Review time!.. it will be a big one,
I have fond memories of all things IT, when i was a child i had 2 fears, tarantulas, and Tim Currys Pennywise.
It took me ages to watch the entire 1990s miniseries, cause Pennywise freaked me out so much.
When i did finish the whole thing i was left confused and dissapointed at the giant muppet monstrosity it ended up being, so after awhile i decided to read the book and see what that whole spider thing was about, and what i was missing.
I read it in dutch first and i loved it instantly, all the details, the characters, just what Pennywise really is, i was amazed by it.
I read it again in English and loved it even more, since then i've read the book a few more times, including recently in audiobook form. And have also watched the 1990's miniseries again to get me hyped for this one.
So what did i think of this version?? I really enjoyed it, and come very close to loving it. It got so many things right. The losers, Pennywise, the tone, the humour, the suspense.
I will talk about all the things i really liked first, and this will be a spoiler heavy review so i will put it all in spoiler tags.
Then i will talk about the one thing/scene that i really disliked, it was only one scene really that i didn't like, but it's quite a big one.
Lets get to the actors and characters first. I will go through each one of the losers.
Bill: Perfect, he truelly felt like a leader, you really felt his pain and his love for Georgie throughout the film, he had his stutter throughout the film aswell. He oozed confidence and determination, he particularly shines at the end of the film, where he needs to and does show a wide range of emotions.
He Stands up to Henry very bravely early in the film, really enjoyed that.
His [BLACKOUT] Scenes with Pennywise at the end, really shows how much Bill hates him and wants him dead, they're great scenes [/BLACKOUT]
Ben: Also excellent, the moment he first shows up you just love the chubby kid, he is so awkard in a likeable way. He is like he is in the book, loves spending time in the library, loves doing some history research, and his love for beverly is on full display. The scene with him and the bowers gang is just hard to watch.
Richie: Exactly as he is in the book at first.. , though i can imagine for some he might be a little too foul mouthed. But he really personifies the trashmouth aspect of the character, does plenty of voices too. But [BLACKOUT] there is one thing he does, that nearly ruined the character for me, but more on that later. [/BLACKOUT]
Beverly: You perhaps feel more for her than anyone else in the film, the scenes with her and her father are intense and disturbing, things seem to get implied, yet never fully confirmed, it's left ambigious, but her father is as creepy and disturbing as he is in the book.
Her reputation at school is an awful one, and she doesn't deserve it at all, seeing how happy it makes her to be part of a group like the losers club is really touching. She plays quite a big part at the end too.
Stan: I know i keep saying this, but it's all a good thing, he is like he is in the book. You get to see his jewish lifestyle, his refusal of believing in anything he sees and the others tell him, but in the end he stays brave.
Eddie: We really get to see his issues with his mother in this, which is a big part of his character in the book, which the 1990's film barely adressed, his mum is perfectly cast too, he is always paranoid about getting diseases, yet always brave enough to keep on going anyway, well i should say that differently he grows into becoming brave enough, like in the book.
Mike: The one we get to or know the least about i feel, And [BLACKOUT] they also took away a big part of what made his character in the book, his bond with his Father, that's what makes mike so endearing in the book, how much he loves his father, and how often he works with him, asks him about stories.
[/BLACKOUT]
In this one [BLACKOUT] His parents are both dead, and he lives with his grandfather, also working at a farm. But his bond with his grandfather is a bad one, his grandfather is very harsh on him, and they don't seem to get along very well at all, a shame cause i think the whole bond he had with his dad could've just been done with his grandfather aswell, but it's the exact opposite. [/BLACKOUT]
He himself though is likeable, he fits well with the rest, but like in the 1990's miniseries and in the book, he comes into the group last, and there's not too many scenes of all of them just hanging out before
[BLACKOUT] They go to fight IT [/BLACKOUT]
On to the Bullies,
Henry Bowers: Good casting, intimidating Kid, who has no remorse, but we don't get much time for him to be very fleshed out, which is why it kind of feels like everything goes to fast with the character [BLACKOUT]The Rockfight, which is very good, happens quite fast, and after that he quickly turns psycho the very next scene we see him. They also changed his father into a cop, who exposes Henry infront of his friends as a bit of chicken**** coward, which almost makes you feel bad for him.. well almost[/BLACKOUT]
Patrick Hockstetter: Creepy weirdo, but not nearly as much as he is in the book, and that's probably a good thing, cause he was more disturbing than pennywise in the book, he is the one character you don't feel for when he gets offed.
Belch: Looks exactly what i imagine Belch should look like, but in this he barely does anything [BLACKOUT] And you if i remember right, don't even get to see what end ups happening to him, i am assuming he is still alive,
him and Victor kind of just dissapear from the film [/BLACKOUT]
Victor: Same as belch, looks like Vic, but barely does anything really.
Now on to the big one!
Pennywise: He is fantastic plain and simple, he is disturbing, he is creepy, he is scary, his eyes and his entire body move and look almost like a porcelain dolls, very unnatural and awkward, clearly inhuman, we really see the animalistic predator that he is in the book. He feeds on fear, and there's one scene [BLACKOUT] Where he preys on eddie and is right in his face,
gleefully happy at the fear eddie shows[/BLACKOUT] where his entire essence is on display. Bill does a great job as Pennywise, really making him something larger than life.If anything it is [BLACKOUT] Almost a little sad Pennywise is often Cgi to truelly make him look monstrous, cause bill does such a good job even when Pennywise is in 'Normal' state. Having said that,
the Cgi consistently looks great [/BLACKOUT]
The last scene of him is also fantastic, because [BLACKOUT] When it happens, Pennywise realises for the first time, he has felt fear, instead of being the feared one [/BLACKOUT]
Can't wait to see him again.
The set pieces and scares are all really good too. The Trailers didn't spoil some of the best scenes, despite showing bits of it.
So what's the one scene i really didn't like??? Well... and again spoilers.
[BLACKOUT] In one of the best scenes of the film, the losers have just fought Pennywise in the house on Neibolt street, but the fight has left Eddie with a broken arm like in the book ( Though in a different way) So they can't finish Pennywise cause they need to get Eddie checked out.
But then the entire groups starts to fall apart when Bill proposes preparing better and trying to kill It again, Stan is the first to protest, not wanting to go through all of it again, which is understandable cause Stan in every adaptation is the one who was always relucant to do any of this
But... then almost everyone else agrees, saying they don't want to do it again, rather wanting to just spend summer having fun. Only Bill and Beverly want to really Finish IT off.
Richie is the worst of them all, he says something to Bill that causes them to fight, and the whole group kind of goes their own way after that.
What Richie says is really low and it annoyed me cause Richie should never say something like that.
After this scene the whole group kind of go their own way, even Bill kind of gives up attempting to kill It again, which goes completely against him.
Now Beverly even says herself, this is IT trying to split them up,
and that's fine, that makes sense. The problem is... it works, they're all going their own way.
The rest of the losers don't even sign Eddie's cast. Now all of this would be fine if they all ended up back together, apologizing to eachother and trying once more to finally kill It...
But that's not what happens, the way they ultimately end up together again is cause of Pennywise himself.
Pennywise ends up capturing Beverly, and Bill who still has some contact with her finds this out. He then looks up the other losers and they all go to down the sewers to go save her.
Now this is very iffy to me, cause
1 All the losers including Bill had given up on killing IT, and weren't going to anything at all.
2 Despite doing so well in Neibolt House, badly damaging it, which if anything should've given them confidence.
3 They all kind of split, which i don't like. In the book you felt the love they all had for eachother, they'd never drop eachother like this or give up like this.
4 It made Pennywise look a bit dumb, he could've avoided more damage to himself by just going after other Kids, feeding on them, and the Losers would've let it happen, but he targeted one of them and thus got the others after him, though i think it does line up with Pennywise's Arrogance and Pride, he would get these kids to fear him, all of them.
[/BLACKOUT]
So yeah, that scene doesn't sit right with me, maybe i can warm up to it after few more viewings but for now i didn't like that approach.
Now for the finale, and again SPOILERS!! [BLACKOUT] That almost made it all right again.
The group is together again and all the scenes in the sewer are great,
lots of heartouching scenes between the losers, and the final confrontation with Pennywise is amazing.
Alot of people will say Beverly got kind of wasted at the end, due to her needing to be saved, but i dissagree, she ends up showing no fear for Pennywise, despite being in his grasp, and you can tell it really bothers him. [/BLACKOUT]
[BLACKOUT] The way they beat It, is very different from the book and 1990's film, yet still works, mainly because every loser gets in on the action,
it's not just a few losers doing the work while the rest just kind of stands in the back, which even the book is a bit guilty of, no here they all get a bit of payback... and man they do a number on Pennywise.
But it sticks true to the formula of the book, if you believe you can hurt It,
and you show no fear of it, you can hurt it. Not kill it, but badly hurt it [/BLACKOUT]
It's great, and pretty much makes up for the scene i didn't like.
Overall i'd say it's a solid 8/10 For me, think that might go up after another viewing though.
Excited to see the sequel in the near future.
I will answer any questions anyone might have, but i suggest you don't spoil too much for yourself.
That's awesome because she's a mini Amy Adams and she's also playing the young version of Amy's character (Camille) on Sharp Objects. 
