My History With the Film:
I plan on posting my review of the original IT tomorrow, but until then let’s talk about the 2017 version.
I went to the drive-in on the opening weekend of IT. After a year’s worth of amazing trailers, I just had to be there opening night.
I grew up with IT. The original mini-series aired while I was in elementary school and it was the talk of the school. IT was a terrifying movie about a clown who prayed on children, and what could be more troubling to a young mind than that?
In a way I felt like this remake was made just for me. It was a way for me to see the film again and yet still tap into my own nostalgia. The 1980’s setting was great, and I really welcomed the change from the original series.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
A group of pre-teens encounter a clown who is seemingly the cause for hundreds of cases of missing children throughout the town.
What I Liked About It:
-The Loser Club. They were amazing. Every single one of them. The only actor I recognized was Finn Wolfhard, from Stranger Things, who wowed me by portraying a child that is nowhere near the same character he played in Stranger Things. Sophia Lillis was amazing as Beverly and blew the original Beverly out of the water.
-Bill Skarsgard brought his own take to IT. It was different and effective. I don’t know if I like it more than Tim Curry’s portrayal, but it worked well within the film.
-The town of Derry felt real and lived in. It reminded me so much of an 80’s movie and really reeked of all things Stephen King.
-The slide projector scene was fantastic.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-There were a few instances of CGI that I could have done without. Still, they kept it to a minimum and it didn’t ruin anything.
Additional Notes:
-The Duffer Brothers originally wanted to direct IT, but they weren’t well known enough. They went onto make Stranger Things which pays homage to Stephen King.
-The childhood story was set in the 1980’s instead of the 1950’s like the mini-series and book.
-References to the original film include the phrases, “Beep Beep Richie” and “Hi Yo Silver.”
-A Tim Curry original IT style clown shows up in the clown room.
Rating:
IT lived up to the hype and was a fantastic rendition of the classic Stephen King novel. I was happy they decided to break the movie into two parts, instead of bouncing back and forth between the adult characters and their child counterparts. This film stands on its own and works as a single film, and that is credited to its great script.
The film was no doubt made by its child actors who tore the house down in their performances. It’s going to be difficult to find adult actors who will be able to convey the same emotions and dedications to the roles that these kids had.
IT is a very strong four out of five for me, and a must own.