Film Review - IT: Chapter Two (15)

Look at you. All grown up.

Two years ago I sang the praises of IT's first chapter, lauding it as a fine coming-of-age story as well as a vivid carnival-esque horror. Director Andy Muschietti was halfway, I thought, to a classic and definitive version of Stephen King's sprawling novel. Would Chapter Two live up to or even surpass the expectations set by its predecessor? I want, more than I can say, to tell you the answer is Yes. But while certain aspects of the film are indeed glorious, overall I just can't. It's too mixed a bag for that.

Twenty-seven years have passed since a group of youngsters in the town of Derry, Maine pitted themselves against a malevolent entity that fed on children's fears. Known to them as 'It', the creature most frequently manifested as a groteque and ravenous clown called Pennywise, until its young nemeses forced it back into the shadows. The now grown-up members of the 'Losers Club' have all left Derry and its horrors behind them, aside that it from Mike, who's stayed to obsessively chart the creature's history and uncover its possible weaknesses. When Pennywise once again starts to prey on the town's vulnerable, he calls on his fellow Losers to return and fulfil their teenage blood pact - to finish 'It' for good.

What Chapter Two does well - and this it does really well - is to tell a human story beyond pure horror. While 2017's IT was all about loss of innocence, this second part deals in numerous moving ways with the longterm effects of childhood trauma. Each of our beloved Losers is running from demons of which Pennywise became the literally embodiment. Bill (James McAvoy) is still burdened with guilt over the loss of little brother Georgie. Beverly (Jessica Chastain) has substituted the abusive relationship with her father for a marriage that's turned out equally toxic. Of the seven friends only stay-at-home Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) is still connected to his pain, the others having sublimated all memory of their terrifying experiences. Return to Derry and confrontation of their past is a terrifying (and potentially deadly) form of repressed memory therapy.

 

At conveying this the adult cast are impressive. There's a delight in seeing these characters reconnect, followed by a poignancy as they face up to heartbreak. A Chinese restaurant scene direct from the novel where they all play catch-up is superbly done - a fluctuating emotional ride in itself. McAvoy is never less than terrific as the haunted Bill, Chastain beautifully portrays Beverly's search for a meaningful connection and Bill Hader is another stand-out as wise-cracking Richie, the prefessional comedian whose jokes disguise the pain existing at his core.

There are other major plusses too. The movie is never less than beautifully shot, there's a palpable intensity at points and Bill Skarsgard demonstrates consistent genius as the gloating, baby-headed Pennywise. But the flaws are simply too glaring to ignore. Chief among these is the film's tone, which veers all over the freaking place. While Chapter One used humour as a counterpoint to fear, this one has a depressing tendency to dissipate the horror through jarringly misplaced jokiness and some horrible mugging. The effect is that when the story goes dark - and at points it goes really dark - the effect is lost. It's not helped by one or two goofy CGI moments that deflate the tension, when it should be building up to popping-point.

Equally problematic is the running time and structure. It's heart-warming to see Chapter One's young cast in flashback and the scenes connect us all the more strongly with the adult characters. But these interludes would ultimately have worked better as memory flashes, rather than what amounts to a vast expansion of the original film's mythology. The new script was clearly written (or at least massively reworked) in light of IT 2017's phenomenal success and the result is a bloated running time that ultimately dilutes the drama. Chapter Two wasn't required to be the same sleek thrill-ride as One, but neither should it be exhaustively mining the first film at the expense of story momentum.

I'm as conflicted here as I've been following any film this year, not least because I wanted to love IT. And there's much I did love, mostly the scenes based around those heartfelt character connections. But I was hoping to be compelled too, and horrified and exhilerated - and not ripped out of the good stuff I was feeling through those glaring misjudgements. IT: Chapter Two starts well, ends well, and has some terrific moments in between. It's frustrating that a sequel full with good ideas can be marred by a handful of decisions that seem so - well - clownish.

Gut Reaction: It moved me and made me jump, but it also wearied me and made me cringe. And then it moved me again.

Memorable Moment: Jeopardy in the funhouse. If only it had all been that scary...

Ed's Verdict: 6/10. Ambitiously epic, with enough satisfying moments to make we want to own it. But it's just not the great film it might have been - and that makes me sad.