IT Chapter Two (2019) Review
IT Chapter Two (2019)
Directed By: Andy Muschietti
Starring: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jack Dylan Grazer,Wyatt Oleff & Bill Skarsgård
Synopsis: In the sleepy town of Derry, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to torment the grown-up members of the Losers’ Club, who have long since drifted apart from one another.
Review: I caught an early preview of this movie, I loved the first chapter and I really wanted to see if the second would hold up and be as strong. I automatically knew Bill Skarsgård would put on scene stealing performance which he did. Pennywise was utterly terrifying and more brutal this around. James Franco put on such a great performance as Bill and for me he was the glue that held the group together as he had much more to do and is on a relentless mission to stop Pennywise once and for all. Isaiah Mustafa was rightly cast an older Mike and his story of staying in Derry and studying the background of Pennywise and how long he had been on earth for was very interesting and even made me think that they could continue the Pennywise character in prequel movies. Jessica Chastain as Berverly was perfect casting and I couldn’t think of anyone else playing that role as strong and as well as she did. Taking on the role of older Richie Tozier was Bill Hader. While still cracking wise, he didn’t make me laugh as much as Finn Wolfhard but he was still an enjoyable character and Hader’s acting skills are on point. The only weak character I found was adult Ben, his character didn’t really serve up to much of a purpose, he was just there to longingly stare at Beverly and have the whole poem story carry over.
Now onto our Losers club, they make brief appearances and it was good to see them back on screen, I would have liked to see more of them but it wouldn’t have fitted with the narrative. Their cameos were very welcomed and made a great addition to the movie.
The movie itself was scary, creepier and still had a few laughs, some intentional and some I don’t think were meant to be, there is a scene with an old lady (whose clearly a form IT has taken on) creeping around the house naked and a scene with Pennywise doing a creep across the screen made me laugh. Not sure if it was intentional as they were both in tense scenes.
We also get Henry Bowers story continue, after the events of the first movie and the 27 year time jump, Henry is in a mental institute and when Pennywise reawakens he returns to Henry with the task of killing ‘The Losers Club’, Henry’s story is more of a side story that works in but in all honesty, if it wasn’t in you wouldn’t miss it.
The movie did feature some memorable moments, the opening featured a discriminatory attack which left an impression as we all know it happens in everyday life. There was also a scene where Pennywise is stalking a child through a hall of mirrors which is a very tense scene. A highlight was watching Pennywise fly through the sky while holding onto a bunch of balloons which I think will become an iconic scene over time.
The movies running time could definetly have been cut down, as the ending did drag out quite a bit and I found myself thinking ‘will this ever end’. The movie featured a great cast who all put in outstanding performances, the return of the young Losers club was a true highlight and Bill Skarsgård has truly cemented a memorable role which will be remembered for years to come, probably more iconic then Heath Ledgers Joker portrayal. With some gripping scenes and some good scares I would definitely recommend watching, the end is a little dragged out but it is in a whole better than the original by far.
