Not very many Stephen King adaptations end up being very good, to be quite frank. There's the classic The Shining, The Green Mile, and Cujo, but there are also many that are mediocre and easily forgettable: The Dark Tower, Mr. Mercedes and Pet Sematary. While It was made into a mini-series back in 1990, it still does not compare to this film. 2017's It is an absolute masterpiece of a horror film, and provides everything a King fan may ever want or need.
The plot of this film was perfect, especially for today's climate of Hollywood movies, because it reintroduced an aspect of horror that has always been put aside for other scarier things, such as demons or zombies. Clowns! Clowns have almost been forgotten in film as being terrifying, but I think that this film definitely brought that fear back to the forefront of terror. Especially having casted such a devious face for Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård). This film followed the novel so well, even better than the original 90's series, and truly brought fear into my heart. I do not get scared by movies very easily, as I tend to find all of the flaws in them and end up predicting the ending very quickly into the film. This movie did the opposite, however, and I was quite literally sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time. There have only been a few films that have had this same effect on me, including Get Out and The Cabin in the Woods. It, however, joins these ranks among these films and really terrified me. With multiple jump scares and general anxiety-inducing scenes, the movie keeps you on edge all the way throughout.
The performances and tone of the film was done very well. All of the child actors were brilliant in their roles and I can absolutely see big futures for them to come. Since the film was done with child actors, I feel like there can not be too much suspense and terror, but also has to have a sense of childishness and loss of innocence. This film handled that so well, as it had its nostalgic childhood feels as well as the horror that each child carried with them. In my opinion, this was handled the best in the character of Richie Tozier, played by Finn Wolfhard (formerly of Stranger Things). He provided the main humor and adult comedy throughout the film, and brought light to even the darkest scenes of the movie. His reputation as the wise-cracking smart-ass of the group fit him very well, and it made some of the other children's dark performances bearable. This film's sequel already has a green light, as the last title screen said "Part 1." This was not expected, but I feel that the story is not completely over yet. Obviously, if you had read the novel, you know that the children are all grown up and facing Pennywise once more. Since there is a confirmed sequel, it begs the question on who will be cast as the grownup versions of these children, and that will be very interesting to see.
It was very tense and horrifying all the way through, but I only have one problem with it. I felt that they showed a bit too much of Pennywise the Clown in all of the horror scenes. One trope of horror films that seems to always be present is the absence of the monster. This, however, makes the final reveal that much more terrifying. Pennywise was present from the very first scene of the film, but I felt that if he would have been shown a bit less, then it could have made it that much more suspenseful. It is understandable for him to terrify each kid in their own individual way and for there to be a final fight scene, but sometimes the lack of the villain makes the appearance even better.
This film, even though it is a reboot, has proven to be pretty damn close to one of King's best adaptations. While it relies very heavily on source material, it handles it all very well and presents it in very frightening ways. It has proven itself as one of the best horror films in the past few years, and will live on in Stephen King's legacy of terrifying media.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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