Wow wow wow wow wow!! I LOVED IT! So good I watched it again the next night.
Ok, let’s slow things down and go back a step. When a remake was announced for IT, it was met with much trepidation, from me included. After all the 90s version is one of the most beloved adaptations in the Stepehen King pantheon. Who else could play Pennywise other than Tim Curry? But then after much speculation shots started to appear of what the new Pennywise would look like, and it became very clear that this was a different kind of clown.
Played by Bill Skarsgard, there is no humour to this 2017 Pennywise. Where as Tim Curry’s portrayal had moments of laughter that led you to believe (falsely) that he was like any other clown, there is nothing here but pure malice and creepiness. Whenever Pennywise is on screen, you are waiting for the next horrific thing to happen.
And horrific it is, as one by one this interdimensional being picks off the children of Derry, Maine in increasingly gruesome fashion. Isolating the children and making them see what scares them most, Pennywise savors their fear before he goes in for the kill. In fact, so important is the terror that if you are not afraid, Pennywise loses his power over you.
This really is an incredible film, and there is little I can say in criticism. It is well paced and the special effects are excellent. Pennywise is on the screen just enough, and plenty of time is given over to character development. So good is this film that Mrs S (who hates horror) watched the whole thing because she was invested in the characters and wanted to see what happens. A glowing endorsement indeed!
My favourite bits were Pennywise in the projector slides and the iconic scene with Georgie and the storm drain. Genuinely scary and easily 8/10 stars from me. Go and watch this film and ‘you’ll float too…..”
Chris
@cw_stagg
