Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, and Bill Skarsgard
Written by: Gary Dauberman and Stephen King
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
No clowning around here, lets jump right into “IT: Chapter Two.” The famous scene with Georgie sets the tone for chapter one, so how would chapter two start? They set up a scene that unfortunately is much more common than should be these days. A gay couple is enjoying their time at the fair when they find themselves under attack. One of them is thrown into the river, and pulled out by Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard). With his partner watching, Pennywise finishes what the bullies started. Again they’ve opened with a powerful, hard to watch scene that definitely will get the audience’s attention.
It’s 27 years later and Pennywise hasn't forgotten about Losers Club, and neither has Mike (Isaiah Mustafa). Unlike the others, he stayed in Derry and has been waiting for the clown’s return. He calls each member of the club, and tells them to come home. Most don’t take it well, as they need a little reminder of why they had to come back. Mike tries to remind them as Pennywise tries to change their fortunes in a great scene in a Asian restaurant.
Besides the scares, that scene really gives the audience a chance to reconnect with the club. It shows that even though they are grown up, they still have the qualities the audience loved about them as kids. The back and forth between Richie (Bill Hader), and Eddie (James Ransone) is hilarious from here on out. Just like when they were kids, no matter how scary the situation becomes one of them is always a tension breaker.
As many expected, this also shows right off the bat that they picked the right cast to play the adults. They are great as the club, but they also get some time alone to shine. Each actor really nails their part reinforced by flashbacks of when their characters were kids. It almost seems like the kids were used more than expected because they just kept taking the audience back to their childhoods.
However the real star of the show is Pennywise! There’s just so much of him, or some version of him that’s it’s hard not to like. Even if he doesn’t scare you, just having him continue to appear is wonderful. When they show each adult alone, they all have to face him one way or the other. The times when he opens his mouth to sink his teeth into someone are just are so freaky. And then there’s supersize Pennywise at the end. He presents such a challenge for the Losers, as he tries to make them all float.
Even though there are two movies, it’s very easy to see the continuance from one to the other just like the original. Which movie is better…I don’t know. I enjoyed them both for many of the same reasons. The actors from the kids to the adults play their parts so well. There is so much going on in the story from feeling for Bill’s loss of his brother to Ben’s affection for Beverly. Each character just has their issues to deal with, and then there is the giant clown in the room. Pennywise is a terrifying presence no matter what form he’s in. Like chapter 1, I give “IT: Chapter Two” 4 pools of blood.
HorrO
