Review of It (2017) by Christopher E — 07 Sep 2017

A terrifying, emotional, and even comical piece that defies limits in horror, and is a modern example for a future classic.

When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

Just months ago, I had zero interest in this film. When the teaser trailer arrived for "IT", I watched it, shrugged it off, and thought it'd be fine. I knew nothing about the story of "IT", I had never read the book, and I really knew nothing more than minute details. However, within just a small span of time, my interest went from 0 to 100 real quick. This quickly became one of my most anticipated films of the entire year, and I was extremely excited. However, sometimes you get so hyped for a film that it can never really live up to your expectations, however, this film defied those expectations, and rose above all of them in a surprising manner.

One thing I loved about this film was the cast. Essentially, this film really does just star kids. There is no one one who's beyond 18 that plays a significant role here, and those kinds of films can be hard to pull off. However, this cast was brilliant. It would be hard to say one kid stood out over another because I think they all did great. They played their parts really well, they had great chemistry, they were hilarious, they delivered strong in their emotional roles, and they delivered their dialogue to a tee. I honestly thought this was an all star cast, and they really were a big reason why I loved this film. I've seen a bunch of great kid actors in the past few years, but this is truly a cast where all of the kids were flat out spectacular.

This movie is actually pretty terrifying. I don't know if it's the kind of things that made me fear my dark, never ending closet at night, but rather a different kind of fear. This film isn't filled with cheap scares or meaningless jump scares, rather it's a scary film with meaningful fears. This entity feeds off of the fear of these kids, and that's what gives the situation even more weight. The use of sound and cinematography in this film was memorable, and it made it that much more frightening. When the actors were supposed to be scared, they looked like they were about to shit themselves, which made it that much more real.

Surprisingly, I died laughing during this film. The dialogue and the performance of these guys were spot on. There were plenty of one liners in this film, and you could even argue I laughed more than I jumped. The kids often resort to toilet bowl humor, but that's what kids do. It was smarter and more thought out than your average penis joke or fart joke, and it was surprisingly crude. I was surprised at many moments, I was dying of laughter, and it truly made the film that much more memorable. It's a key component that makes this film re watchable, especially for those who aren't fans of straight up horror.

The story itself was really well written, and this is one of those uncommon, extremely successful novel to film adaptations. Like I said, I loved this film. I think it made use of its near 2 hour 20 minute run time, filling it with a story that interested me, a cast that I loved to see, dialogue I loved to hear, and a handful of twists around each corner. This was an extremely well written film, where it took a part of the original and it didn't feel the need to rush it. It made this first chapter meaningful, as it really did feel like a complete movie. It has made me beyond excited for the sequel, and I cannot wait to see what they spew out next.

In the end, I can't overstate how much I loved this film. Honestly, I have zero faults with it. It's one of the best films of the year and I can't wait to see it again. Just a heads up, try not to see this in crowded theater, as my theater was filled with an over-lively, annoying audience. However, it wasn't enough to ruin the experience that "IT" gave me.