'It' Is Fantastic

Next to the Dark Tower series, my most favorite Stephen King novel is It.  However, when it comes to this year’s film adaptations, though I had looked forward to both of them, The Dark Tower turned out being disappointing – that’s why I didn’t watch it in theaters; it’s not worth shelling money over – while It is awesome.  It’s up there with 1408, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Mist as my personal picks for greatest films based on Stephen King books.

It follows the “Losers’ Club” – seven pre-teen outcasts – as they discover the sinister truth behind the recent spike of missing children cases in their town: a powerful, ancient evil that has taken the form of a murderous clown named Pennywise.  With nobody else to turn to but each other, they must face their greatest fears in order to have the chance of ever stopping “It” – or, at least, surviving the summer.

I can’t exactly say that it’s a terrifying movie when it didn’t really shook me at any point.  It has well-executed creepy scenes and out-of-nowhere scares, yes, but none really startled or unsettled me – though I observed many in the theater I was in who screamed and jumped out of their seats a couple of times.  It’s probably because, having read the novel, I had the gist on what’s going to happen.  Plus, knowing horror films, I’ve always been on guard for jump scares whenever I watch them.  It’s also worth noting that even though Pennywise is a demonic clown, he’s still a clown nonetheless, which makes some of his behavior more funny than frightening.

That said, it is “terrifying” in the sense that it’s effectively intense, exciting, and gripping.  It is a fantastic horror film.

But more importantly than being genuinely scary, it succeeds in being a great movie adaptation of the novel.  It makes some necessary changes in order to make it work in the big screen and fit in a feature-length runtime.  But all of the most crucial plot elements and themes that make It a great story – a fascinating, thought-provoking, coming-of-age, good-versus-evil horror fairy tale – are much intact.

I still think the storytelling of the novel is stronger and smarter though, since it alternates between the perspective of the characters as children and adults, adding a layer of mystery and surprise to it.   But I’ve realized that this style will probably only work in written form, and that the best course of action in adapting the story coherently on screen is to split it into two parts and tell it chronologically: first, when the characters are kids, then, as adults – something that this film adaptation has opted for.

The cast is great.  Bill Skarsgård, who seems sweet and pleasant in real life, is mesmerizingly haunting as Pennywise.  Meanwhile, the young actors playing the Losers’ Club – which includes familiar faces in Jaeden Lieberher (Henry in The Book of Henry) and Finn Wolfhard (Mike in Stranger Things) – all delivered pretty likable and capable performances.

I’m pretty excited for the sequel, which will now focus on the Losers’ Club as adults (I’m hoping for some stellar casting news soon).  Now, I do think the best part of It is of them as kids, but if it will have the same narrative and technical vision as this first one, then It’s “chapter two” could turn out being as terrific.