It Review: Stephen King’s The Losers Club move from television to film in this seriously scary remake of It.
It review, Kat Hughes.
It Review
For decades Stephen King has been the master of horror fiction. His stories has proved to be so interesting and popular that almost everything he writes seems to get a TV or film adaptation. Sadly for King, not all of these are brilliant, for every The Mist and Shawshank Redemption, there’s a Dreamcatcher and a The Lawnmower Man. Even cult television mini-series It is an adaptation of two halves; the first is creepy as Hell and created a generation of clown phobics, the end reveal of its ‘real’ form however, was disappointing. Director Andy Muschietti, who previously brought us Mama, set out to correct those wrongs and create a film that aligns more with the good King films rather than the bad, and he has certainly succeeded.
One of the things that made the mini-series so iconic was Tim Curry’s turn as Pennywise the clown, and a lot of this film’s success rides on how scary its own clown tormentor is. So just how does Bill Skarsgård stack up? The answer is pretty darn well, he’s a different type of clown to Curry, but still a worthy foe for the Losers Club. Curry had a creepier appearance, and was an odd blend of comical and menacing; Skarsgård’s Pennywise is much more unhinged and unpredictable, and relies more on physicality to get the scares.
It Review
The young cast is comprised of some of the strongest child actors on the circuit at the moment, and all put in phenomenal performances. They also handle the moments of darkness (and there are plenty of them) very well. Jaeden Lieberher is the perfect person to lead the Losers Club, and he is a worthy successor to Jonathan Brandis’ Bill. Sophia Lillis is a feisty and tough iteration of Beverly, and is simply as fantastic, having arguably the heavier and more intensive role. Unlike her friends she never lets herself be a victim, and much like Eleven in Stranger Things, is super kick-ass. Speaking of Stranger Things, Finn Wolfhard shows a different side to his acting as he plays foul-mouthed, wise-cracking jokester Richie. He makes the role his own, though we now really want Seth Green back as the older version of the character. The stand-out of the club however, is Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben – he will completely steal your heart. It’s also not just the Loser’s that get time to shine, bully Henry Bowers too gets a decent amount of screen time. In the mini-series he was more of generic, stereotypical bully, here we get a deeper look into his psyche and home-life.
In addition to horror, It explores the power of grief, fear and the strong bonds of friendship. There’s so much humour that you almost forget that you’re watching a horror film at times. Muschietti captures the feel of the endless summer of youth and the bonds of friendship beautifully. The whole affair feels somewhere between The Goonies and Stand By Me extrapolated into the horror genre. The pacing is also perfectly balanced, the 135 minute run-time disappears in the blink of an eye.
It Review
Muschietti manages to improve what has come before, adding enough originality, as well as some very imaginative scare sequences. The opening is a rain-soaked, bloody, and chilling affair. You might think that you know this scenario, but you’ve never seen it quite like this. Muschietti teases the audience with when and where the dancing clown will manifest; those afraid of clowns are going to be on tenterhooks waiting for him to pop-up. The scare sequences are all effective and, for the most part, jump-scare free. The soundtrack and score works harmoniously with the film. Almost every scene is scored, something that is usually really irritating, but here it works in the movies favour. The few fleeting instances where the music stops commands attention, and usually mean something fearful is on the horizon.
Muschietti has, put simply, knocked it out of the park with this rather faithful adaptation of a Stephen King institution. It is an instant classic, and proof that The Losers Club never say die. Sheer horror perfection, we can not wait for Chapter Two!
It review by Kat Hughes, September 2017
It is released in UK cinemas on Friday 8th September, 2017
