It

Given how much presence It already has within various forms of media, it may actually come as a surprise to many readers that I entered this newest version blind. 

I've never read the book (though I plan to rectify that pretty immediately) and I never saw the TV mini series that seems to be [mostly] highly regarded. About the only way I'm "connected" to the film is in that I've read a handful of Stephen King's novels, but even there I haven't touched much of his horror genre. 

Somewhat surprisingly, this is the second adaptation of King's we have this year after the utterly average and barely-there-imitation of whatever the hell The Dark Tower was. 

I'm so very glad to report, especially after some dull weeks at the cinema (unless you've seen some excellent indies), that It is not only a way better film than Dark Tower -- and I can only assume that it's a much more accurate adaptation -- but it's honestly one of my favorite films of the year. 

Which if you know anything about me, that's a rarity.

Given the previews and the fact that they even share a main actor (Finn Wolfhard), It reminds me a lot of Stranger Things. It plays on nostalgia and it does so effectively. Some may dislike that, but I think nostalgia can be a powerful and effective tool when it's done in a non-manipulative way. In that sense, It never feels manipulative but it also brings a lot more to the table than nostalgia. In hindsight, it's really two distinctly different but well-merged films: a coming of age tale that's shockingly funny (more on that later) and a horror film that, at times, is downright terrifying. Something I noticed while watching It was that it felt so different from a lot of modern-day horror films. The same could be said for Stranger Things which is probably part of the reason it found so much success, but It is a film that wants to be an entertaining movie first and foremost and a horror film second. Rather than being stuck in a haunted house or a very singular location, It sprawls over the town of Derry, Maine and feels much more freeing because of it. Certainly sometimes a "haunted house" setting can be effective -- I seem to remember Get Out being fantastic earlier this year -- but it's refreshing to see a film with a larger budget and willingness to show a bit more variety in its environments.

There ain't no Eleven to save you here, Finn...

Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope.

The actual horror of It is effective and well interspersed until a mostly satisfying conclusion. Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise is simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing. You can't quite look away from his smile, dripping saliva, and Joker-esque speech. But you'll want to because certain moments of It are messed-up. It may be a horror film with children, but there's a reason it's R-rated and this certainly isn't as tame as Stranger Things. The costume design and makeup for Pennywise is stellar and they've created a consistently creepy clown without having to resort to extreme gore or disfiguration. Special shout-out goes to the make-up lines from Pennywise's lips to above his eyes. These are a very small addition, but whenever the clown smiles or moves it's mouth, it reaches up to his eyes and the actual movement effect, again small, is creepy and noticeable. Even if the film delves into the usual "fight-back" ending that almost every horror film does, I thought the horror elements of it were intense and there's a good mixture of jump-scares and just general creepiness. 

The rest of the film is a blast and offsets the horror and dread nicely. This is the most enjoyable cast of kids I've seen in a film for quite sometime and there's really not a single weak link. Some get more screen time than others, but each one is endearing in their own right and the fact that you like them adds to the peril of potential death as opposed to the typical teenage/adult stereotypes who you almost want to see die. I wouldn't be surprised if all of them are friends outside of the production of this film as their chemistry is terrific and made even better by some hilarious one-liners (most coming from Finn Wolfhard). Again, the film is R so these jokes are often curse-laden and lewd, but I'll be damned it It isn't actually one of the funniest films of 2017 so far. If you've ever seen Veep, so many of the jokes reminded me of the character Jonah in the best of ways. Ones that have you shaking your head because they're so douchey, but you just cant help but laugh.

And overall, It just works. It clicks and it moves right along. I wish they would have trimmed about 10-15 minutes from the runtime, but I find myself saying that about almost any film over 2 hours long these days. The cinematography is subtly great, as is the original score and sound design. It has some fun nods to the 80s (e.g. Batman on the movie theater's overhang) without going overboard and it sets itself up well for the obvious sequel. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm quite concerned for the sequel and the changes that all entails; it's going to be really hard to capture the "magic" of this film again. 

What an enjoyable and fun cast of kids. Definitely a treat...
not in the Pennywise kind-of-way though

But that's a worry for another day. The It we have now is just as entertaining as anything we got this summer, just as funny as any other comedy from this year (though it's arguably been a weak year on that front), and pretty damn scary in between it all. It may be set in the past but it feels new; like a horror film that wants to be a little bit more than the norm. And succeeds tremendously. 

CONS

• Slightly too long. I would have taken out maybe 10-15 minutes
• The ending is fine, but goes to the typical, expected places
• A few rough transitions from one scene to the next

PROS

• Pennywise is legitimately terrifying. A lot of this is thanks to some iconic makeup and costume design while the rest of it is due to a creepy and eerie, but yet mesmerizing performance by Skarsgard
• One of the most talented and well-cast group of kids I've seen in a while. You'll root for them and enjoy the adventure you get to take 
• Some gut-bustingly funny one-liners. A pleasant surprise
• Good sound design and fitting original score
• R-rating ups the ante and I can't imagine the film would have been as effective at PG-13
• Well filmed with some strong cinematography
• Merges the effective scares and lighter, coming-of-age scenes well. It could very well be played as two separate films, but they blend together well
• Entertaining and well-paced from start to finish. I adored my time with this film, even if I may have trouble sleeping later tonight

Rath's Review Score | 9.5/10