"It Chapter Two" Spoiler-Free Review: A Terrifying and Nostalgic Return to Derry

Plot Synopsis courtesy of IMDb.com: 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.

Directed by: Andy Muschietti (Mama)

Written by: Gary Dauberman (It)

Starring: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), James McAvoy (Filth), and Bill Hader (The Skeleton Twins)

It Chapter Two is rated R.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

What is perhaps Stephen King’s most well-known and influential novel, “It” is a horror epic spanning nearly 1,200 pages that follows a group of outcast kids (affectionately known as the Losers Club) as they fight to defeat a supernatural being which terrorizes their small town by taking the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.  When Pennywise reappears 27 years after their first encounter, the Losers return to Derry, Maine as adults to kill their childhood demon for good. Two years after the release of its predecessor, It Chapter Two picks up the second half of the story just as the Losers return home.  While it is not the sensation that the first was, Chapter Two delivers plenty of frightening imagery, emotional stakes and nostalgia, even if it is slightly overextended at nearly three hours in length.

    The first It succeeds in large part on the merits of its youthful cast, all of whom have been recast as adults for the sequel.  Though not as charming as their younger counterparts, the new cast all live up to the task. Bill Hader stands out specifically as the character who walks the fine line between comic relief and terror, and has a surprising amount invested in the plot.  The clear show-stopper is Bill Skarsgård though, who plays a prestinely terrifying and occasionally pitiable Pennywise, and is possibly the most jarring performer anyone could hope to see in this role.

    As is the case with the best novels written by King, as well as the best film adaptations, It Chapter Two places character development as the top priority.  The film is not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve and is best when dealing with the complex emotions of growing older, even if its characters are still haunted by the worst of their childhood fears.  Although it sometimes seems to be going through the motions of adding depth, it draws comparisons between nightmares and the all too real horrors of everyday life. Too often Chapter Two methodically touches on various plot points before rushing to the next without giving proper context to either, as is the case with an unresolved homophobic assault that left a sour taste in my mouth for some time.

    Regardless of how much Chapter Two relies on It to fill in emotional gaps, the sequel holds nothing back when it comes to the gut-wrenching terror.  Aside from Pennywise there are dozens of creeping, crawling, and oozing monsters to keep viewers awake for weeks.  Buoyed by Skarsgård’s performance, It Chapter Two is exhilaratingly scary and simultaneously a lot of fun.

    Living up to the expectations of the first film have always been a tough proposition and while It Chapter Two never fully lives up to the hype, it proves a worthy follow-up.  The source material does most of the heavy lifting for the filmmakers, and it feels more like an extension of the original than a sequel in its own right.  I was never bothered by the film’s length, but it fails to justify why it needed three hours to tell a story that probably only needed two. Thanks in part to the young actors who appear only in flashbacks, It Chapter Two is the rare type of horror film that is unafraid to soak itself in a well of sentimentality, and what floats to the surface is a film that succeeds by being as engaging as it is frightening.

Reel Rating: 8/10

It Chapter Two is now playing in cinemas.