Sexuality/Nudity Mature
Violence Mature
Vulgarity Mature
Anti-Catholic Philosophy Mature
Sometimes when people dig for gold, they turn up little nuggets here and there. But sometimes they hit a rich vein and all that comes out is gold.
That is what it was like for IT: Chapter One. Director Andy Muschietti and writers Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman really hit the mother-load. I am not a huge fan of horror, but I was able to look beyond that because these filmmakers tapped into such a rich thematic content. They captured the horror and wonder of that awkward stage between being a child and being a young adult. I felt such an immediate kinship to the Losers and their experience. On top of that, the visual style was firing on all cylinders. Not only were their the strong jump-scares, but there was a constant air of subtle terror in the background (as in the scene with Ben in the library). And the movie was not confined to its genre, but it felt like a sweeping coming-of-age epic. Albeit a coming-of-age epic that involved a child-killing immortal clown.
Could IT: Chapter Two capture that same kind of magic?
The short answer is "no."
IT: Chapter Two takes place 27 years after the events of the first movie. Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) has once again returned to prey upon the citizens of Derry, Maine. The only one of the Losers to remain in town is Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa). Once he confirms the reappearance of IT, he calls the other Losers back on the strength of their promise to return:
-Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) is a horror novelist who has trouble writing good endings.
-Richie Tozier (Bill Hader) is a self-loathing stand up comedian.
-Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain) is a successful designer in an abusive marriage.
-Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan) is a wealthy architect who has lost all of his former fat.
-Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) is an insurance analyst who is married to woman just like his over-bearing mother.
-Stanley Uris (Andy Bean) is a happily married man planning a vacation with his wife.
Once all of them get the call, the repressed memories of their days in Derry hit them like a ton of bricks. Each reacts differently as they are called to an awkward and terrifying reunion.
The thing that works best about this movie is the absolutely terrific cast. There are so many variables in casting an ensemble piece like this, but Muschetti hit a home run with these actors. Not only are they all fantastic in their respective parts, but their chemistry as a group is phenomenal. When they all first arrive together at the Chinese resturant, the movie really comes to life. I could have spent a lot more time than is necessary just watching these old friends slowly reminisce and then fall back into routines and relationships as familiar and comfortable as a pair of old slippers. The real breakouts for me are Hader and Mustafa. Hader's Richie uses his humor as his armor against his terror and self-hatred. This is honestly some of the best work I've ever seen Hader do both dramatically and comedically. You want to see him on screen more and more and are disappointed when he's not in a scene. Mustafa completely disappears into the role of Mike so that you cannot see his "Old Spice" persona. His Mike has a haunted, hunted look that is a bit off-putting, but feels genuine for someone who has been living inside of his worst nightmare for 27 years.
It is just a shame that the movie that these actors are in doesn't match their talent.
This time, the movie was written only by Dauberman without Chase Palmer and Cary Joji Fukunaga. Based on the resulting screenplay, this was a huge mistake. Like Chapter One, this movie also wants to tap into some big, universal themes. Particularly, the film wants to touch on how our childhood traumas continue to haunt us into adulthood. In the first movie, the Losers had to face their fears. As adults, they have to face their pasts. But whereas with the kids it felt like an important step to adulthood, with the grown-ups it feels less important and more like some kind of metaphor for cathartic therapy. To present the town of Derry the same way to the kids as to the adults is a mistake. As a kid, all adults seem a little scary. But when the adults have that same experience when they come back to their hometown, it feels condescending. Normally, healthy adults grow up and see the humanity in their parents and the adults of their childhood. Unhealthy adults turn their normal childhood setting into one completely monstrous. Most of the Losers are no longer of Derry, so their constant hatred of the town and its people feels too bitter.
The structure of the movie is incredibly flawed. The movie really sings when the Losers are all together. But the middle act necessitates all of them splitting up to find a special token needed to defeat IT. These lead to a number of horror vignettes that are meant to deepen our connection to each character, but instead feels like it is there to pad the runtime. To give each token meaning, each Loser has an extensive flashback with the younger cast. I know they had to use de-aging CGI on a number of the actors because they grew up during the last 2 years and it shows. But these flashbacks don't add a whole lot. Some of the tokens feel important like the ones for Bev and Bill. But others feel incredibly odd. On top of this, a new subplot is added where one of the Losers is a closeted homosexual. This wouldn't bother me as much if this had any root in the book or even in Chapter One. Instead, it felt like a cynical attempt to score "woke" points with critics. But all this did was take me out of the movie.
What also took me out of the film were the horrible special effects. In one of the first trailers, the director showcased his ability to be subtle and terrifying with quick flashes of images. But in the movie when the horror is revealed, it looked quite silly. The scariest shots in the first movie were the ones that were intensely creepy practical shots like Pennywise's slow appearance in the slides. But when his monstrous forms would appear, they looked less like something out of a nightmare and more like something out of Beetlejuice. Everything looked too much like a cartoon. This is a movie that probably would have improved greatly if its effects budget had been slashed in half, forcing the director to rely on practical scares. This is especially true in the final confrontation, which lacks any real horror.
As an aside, Skarsgard's Pennywise loses a lot of his impact in this movie. In the last film, I thought he was fine. But this movie really made me miss Tim Curry, who had to create a completely terrifying villain with just his voice, body language, and some prosthetic teeth. But Skarsgard's Pennywise became less scary and more annoying. As the movie went on I didn't want to run away from him so much as wanted to punch him. Also, in the last movie, even though the rules are never clearly established, it felt like it made a little more sense when Pennywise would let the kids go and not kill them. Here, I cannot fathom why any of the Losers survive their individual encounters with Pennywise. It makes no logical or emotional sense.
This brings us to the finale
SPOILERS AHEAD
The final confrontation tries to capture the same feel as the one from the first movie. In Chapter One, the Losers had to face their fears embodied in Pennywise. This worked perfectly. In Chapter Two, they have to confront their past demons. They do so, by coming to realize that their past hurts are small and cannot actually hurt them. They way this is manifested in the movie, quite frankly, stupid. It feels like simply calling out a bully and bullying them back. I know what the film makers are going for, but it comes off as some mystical manifestation of call-out culture, thus creating an unsatisfying conclusion.
END SPOILERS
And yet for all this criticism, the good parts of the movie are so endearing to me. This may be a carry-over from the good will of the first. But the portrayal of adult friendship that grew out of childhood bonds was something that touched me. It is so refreshing that friends can openly express their love and care for each other as men and women. I am the same age as the Losers. I remember what it was like to live when they lived and I remember how horrible a time it was growing up and how only my friends saw me through my worst times. Those friends are still some of the most important people in my life. This movie reminded me of that fact and made me feel gratitude that we all walked that path together.
So for all of its flaws, there are still things to admire about IT: Chapter Two. The movie may not have hit a vein of artistic and thematic truths, but they at least unearthed a few genuine nuggets of goodness.
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