The circus is back in town! New Line Cinema’s new It Chapter Two, directed by Andrés Muschietti (Mama 2013, It 2017) and written by Gary Dauberman (The Nun 2018, Annabelle Comes Home 2019), is set to hit select theaters on Thursday, September 5th prior to a broad release on Friday the September 6th.
Coming 2 years following the massively successful 2017 film It, the new chapter stars Jessica Chastain ( Interstellar 2014, Dark Phoenix 2019), James McAvoy (Split 2016, X-Men: Apocalypse 2016), Bill Hader (Barry series, Toy Story 4 2019), Isaiah Mustafa (Shadowhunters series, Horrible Bosses 2011), James Ransone (Bosche series, Sinister 2012), and Andy Bean (Power series, Transformers: The Last Knight 2017). Last, but definitely not least, making his return is Bill Skarsgård as the innocent, yet scary-looking clown Pennywise.
The story follows Mike (Mustafa) who makes a startling discovery of some recent killings that seem all too familiar to a particular deadly clown that murdered the town’s children 27 years ago. He reaches out to bring the gang back together to finish off what they started. The only issue is, the old crew does not want to get involved again but he must enlist the aid of Bill (McAvoy) to sway the rest to commit to the promise they made as kids.
It is really interesting to see how everyone has evolved, changed and moved on with their lives during their nearly three-decade hiatus from their last harrowing adventure. Will they be able to bring themselves back to Derry to take on an old foe? Is it even possible to take someone like Pennywise down for good? These are both questions that need answering once the film gets underway.
For those who do not know, It Chapter Two is a direct continuation of 2017’s It, and the filmmakers/cast do an awesome job picking up where they left off, continuing on into this next chapter seamlessly. In fact everyone does a good job, but in regards to the cast, Richie (Hader) and Eddie (Ransone) shine the most due to the growth in their characters throughout the film. As expected, McAvoy also does an amazing with his portrayal of Bill – you get to see how he is still affected by his past, and how he is coping with it to this day.
Not to be overlooked, Skarsgård additionally deserves praise as the oddly unique, yet bizarre killer clown. The beats were taken to really allow the awkwardness to set in, his off-putting initially sweet voice that turns monstrous, and his movements all force you to keep your eyes on him whenever he is on screen. How he approaches those who are unfamiliar with him really makes you wish for his prey to escape with their lives, as you already know what’s to come.
Moving on to the visuals of It: Chapter Two, they are also done very well. So well that nothing seemed out of place, everything looked real, and there were a lot of creepy and unnerving moments because of it. Even portions that were CGI are done well, which allows you to get lost in the scene and in the magic of the story. From the slight gore to the many forms that Pennywise took, it was enough to have you keep an eye out for the unsettling clown. It really kept you in a mindset of wondering what is real and what is not – which they deserve great praise on.
With all these positive aspects in mind, the only problem is that It Chapter Two does run on a little too long. Some of the fat could have been cut off being that this is nearly a 3-hour movie! That being said, it does allow the film to establish each character’s motivations by allowing us to care about each of the kids from the first movie who are now adults.
Overall, It Chapter Two is definitely worth your time and worth the watch. If you are ready to have a rush in fear, this film definitely delivers. Just be sure not to bring any actual kids with you because this film will probably give them nightmares. Routine checks under the bed and monitoring for random red balloons are already underway over here, and that is why Cryptic Rock gives IT Chapter Two 5 out of 5 stars.
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