Today: Mar 28, 2024

Movie Review: It: Chapter Two

Jackson Volenec — Reporter

The wave of craze that arose when “It” released in 2017 was unforgettable. In the coming weeks after the film had come out, critics and fans alike had praised the movie for its thrilling scenes of horror, the excellent cast of actors, the emotionally touching story and the absurd humur that induces anxiety-filled laughter when you first experience it. Most importantly, these positive elements mixed seamlessly to form a compelling movie from start to finish. So, after the cliff-hanger ending the first chapter, it seemed that everyone was eager to see the story conclude in chapter two.  

 “It: Chapter Two” delivers on nearly all fronts. Firstly, the new cast of adult actors are meant to portray the main characters of the first chapter 27 years later, with James McAvoy (Bill), James Ransone (Eddie), and Bill Hader (Richie) being some of the key performers. Watching the characters interact with each other is believable and great to watch play out.  

Although these characters had all developed in the time between the previous film, they still capture the exact personality viewers would expect them to have as adults. The most compelling parts of this movie was when the characters are all conversing with each other; their characters developing and their arcs playing out. 

Unfortunately, we do not get to see main cast together for a large chunk of the two hours and 49-minute runtime this movie has. The middle portion of the movie has most of the characters separated, sent off to explore their hometown of Derry individually to recover memories of their past. The movie delivers repetitive scenes of each main character getting terrorized by Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgard) 

Although the scares are thrilling and fun the first time around, they are not very scary or engaging after you understand Pennywise’s tricks. It can be argued that this is intentional, as transitioning into adulthood, losing innocence and coming of age are all themes riddled throughout both chapters of the story. If this is true, they could have shortened or removed some of the unnecessary jump scares in the second act. 

The movie’s soundtrack was nothing that will stick out to the viewer after watching it, but the score undeniably matches the tone and mood of the film effectively. The music builds up a lot of added tension during many of the already-stressful scenes, adding another layer of immersion while viewing. 

The movie ends with a very similar ending to Chapter One, with a large fight that was not as terrifying as it wants to be. Although most of the third act is somewhat sluggish, the film ends on a touching high note that could potentially get one feeling emotional. Once again, the actors and the characters they portray are what bring the most enjoyment to the table here. 

“It: Chapter Two” is a movie that I, for the most part, really enjoyed. The phenomenal cast brings these child characters to life, successfully representing the growth that they all went through off camera. Although the horror elements of the movie do not quite satisfy as much as they did in the first chapter, the movie is still easy to enjoy. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the first chapter, or anybody looking for a thriller this Halloween season. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Latest from Blog

Don't Miss

‘JOKER’ highlights chaos and violence

Review by Jessica Guerrucci — Managing Editor In a film focused on

Folio reading welcomes all types of artistic expression

Sydney Peacock — Contributor Kat Schoberle, the art editor of Folio’s literary