It

Let me make this clear straight away: this film is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It is by far one of the most horrifying experiences I've had in a long time and, even though it gave me stomach cramps from trying to sink further and further into my seat, I absolutely loved it. Delivering some of the best established scares in years while maintaining an adventurous spirit and a brilliant cast of teen actors, it is pretty much the perfect Stephen King adaptation. It's Stand by Me with a demonic terror thrown into the mix. What more could you want?

As much of the film is centered around a group of teens, who style themselves as the "Loser's" club, it's such a pleasant surprise to see a film that for once nails teen dialogue without descending into a cringey embarrassing mess. The teen cast are all spot on in their performances, with Finn Wolfhard as Richie and Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie getting many of the best lines. In fact, motormouth Richie often ends up stealing many of the scenes simply through his outrageous comebacks. 

The perfect casting really makes the whole film work, sticking by the philosophy (which Stephen King swears by) that if you care about the characters, then the scares will work.

In fact, the notoriously picky King, known for his controversial opinions on adaptations of his work, apparently loved the film so much, he went back and watched it again soon after. While I personally don't think I can put myself through that experience quite so soon, I can absolutely see why he enjoyed it so much (although he's still wrong about The Shining, a film he infamously dismissed upon its release). 

One of the most impressive things about this adaptation is that, despite being a goldmine of nightmarish images, it refuses to revert to the straightforward modern horror formula, allowing time to focus on the trauma and grief that the evil force reaps on the town of Derry. We witness the way the various characters are pushed to despair and how the "Losers" club is gradually pulled apart by the horrors they experience. This is one intelligent and admirably mature scarefest. 

The one major criticism I've seen so far from critics is that the film suffers in its pacing, at times failing to build each scare towards something larger. Though I can see where they're coming from, it was always going to be a challenge adapting a large part of this mammoth book, which all in all amounts to over 1100 pages, into a two hour feature. 

And honestly, they did a great job, managing to balance the copious scares with plenty of wit and vim, although I will admit that some of the supporting characters needed a little more time to develop. 


The one major issue I did have with "It" is the ending (don't worry, no spoilers). It fails to quite deliver the huge, horror-filled bonanza that the film builds up towards, something I hope will be remedied in the sequel to come. The soundtrack also began to grow more than a little derivative, resorting to that classic "we're going on an adventure" family friendly score that definitely belongs more in a Disney film than a Stephen King film. 

I enjoyed "It" so much and have had so much to say about it that I haven't even mentioned Bill Skarsgard's phenomenal performance as Pennywise. Combining the comedic chops of Tim Curry's depiction of the killer clown in the 90's TV adaptation with a wholly more menacing side, Skarsgard's brilliance is a great reflection of how well director Andy Muschietti has handled this adaptation overall. Balancing demonic scares with plenty of laughs and a ton of adventuring, "It" is a hellish joyride through the best of what modern horror cinema can accomplish. Go see this film if you dare and then... you'll float too.