IT: CHAPTER TWO
3 out of 5 stars
As director Andy Muschietti turns to the next chapter in Stephen King‘s killer clown epic, its bright red balloon loses air as the jump scares are standard and the dread that dripped from scene to scene in the first chapter is gone. What ultimately keeps this sequel afloat is the incredible cast – specifically Bill Hader, who plays the adult Richie with stellar wit and dramatic prowess. The Losers Club’s internal conflict is what continues to consume us as they carry the scars that formed as kids and still show 27 years later as grown-ups. Their memories are extremely repressed, yet they come flooding back when they all finally return home.
The other Bill, Bill Skarsgård, is still going strong as Pennywise. Just the sight of him is chilling to the core. At the same time, he becomes predictable as each unsettling scenario ends the same way. And while the CGI is seamless, its use for the many shape-shifting creatures take away from the personal stories we’re attached to. Pennywise’s best weapon is exposing the worst part of yourself and using it against you physically and psychologically. That’s horror that’s tough to run from. Facing your fears with friends by your side is what this part is and should be about. It just takes so very long to get there.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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