"It" is back

It’s no secret that ‘It,’ the supernatural horror box office phenomenon based on one of Stephen King’s most popular novels which made $700 million and became the highest grossing horror movie of all time, would have a follow-up Chapter Two since that movie was released two years ago.  After all, Pennywise the Dancing Clown (aka simply “It”) is perhaps one of King’s greatest creations, tapping into our primal fear of clowns and unseen monsters – real or imagined – lurking in the darkest corners, certainly a nemesis worthy of an encore.

 

So it is that 27 years after the bicycle-riding kids of the so-called “Losers’ Club” vanquished the killer klown from outer space, I mean the storm drain after confronting It head-on at the ramshackle house on Neibolt Street, they discover to their great dismay that It wasn’t as vanquished as they initially thought and must therefore return to face It once again.  Now middle-aged, the erstwhile members of the Losers must reunite in their childhood town of Derry, Maine to banish this malevolent entity of pure evil incarnate for good (this time for sure, as there won't be a Chapter Three).

 

‘It: Chapter Two’ lacked some of the charm of Chapter One partly due to the fact that the damaged kids we’ve come to empathize with (and even liked) are now adults, not all of whom are likeable.  Ben is no longer the poor bullied fat boy but a handsome stud and possible love interest for Jessica Chastain’s red-haired and freckled adult Beverly, although the grown-up versions of bespectacled Richie (SNL alum Bill Hader) and his best friend Eddie (James Ransone) are just as annoying as when they were kids.  At a bladder-stretching two hours and forty-nine minutes, Chapter Two is also 35 minutes longer than its predecessor, an indulgence that’s really unnecessary considering the film’s rather thread-bare plot.  Despite these shortcomings, ‘It: Chapter Two’ delivers enough Lovecraftian scares and creepy atmosphere for me to recommend It.

 

Grade: B+