Rating of
3/4
It - Review
Matthew Brady - wrote on 09/24/17
"Beep Beep Richie!"
I'm not much of reader when it comes to books. The reason why I couldn't care less when a book gets adapted into film, because not every word is gonna translate well on screen. However, I do remember at a young age watching the 1990 adaptation starring the amazing Tim Curry. While I was never scared, due to it's goofy and sloppy scenes, but Curry performance left a last long impression on me and other people. Re-watching the TV movie didn't help to painfully realize how out dated it is. I wouldn't even call it good, just bad. If a reboot was ever needed, this was it. Now here we are today.
"It" (2017) is a massive improvement and avoids watering it down like other terrible TV movie adaptations. While not on the same level of greatness like "The Shining", "Stand By Me" or "The Green Mile" in terms of quality, but compare to "The Dark Tower" that came out last month, this is pretty strong.
It's not the scariest movie I've seen this year, as the biggest problem is the loud jump scars that feels repetitive and destroys any unsettling moments. Not to say there isn't any, just wish it stayed away from being too mainstream horror.
I like how brutal and violet this got. Especially the beginning which took me off guard of how much it went that far. With no age rating holding it back, kids are acting like kids. Swearing and them physically getting hurt. There was even an attempt rape with one of the kids. As I said, it doesn't hold back on anything.
Bill Skarsgård absolutely kills it as Pennywise. His appearance is both intriguing and terrifying that it can give a grown man nightmares. The smartest thing Skarsgård did was not copy Curry's performance and instead do a different take. Everything from the devilish smile, twisted sense of humor, and the demonic Scooby-Doo voice added lays to the character, giving it life. Who knows, he might be this generations Freddy Krueger. Even in the scene when Pennywise started dancing was funny, but with his head not moving with the rest of the body and eyes locked onto you, it's pretty scary.
All the child actors were pretty great as well. Showing a positive future ahead of them. Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sofia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Jack Dylan Grazer are ones to keep your eye on for whatever they do next. The losers club are pretty much The Goonies, but better.
The pacing could've been a lot more sharper, as the 2nd act really did drag. There were a few unintentionally hilarious moments that wasn't meant to be taken that way.
Overall rating: You'll float too.
