September 8, 2017 1 min to read

It

I found myself wishing It was scarier, and that Skarsgard's Pennywise character took more risks.

by Zach Saul

If you are pining for a good movie about demonic clowns, IT is definitely a film for you. The 2017 version has some terrifying visuals in it and a terrific cast, but ultimately felt watered down and flat as its 135 minutes rolled on. There is definitely a ton to like in IT - Finn Wolfhard (or as I call him “that kid from stranger things”) and the entire youth cast is a pleasure to watch, and their “misadventures” in everyday life are what give this movie energy and continuity. The “Stranger Things” feel to this movie certainly gives it a wider appeal, but at the same time limits it’s resonance. I felt myself wanting more from the interactions between the characters and Pennywise. The psychological aspect of a demonic clown haunting the lives of children was missing for me. Who is Pennywise? What does Pennywise represent? The gang’s final encounter with Pennywise suggests he represents people’s deepest fears, but that idea wasn’t consistent throughout the movie. The jump scares were definitely unsettling and well shot, but I thought in many occasions IT failed to represent the physiological unrest I would expect given the source material.

The Good: Despite it’s fun cast of characters, IT is still a horror movie, and there are some genuinely unsettling images sure to delight horror fans. The dialogue is well written, nicely times and the movie does a good job of forming connections between the audience and it’s cast. The images of Pennywise although scarce are visually striking and definitely stick in one’s mind.

The Bad: I think it is caught between existing as an edgy exploration of evil and an edgy sandlot remake for adults. The result is a movie that doesn’t quite reach either goal and left me wanting more from it’s Villain. Part of me left the theater wondering if had I googled images of demonic clowns and interspersed them into “the sandlot” at 20 minute intervals, if I would have been equally scared.