve gotten plenty of glimpses of him in pictures as well as the trailers. To further leech scares away from him he is overwhelmed a large portion of the time with a lot of unnecessary CGI. This not only pulls us out of the film when we realize we’re seeing an effect, as well as undermines what could have been a really scary performance. Some of the creepiest moments in the film are just shots of Pennywise with his eyes slightly off in opposite directions, something the actor could actually do and is used to great measure. 

Those who have seen the ‘90’s film or, better yet, read the novel will know where this film is going from the start. It doesn’t deviate much from either while not feeling enslaved to them either. The biggest departures happen in the final thirty minutes but I will not spoil the details here. Suffice it to say that those final scenes are where IT starts to lose its momentum. Certain moments in fiction don’t translate well to the screen so the decision has to be made to make an attempt at it or go a different route. Director Andy Muschietti went a different route and the end result is a little unsatisfactory. It is better than what was given in the 90’s but not by much. There’s even a few tired old clichés along for the ride in this finale.

Still, flaws aside, this is a good solid horror film. Is it scary? All I can say is I’ve gotten too jaded over the years to find anything scary here. It’s not torture porn. There is nothing here to make me turn my gaze from the screen in discomfort the way Saw or Hostel might. There is a sense of creepiness over the whole proceeding that can be narrowed down to the fact that Pennywise is after the largely juvenile cast. How this will translate over to the follow-up film with a mostly adult cast in 2019 we’ll have to see. For now, though, we have a well made horror film with a good solid cast of leads surrounded by a bunch of one dimensional supporting characters. I didn’t even go into detail about the parents, none of which are any more fleshed out than Henry Bowers. It’s well worth a watch, but see in in a darkened theater  with a group of willing participants. Something tells me the effectiveness will all but disappear once this reaches home video.