It Chapter Two (2019) is the sequel to It (2017). These movies are based on Stephen King’s massive 1986 novel of the same name and follow the story of seven kids who band together in order to uncover the secrets behind the mysterious disappearances of countless children in their fictional town of Derry, Maine.
While it’s not necessary to have read the novel before tackling the films, it’s recommended that you watch It (2017) before the latest installment. In Chapter Two, our group of beloved heroes (The Losers) are all grown up and lead separate adult lives. However, due to the nature of the cursed town they hail from, they have no memories of the childhood up until one of their old friends gives them a call to return.
The main cast are: James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough, Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon, Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh, Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom, Andy Bean as Stanley Uris, James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak, and last but definitely not the least, Bill Hader as Richie Tozier.
It’s magical how on point the casting is! Each and every one of them capture their younger counterparts from the looks down to the little mannerisms. Give that Casting Department all the awards!
Aside from the casting, here is a list of things about the movie that I LOVED:
- Every scene all the Losers were together was beautiful! Such chemistry!
- Speaking of chemistry, there are two romantic subplots in this movie. One ends happily (Ben and Beverly) and the other ends in utter, heartbreaking tragedy (Richie and Eddie). And yes, you read that right. The latter is not a product of wishful thinking because…
- Richie is confirmed not straight. Bisexual or homosexualー it’s open to interpretation in the film. His other relationships aren’t explored but one thing is made crystal clear: Eddie was his first love.
- It was such a treat to see them remembering parts of their childhood that we haven’t seen in the first movie. These scenes were beautifully intertwined with them in present day.
- There were some really awesome scene transitions.
- More Pennywise screen time! I love Bill Skarsgard’s performance and it was great to see him play more of this ancient, cosmic evil.
- Stephen King’s cameo. That was a fun surprise!
And for the sake of being objective, here are some things I thought could’ve been better:
- The Pacing. This movie is almost 3 hours long and you will feel it. Though I can imagine how difficult of a task it was to condense all the events from that huge book into a cinema-friendly span of time.
- Most of the scares and monsters are CGI and although that’s not a bad thing, something about the effects make them stand out in a way that shatters your suspension of disbelief. They come across as grotesque and fascinating but almost never truly frightening.
- For fans who were looking to see more of Pennywise’s origin or backstory, you won’t get much. They skim It’s origins but mostly focus on the ways to kill It and not how It came to be.
- While the canonization of Richie’s (and possibly Eddie’s) sexuality is to be celebrated, this movie suffers from a few of the less-desirable LGBT tropes such as Gay Guy Dies First, Homophobic Hate Crime, Gay Angst and Bury Your Gays. The same outcomes exist in the novel, from what I understand, but that fact doesn’t make them any less difficult to watch.
Technically if I were a critic, I would probably rate this film a little lower. But I’m not a critic and I really DID enjoy watching this movie despite its flaws. It gets a 4/5 from me.
Tags
movies