Review of It (2017) by Kenneth M — 07 Sep 2017

Living in a small town when I was a kid there often wasn't much to do. My friends and I shared a lot of our experiences, one of which was reading Stephen King. We shared all of his books and we often gathered to discuss each book we read. My personal favorite was the book "IT". Something spoke to me. Maybe it was the idea of childhood fears come to life or the fact that it was kids my own age fighting monsters. Either way, I loved this frightening and heroic story. That being the case, I faced the prospect of a movie with trepidation. Now the late 80s brought us a television adaption which frankly left a lot to be desired. I worried that at 2 1/2 hour movie could be just as bad. I shouldnt have worried.

The movie adaption of IT is sure to go down as a horror classic. They tweeked the story a bit by bringing the story up to the 80s instead of the 50s like in the book. It works. The settings are nostalgic and engaging without deviating too much from the source materials. The pacing is good for a two hour movie. The scares are plentiful and many, while not overpowering the lighter moments.

The actors playing the kids are great, each garnering excellent scene stealing moments. They epitomize that point in life where you are on the edge of puberty, but still hold on to some aspects of childhood. They show that adolescent bravado without losing the vulnerability that makes you want your mommy.

Last of all, Bill Skarsgard is absolutely terrifying as Pennywise. Tim Curry did a great job in the tv adaption but Skaarsgard is amazing. I will be seeing him in my nightmares.

Overall this movie is great. There are some minor issues with side plots being excised, but that is a quibble. It is scary good fun. If you aren't afraid of clowns now, after this movie you will be.