IT Chapter Two: Scary Fun, But Too Long

IT Chapter Two was released on Sept. 6, 2019. Being the sequel to the revitalized franchise in 2017 which was critically acclaimed, this film had big expectations by fans and critics alike. The movie has a total runtime of two hours and fifty minutes which by typical movies in this day and age is quite the stretch. With long movies, the entire film must be captivating in order to be interested from start to finish. With this film, however, some parts are better left out.   

Pennywise the clown continues to be the main attraction of this franchise. Pennywise feeds off the fear of his victims, and in Chapter Two he pursues the same seven people affected by him 27 years ago. Bill, Stanley, Eddie, Richie, Beverly, Mike and Ben also known as the Losers Club all come back to Derry, Maine where the film takes place. These friends come face to face with the dastardly clown once again, but this time their intentions are to kill the evil entity once and for all. 

The majority of the film takes place in a dark setting, which is a common trait for all horror movies. However, when the few instances of sunlight come onto the screen it seemed everyone in the theater had to shield their eyes to avoid being blinded by the light. A confusing part during the film was when Mike brought up the idea of a ritual that would help kill Pennywise. In the end, however, this ritual ends up being a useless part of the plot as the execution of the ritual is quite a letdown and a low point in the film.  

A big impression that was felt about this film was that it was hysterically funny in scenes involving Richie, who was a fan-favorite character. This sequel took a lot more adaptation from the novel than the first movie with some parts working excellent while others fell flat.  

A downside to the film is the overall amount of flashbacks. Having a few throughout the runtime can work brilliantly as it reminds the viewers of what happened in the past, however, Chapter Two has an egregious amount. On the other hand, a new scene that was not adapted from the book, that is very well shot with gorgeous lighting and marvelous special effects, is when Bill goes to a carnival in an attempt to save a small child from Pennywise. 

All in all, the movie was pretty good, however, certain parts could have either been cut out entirely or shortened substantially. The most notable takeaway of the film should come from the scares or creepy situations and this movie has enough to make you leave the theater with nightmares. While it wasn’t as good as the 2017 version it was a solid movie altogether. Despite the long run time, this is a good horror movie that is sure to scare during this upcoming Halloween season.