Review by John Delia
Coming to the screen this weekend is the movie It Chapter Two, a continuation of the iconic horror flick. The movie not only frightened the world, but added to the damper put on the comical caricatures that were so loved back in the day. This episode, however is basically a remake of the 3 hour two part TV Mini-Series that was released in 1990. This release does have amazing production value that far outweighs the TV presentation of the same film. I wish I hadn’t seen the TV show as therefore it’s a bit of a downer.
The film opens with Mike Hanlon, now in his late 40’s, calling Beverly Mrash (Jessica Chastain), Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy), Richie Tozler (Bill Hader), Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan), Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) and Stanley Uris (Andy Bean) after a sighting and murder by the evil killer clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard). Vowed to return to Derry if the clown ever appeared again, the team heads for the small town in Maine. Upon arriving, Mike has to convince the group that they must find the killer and do away with him for good.
Director Andy Muschietti, who directed the movie It released in 2017, does an admiral job with the production of It Chapter Two. With the help of a fine cast that comes through for him, a crew that provides the excellent photography and the CGI masters that make everything look real, the movie does, to an extent, entertain. But, bogged down with an insipid script that stretches the movie to an inordinate length, a repetitive musical soundtrack that drones, and a story that gets ridiculous, It Chapter Two flops.
Maybe if Stephen King helped the writing team of Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Cary Dauberman put together a more reasonably shorter script, the film would have worked. Why they kept bringing back into the script the original youngsters each time the older character had to work out a piece of the puzzle to kill Pennywise, is part of the failure. It extends the film to three hours and is completely unnecessary for the fan base. Horror movies should be short in length and fast in action.
The CGI staff did an excellent job of creating the shape-shifting monsters, exciting visuals, Pennywise’s ghastly mouth with frightening teeth, and so many other elements that make the film evilly shocking. The costuming, prosthesis, special effects, cinematography, sets, makeup, and sound are right on the money and help create the necessary atmosphere for a fright related film.
It Chapter Two has been rated R by the MPAA for disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive language, and some crude sexual material. While chapter two doesn’t make the grade, the movie will still gross millions and become a revenue winner for the producers. The presentation in IMAX does add to the fear level and I recommend, if you are going to see the film, that you consider the huge screen format.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Bring a pillow and make sure you by the large popcorn for this marathon of a remake. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive language, and some crude sexual material
Running Time: 2 hrs. 49 min.
Opening Date: September 6, 2019
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Released in: Standard, Color