★★★
Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.
Classification: 15
After the tremendous success of the first film, this highly anticipated sequel to one of Stephen King's most iconic stories faced an uphill battle of expectations, new castings, and how to tell the same story again but from its new perspective. It: Chapter Two and director Andy Muschietti swing for the fences in a valiant attempt to make this sequel far more than a scary clown film and explore trauma, childhood, friendship and the bonds that connect one another as this ambitious sequel operates more as a character drama than a traditional horror film. Issues with pacing and editing detract from these goals as the impressive faithfulness to King's original novel can be a double-edged sword as exposition dumps and subplots just drag out an already long runtime with seemingly unnecessary plot devices. Muschietti's goal of the film is to have the adult Losers club face their childhood tormentor but also face each of their internal fears, some carrying over from the first film including Bill's guilt over Georgie's death or Bev's abuse from her father. Others building from much broader concepts such as Ben's fear of being alone or Richie's closeted homosexuality.
The film starts strong with a first act that reintroduces all of their characters efficiently and the baton handing from child actor to adult actor couldn't have gone smoother. Casting director Rich Delia does a flawless job in finding the perfect successors to the Loser's club while their solo introductions tease at the potential of the performers it's when they all come together that it's clear as day these are the same characters from before. The reunion scene in the Chinese restaurant is one of the best scenes of the film filled with sharp profanity-laced bickering between old friends, as memories and fears slowly bleed into the atmosphere and showcase the tragedy of the characters. These are individuals who have forgotten their childhood friends and memories, who loved and cared for each other and spend the runtime of the film rediscovering parts of themselves that have been long buried. While dramatic veterans James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain impress especially when confronted directly with spectres of their past its actually the more unknown additions that steal the show. Bill Hader known for his comedic talents steals the show as adult Richie Tozier with his crass personality but delivers the film's best emotional moments displaying his impressive versatility as an actor. James Ransone and Jay Ryan fit into their characters perfectly with Ransone delivering Eddie's manic neuroses perfectly and Ryan captures the romanticism of Ben to a tee.
Muschietti almost wants to brag at how good the adult castings are by having continuous flashbacks with the younger cast to show how uncanny these dual performances are. While it's great to see these kids again the degree that they are used can feel overabundant and their repeated appearances lead to a weakened second act. Their scenes are either deleted material from the first film or new scenes incorporating de ageing technology that have mixed results. It incorporates into the themes of memory and childhood as every scene is supposed to fit into the timeline of chapter one but it can be disorientating to try and piece all of these scenes together. It could be the result of Muschietti and editor Jason Ballantine wanting to give the audience a similar experience to the Loser's by thrusting us back into a world we thought we knew by striking us with scenes that challenge our memories of the story, however, these flashbacks don't quite achieve that effect. The second act consists of the Loser's separating to remember individual pieces of their childhood and collect a token to be used in a ritual to defeat Pennywise and with every subsequent scene of adult flashbacking to Pennywise encounter or vice versa, it just makes the film feel very repetitive. None of the scenes by themselves are terrible or out of place but Ballantine and Muschetti just weren't able to find a satisfying flow to get through this awkward part of the story.
A large part of the film feels like this search for the tokens for the Ritual of Chüd and while the inclusion of this plotline shows the commitment to make It: Chapter Two an authentic adaptation of the source material this where the double-edged sword comes in. As mentioned before the adult cast is perfect but the Ritual of Chüd brings the pacing of the film to a halt as exposition about memories and mythology becomes the only reason for Isaiah Mustafa's performance. He can give it a fun panicked energy but it still removes the mystery and intrigue that enveloped Pennywise in the first film, it is the point of the story to eliminate that power from the monster and to reclaim what was taken from them but it feels like it could have been rolled out better. There's a lot of info to take in and for audiences not deeply versed in King's lore and writing may find some of the imagery bizarre, the film doesn't go all the way like the book does and does take some liberties to give it more action in the third act. That's where tighter editing and screenwriting would help It: Chapter Two in strides as it feels the film is buckling under the weight of its own ambition, as too many of the scenes retread old ground and old scares but under the new motivation through the Ritual of Chüd and despite phenomenal performances it doesn't only feel like the film is repeating itself within this sequel but repeating what Chapter One had done.
This repetition is both a blessing and a curse for the character of Pennywise who is masterfully portrayed by Bill Skarsgård as he puts his full physicality into this character once more. It feels like Skarsgård is in this film less than the previous one but Pennywise's spectre hangs over Derry constantly, it feels like he's hidden in every dark corner just waiting to strike. Besides a horrifying opening sequence that seems to awaken the beast, Pennywise doesn't properly appear until long after the Losers have reunited and when Muschietti uses Skarsgård he definitely doesn't waste him. The demonic clown is still creepy as ever, manipulative and unsettling as he delights in tormenting his grown-up adversaries, despite his defeat in the first film his confidence hasn't wavered because the board has been reset. The character development from the first film has been reversed, the confidence and power the children gained over Pennywise have vanished because of the time that has passed and memories lost. Bill's stuttering returns, Eddie's bravery is non-existent, Ben is still a romantic hero and Richie is always a trashmouth but the characters are forced to go through a similar if not the same journey from the film previous. It shows how despite all the theatrics and powers of Pennywise he is just a one-trick pony but displaying this weakness of the villain hurts the overall experience of the film.
The horror elements of It: Chapter Two is a mixed bag with certain sequences being filled with genuine terror but others feel like rehashed or not frightening at all. Pennywise and Muschietti still rely on the old bag of tricks with jump scares and CGI transformations but there is never a scene in the film that can top some of the villain's best moments from chapter one. The sewer drain, the projector, the fridge, all moments that made the first film such a horror spectacle and despite all the attempts to try and top them they all fall short despite the larger scale in the story. It feels like the law of diminishing returns as eventually the jump scares become tiresome or expected but like before the horror isn't what makes It interesting but the friendship and chemistry between the Losers. Chapter Two despite all the blood, monsters and nightmares is just a continuation of the coming of age story from the first film, every Loser has something to absolve within themselves. So when the madness of the third act begins it's not about the horror Pennywise brings forth but how each Loser confronts that fear within themselves and conquers it, Muschietti honours what King created with these characters but the journey of how he gets to these points can be rocky.
The focus on relationships and the emotional core within the movie achieves the goal of making It: Chapter Two far more than a horror film. The returning storyline of Ben's love for Beverly once again giving great moments of sadness and romance, its the recurring sense of tragedy that exists with these characters and the constant reminders of what they lost. Backed up by the flashbacks of them as a group and not being hunted by Pennywise, you can see how much they cared and needed each other and how their regression as characters is a result of their separation. The Losers are stronger together and are all the better for it which may be why the first and third act works so much better than the second and when they work together the film really shines. A great example of this is seen with the interactions between Richie and Eddie who continue to quarrel as easily as they were children but the new context of the horror has them both rely on each other for support as Richie encourages Eddie to once again be brave and the two characters are responsible for some of the film's most poignant scenes.
It's brilliant but flawed and It: Chapter Two is a film that will benefit with time as expectations fade and the Loser's story can be fully absorbed. Despite the first film not incorporating much of the deeper lore of the novel, Muschietti has taken the success of chapter one to allow the sequel to be the most faithful adaptation of It it could possibly be. Boasting incredibly powerful performances from its heroes and villains, the ambitious scope of the themes and narrative do transcend the film above from the more typical entries in the horror genre. Its the issues with the pacing and scene structure that hold the film back from delivering the character-driven horror epic it intended to be. Despite these issues in the overall experience It: Chapter Two is still a thrilling adventure that reunites audiences with beloved characters and serves as an incredibly powerful ending to the Losers club's story.
Director: #AndyMuschietti
Cast: #JessicaChastain, #JamesMcAvoy, #BillHader, #IsaiahMustafa, #JayRyan, #JamesRansone, #AndyBean, #JaedenMartell, #SophiaLillis, #FinnWolfhard, #ChosenJacobs, #JeremyRayTaylor, #JackDylanGrazer, #WyattOleff, #BillSkarsgård
Release Date: September 6th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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