IT: Chapter 2 (2019) Review

By Joshua Hess

Although the second installment in the IT franchise is not without flaws, it's still a fun watch.

The best parts of the IT movies isn't Pennywise dismembering and terrifying the citizens of Derry. The moments that shine through the most are the ones with the Losers Club. Bill, Richie, Eddie, Beverly, Mike, Ben, and Stan. Especially in the first movie, most of the main characters seemed to battle each other to see who could steal the show. Of course, the first movie was not perfect by any means. The 2017 entry was very enjoyable, but still succumbed to horror cliches like machine gun paced jump scares after the false sense of security. However dull these may have felt, looking back, they did not take away from the overall dark charm and moody atmosphere that this film rolled itself in. The first IT was full of heart and energetic downbeat humor that still holds up nearly two years later.

So does the new IT: Chapter 2 stick to the road that the original paved? For the most part, yes, although this certainly feels like a very different sort of movie entirely. The black comedy and the chemistry between the cast is back in full swing, as well as the jump scares and the building of suspense. I didn't mind the jump scares in these movies as much as I do elsewhere, mostly because Pennywise is a clown that feeds on fear. It makes sense that he does whatever he can to scare the people of Derry in cheap and dramatic ways, because he knows that it will instill fear into their hearts. Luckily, the jumps are toned down quite a lot in this movie compared to the first. It still has its moments, but I wasn't necessarily feeling weighed down by any of it. They were all done exceptionally and I did find myself jumping in my seat a few times. Take notes, Conjuring.

This movie also takes the comedy up a few notches since the last movie. I'm not sure if I was supposed to be laughing during a lot of it but I still did. Some of the monsters and creatures that Pennywise contorts himself into were extremely laughable, and a lot of it was due to the downright ugly CGI that was plastered to a lot of these scenes. One of which was the tall, naked grandma that chases after Beverly in her old apartment. I couldn't find any pictures of this monstrosity, so please, watch the movie if you haven't yet. It is hideous.

A few other things to mention are during the ending sequence, so please skip ahead if you want to avoid spoilers.

I found a lot of the ending to be dumb and padded out. The whole "turn light into dark" chant was pretty funny, mostly because of the dramatic performances that each cast member gives is reduced to them yelling at a couple of strobe lights. Another funny thing was how they ended up killing Pennywise. I know that the film is already pretty bonkers, and from what I've read and heard, the novel is just as crazy, if not worse. I was already expecting something weird to end things, but for the Losers Club to reduce Pennywise to a sunken version of himself by yelling mean things at him was kind of stupid. I realize the writer is sticking with the source material and is flaunting a theme of belief in yourself throughout the film, but this is something you would see at the end of a Disney film, not an R rated horror movie.

Despite some of the lackluster CGI and the unintentional funny moments, I still didn't leave the theater feeling disappointed or upset. I don't regret watching it by any means, but I do feel like the director could've trimmed a lot of the fat from this movie and we would've gotten a movie that was about 2 hours long instead of nearly 3. It was very well acted and some of the cinematography was pretty cool. All in all, I can tell that everyone enjoyed working on this movie. It definitely showed in the film's best moments that this was a labor of love, not "we have to make this because we promised a sequel."

6/10. Do you agree? Yes or no? Let me know!