The peeps complaining about the lack of Pennywise really need to re-watch the 2017 film, because there's more of him in Chapter Two. He certainly has a lot more dialogue.
I think what people don't quite realize is that Pennywise appears to have less screen time in Chapter 2 due to the film being longer and his scenes spread out more. The original was 50 minutes shorter so he seemingly appeared more.
I like the feedback I'm reading here from those that have seen it...the only thing that sounds semi disappointing to me is the "laughable cgi at times" talk, other than that, it sounds like I'm going to be on the "really liked it" list.
I like the feedback I'm reading here from those that have seen it...the only thing that sounds semi disappointing to me is the "laughable cgi at times" talk, other than that, it sounds like I'm going to be on the "really liked it" list.
The climax of the film seems to go on forever. It's way too long. I liked the first two hours pretty well.
Hurricane Irma hit Florida on 9/16/17.. It was released in theaters on 9/8/17.. So no it didn't affect the opening weekend.
The numbers are a little off. I live in south Florida (inland, not near the beaches), and while the first opening Thursday evening was available (I recall wanting to go right away in case the theaters closed off), the theaters shut down shortly after, and I wasn’t able to see the first film until 9/13 once the storm passed and the power was restored. My IMAX screening was PACKED due to everyone else also being stuck at home until the day roads cleared and businesses resumed.
I’ve mentioned before how the domestic box office opening weekend for the 2017 film could’ve potentially been even bigger had it not been for the week long storm. As serious as Hurricane Dorian appears to be, it also doesn’t seem to be as devastating for the towns/states with various theaters due to the storm path hitting the coast instead this time. The dent in the box office this go around won’t be as noticeable as it was two years back.
During the summer of 1989, seven misfit children banded together to battle an evil shape-shifting monster that dwelled in the sewers beneath Derry, a seemingly idyllic small town in Maine. 27 years later, these members of the “Losers' Club” have drifted apart to different cities and have no recollection of the fateful events of that summer or of the oath that they made to return to the town if the sinister entity were to resurface.
Long-forgotten terrors come flooding back when the one remaining Derry resident of the Losers' Club, Mike Hanlon, played by Isaiah Mustafa, makes six phone calls. Bill Benbrough, a famous novelist played by James McAvoy, Richie Tozier, a stand-up comedian played by Bill Hader, Ben Hanscom, a successful architect played by Jay Ryan, Eddie Kaspbrak, a risk assessor played by James Ransone, Stanley Iris, played by Andy Bean, and Beverly Marsh Rogan, played Jessica Chastain, all of whom are battling their own personal demons in their adult lives, will soon be reminded of the ultimate nightmare. Their old nemesis, who often takes the form of a clown named Pennywise, has come back to prey on the town’s children and has grisly plans in store for his former adversaries.
The 2017 horror film, IT, which was adapted from the 1986 Stephen King novel of the same name, captivated audiences with its self-enclosed story of the childhood members of the Losers' Club, and became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. The 2019 sequel, IT Chapter Two, brings director Andy Muschietti back into the fold, along with child actors Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Wyatt Oleff, all of whom reprise their roles during flashback sequences as their adult incarnations revisit Derry and gradually recall their earlier encounters with Pennywise, who is played once again by Bill Skarsgård.
Like many fans of King’s source novel, I inherently prefer the passages of the book that follow the adventures of the childhood protagonists. Those chapters, which combine the rambunctious charm of films like The Goonies and Stand by Me with gruesome subject matter, have a wistful allure to them that overcomes their dark plot developments. The chronicles of the adult Losers' Club are somewhat less enthralling, both in the literary story and in the endearingly incoherent 1990 television miniseries adaptation, because we are essentially experiencing a second showdown, with more conventional slasher horror overtones, in the sewers beneath Derry after the children have already faced the menace. More importantly, the most wondrous aspect of King’s sprawling novel, the fact that readers do not want the story to end, is also its greatest downfall, because we know that the arrival of the adult incarnations of these well-loved characters on the scene signals a curtain closing that none of us wish to see. As such, IT Chapter Two is destined, by default, not to live up to its tremendously affecting predecessor.
The 170-minute run time of this second movie captures the essence of King’s meandering “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to the tale, but, funnily enough, I found the introductory sequences for the adult Losers' Club to be too abbreviated and rushed. In the book, King wisely introduces most of the adult characters by way of other point-of-view perspectives from people in their lives, as if to provide a grounded and impartial entryway for the reader to learn about their respective struggles as they each receive a phone call from Derry reminding them of the commitment that they made during childhood. In this film, those phone calls from Mike Hanlon are handled clumsily, lending an unintentionally comedic aesthetic to a part of the story that deserves more gravitas.
Thanks to the talents of Muschietti and his cast of actors, both old and young, however, IT Chapter Two rises above its flaws and limitations. I spent the first half of my initial viewing frustrated by the haphazard pacing, but this film somehow clicked into place for me during its second hour, as I realized how adeptly each of the adult actors were conveying the respective nuances of their characters while they felt the weight of their earlier traumas returning in full force. Bill Hader is particularly charismatic and convincing in a performance that captures the raunchy antics and the underlying sadness of his Richie Tozier. James Ransone, as Eddie Kaspbrak, is also a joy to watch, since he looks and acts just like his childhood self, played by Jack Dylan Glazer. Jessica Chastain’s portrayal of the adult Beverly seems muted at first, until we understand that her childhood experiences with her father have led her to float from one abusive relationship to another.
Skarsgård is a revelation as Pennywise. His presence in the 2017 film, while appropriately creepy, did not quite compel viewers to forget about Tim Curry’s part in the 1990 miniseries. This time around, he amplifies the sinister edge of the clown, especially during an insidious fairground hall of mirrors scene, and steps up to the plate as the ultimate version of the character. One sequence, where Skarsgård is shown without the clown suit and is applying simple white makeup to his face, is chilling in a down-to-Earth sense that showcases the actor’s effectiveness. He even lends a classy note to the final underground battle, which actually improves upon its literary version. An intensely disturbing homophobic attack on the streets of present-day Derry during the beginning of this film shows us that not all monsters are supernatural and sets the stage for a story that combines real-world adult terrors with ghastly fictional ones, but Skarsgård’s Pennywise presides over all as a representation of the corrupt spirit of the community.
In terms of storytelling, this film is all over the place with regard to the nature of the primary villain, its origin, and its “deadlights.” The explanations of the “Ritual of Chüd” that the adult characters must carry out in order to fight Pennywise are nonsensical. The story arc of the adult Henry Bowers, played by Teach Grant, is ridiculous. These plot elements did not make a lot of sense in King’s novel, either, though, and it is a credit to all involved here that this adaptation succeeds as damage control for what was never a particularly satisfying conclusion. The movie even makes a few self-aware quips, in the form of McAvoy’s Bill Denbrough and his inability to come up with good endings for his novels. One surprise cameo during an antique store scene will bring a chuckle to any fan of the original book.
Be on the lookout for homages to several horror classics, namely The Shining, Poltergeist, and John Carpenter’s The Thing. If you blink, then you might miss an appearance by Brandon Crane, who played the childhood Ben Hanscom in the 1990 miniseries.
IT Chapter Two ends on a beautifully poetic note that ties together and redeems the disparate stumbling blocks and the many computer-generated jump scares that came before. Since, at the time of this review, I am recovering from a serious colon surgery, I like the idea of reducing our greatest fears down to size so that the joyful memories of our lives are the ones that tower above all. We all face our personal Pennywise monsters in life, but those hardships can always be diminished by fun times with friends. This film presents us with some harrowingly gory images, but those are not the ones that stood out in my mind when I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face.
Last edited by The Great Owl; 09-06-2019 at 05:09 PM.
http://www.boxofficeguru.com/091117.htm
And from Box Office Guru’s opening weekend report, about 175 of It’s theaters were closed for at least part of the weekend.
The numbers are a little off. I live in south Florida (inland, not near the beaches), and while the first opening Thursday evening was available (I recall wanting to go right away in case the theaters closed off), the theaters shut down shortly after, and I wasn’t able to see the first film until 9/13 once the storm passed and the power was restored. My IMAX screening was PACKED due to everyone else also being stuck at home until the day roads cleared and businesses resumed.
I’ve mentioned before how the domestic box office opening weekend for the 2017 film could’ve potentially been even bigger had it not been for the week long storm. As serious as Hurricane Dorian appears to be, it also doesn’t seem to be as devastating for the towns/states with various theaters due to the storm path hitting the coast instead this time. The dent in the box office this go around won’t be as noticeable as it was two years back.
I'm also in South Florida. Where did you go? AutoNation?
It’s an adaption of a huge book, that’s half a horror novel and half a coming of age story. If you went into to this expecting a mindless monster movie that’s your own fault.
That being said, I found this second chapter to actually be funnier, scarier and more fluid than the first. Bill Hader steals the show, Stephen King has a great cameo and Pennywise is a much better villain in this.
??? This wasn't a mindless monster movie? A huge portion of the movie is spent going through the motions of your average horror movie. I didn't need to be reminded of the Elm Street sequels, but seeing that theater playing "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5" pretty much drove it home. They all have to go find their "token" (ok), which means we get a series of little set pieces that don't enter the realm of scary and - thanks to some cartoonish CG - aren't even that creepy.
Bill Hader was great in this.... if it is supposed to be a comedy. The comedy was certainly more effective than the horror. But, the horror elements had a steep hill to climb when Hader is constantly quipping.
I never read the novel, but it sounds like this may be a decent adaptation and the novel was a let down as well? Even the positive reviews I've read for "It Chapter Two" all seem to acknowledge it's deficiencies... it's just a matter of how much those deficiencies hinder one's enjoyment.
For me, there was nothing here that I haven't seen before - it was just stretched out over a longer run time than it could ever possibly support.
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