Children begin to go missing in the town of Derry and it appears it has happened before. A group of friends stick together as they all begin seeing something they fear, but with a common factor that clown . . .
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The film starts at a pretty good pace we see IT very quickly and he is extremely creepy with that voice and the performance from Bill Skarsgard, but then he disappears for a very long time. Well, it certainly feels like a very long time and I kinda forgot it was a horror film. I was actually enjoying what looked like a coming of age drama very similar to Stand By Me, we had the perfect set up for that. So I was left with the film feeling very disjointed in those terms.
I’m not scared of clowns either, so I am guessing that will play a big factor for the fear and if you are actually scared or not. I didn’t really find the film that jumpy either, some of the tension built was very good at no point did I feel scared watching it. It was interesting how it actually played on the individuals fears though to really suck them in and effect them more than anyone else would realise. Which then ends up blurring reality and being unsure to what is real and what is not.
Bill is pretty much the leader of the group and the quest to find out what really happened to his younger brother Georgie is how they come to find the clown and risk going missing themselves. Newcomer Ben had been researching the town since he moved and had come up with a pattern in the disappearance of mainly children and that they had something in common.
IT seems to happen every 27 years.
The performances from the kids are outstanding in all honesty though, they really do engage you in the friendship group, but as I mentioned earlier at times it feels like a totally different film. Unless of course I have totally missed that being the point and it is supposed to feel like a different film and we are supposed to forget about Pennywise? At times though the clown is laughable with the silly voice, and other moments with all those teeth? I guess I am not really the best person to see a film like this when I don’t really appreciate the horror genre. I have tried a lot more with it over the past year or so but I always feel like I am missing something.
I didn’t really like the film to be brutally honest, I came out thinking it was pretty poor. Probably considering it had been totally built up so much since its release. Maybe if I had seen it quicker without all of the hype surrounding it I would have felt differently about the film. Probably expecting something sensational and it ended up feeling very mediocre. Oh also I had no idea this was just chapter one and we will have a second instalment, I don’t think that helped at the very end either in all honesty.
Let's Go To The Movies 
The book goes back and forth in time, therefore the two-parts but I bloody loved this. Tim Curry’s Pennywise was creepy, back in the day, but I thought this one was fricking terrifying.
It felt much more like Stephen King’s books, in the veins of Stand by Me and similar, with the tale of the kids growing up and they’ve always found that balance between metaphors of youth and the unknown expectation of challenges ahead in messed-up families. I don’t think a fear of clowns is the aim, but it’s that innocence they’re supposed to portray, even though I’ve always found them weird anyway!
I liked it because I’m not a huge horror lover but it felt like a proper cult classic for the future, especially in terms of tension and surprises. I’m a real visual soul and this has stuck in my head… very spookily!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great thoughts, as you have read the book. Which I haven’t, I actually like the sound of the back and forth in time but can understand why they opted against that for a film.
I guess my lack of prior knowledge meant I didn’t really appreciate it.
LikeLike
Maaybe, but – as you say – if you’re not really into committing into the genre, then you’re already sitting back I think. I definitely get that with some films as well, especially stupid horror – like Saw or similar – which just annoys me.
You should try King’s book then, if you haven’t, they’re brilliant!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why does the fact that its chapter one affect it so much? This is still a fully complete story in and of itself.
LikeLike
The fact that you can never just watch a film anymore, always has to be more. Probably my lack of IT knowledge showing in all honesty.
LikeLike
Hey, the book is the past and present, it flips back and forth throughout – the film works though like this, loved it, otherwise they would have had to do a proper two-parter.
LikeLike
I think it seems that you have to be fans of it to enjoy it tbh, I thought a lot of the film was laughable (the parts that were supposed to be scary).
LikeLike
Good review and I agree with you on the scariness level. I wasn’t that scared watching it mainly because I watched both trailers before seeing it, so I knew when the jump scares would be. I actually enjoyed the film a lot though. The kids were hilarious and the story was very true to the original with a unique take on it. Bill Skarsgard was fantastic too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s really good to know that the story has stayed very true to the original I like that!
LikeLiked by 1 person