It Review

Starring: Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgård, Jeremy Ray Talor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, Jackson Robert Scott

The last movie I would have expected to become a cultural phenomenon was Stephen King's It. I don't want to get bogged down in the business angles, but here are some numbers to prove how incredible It's success is. The previous September opening record was $48 million. The previous record for the entire autumn season was $55 million. The previous horror record was $52 million. This was the bar that was set. It managed to make $123 million in three days, doubling the previous records and dwarfing the $60 million projections for the film. If only Texas and Florida were not affected by the hurricanes, It could probably have broken Deadpool's record for biggest opening for an R-rated movie. That's right, Pennywise and Stephen King are posting superhero numbers. It's absolutely mind-boggling. It seemed that everyone wanted to see It this past weekend, and they all showed up. In the five years that I've been following box-office numbers I have never seen a movie that has so massively over-performed. And yes, part of this is because the movie is great. It tends to help when the word-of-mouth for a film is so overwhelmingly positive.

Pennywise

The first piece of the film to discuss is the titular "It", referred to most commonly as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. So many people have Tim Curry's version of the terrifying clown in their memory (I'll touch more on the original later), and I was skeptical that Bill Skarsgård could replicate the image that Curry created. He doesn't, but instead forms a new version of the character equally scary in its own right. This Pennywise is an animal looking to feast. He doesn't quite seem human despite his appearance. I make it well-known that I am terrified of clowns, and I hope that the rest of the populous understands me now. Pennywise's appearance is grounded in realism (a humanoid clown) so he seems realistic, but it's that supernatural angle that makes him truly scary. It is the fact that you watch these kids and recognize that they are psychologically facing their worst fears that chills you. The fact that Pennywise preys on something so real and scary, coupled with the fact that he does this to vulnerable children, is a very dark and deep premise. Everyone is afraid of something.

The Losers

When I saw Stranger Things, I claimed that show had the greatest working group of child actors I had seen. The children in It blow them out of the water (save for Finn Wolfhard who is actually in both). While Stranger Things has an adult storyline with Winona Ryder and David Harbour, this movie is only children. If Pennywise is this film's driving force, the kids are the heart and soul. You may see It because of the scary clown, but it's the tender moments and the emotional setup between the kids that tie the whole movie together. The audience will not mourn victims that they don't care about. By making us care for these kids and grow attached, we are guaranteed to feel the stakes as they appear. I felt the fear in each of them as they faced their nightmares, even if it was something I wasn't personally afraid of. Very few of these actors are name-talent, save for Wolfhard from Stranger Things, and Jaeden Lieberher who had a great first role in St. Vincent with Bill Murray a few years back. Even those two only have one big credit to their name. I think they all have great futures ahead of them if they play their cards right

Comparison to the 1990 Miniseries

I saw the first It last year when the clown fever was hitting the United States. It scared me because I'm afraid of clowns but I was left wanting more. Everyone spoke such high praise of this series (it's actually a two-part miniseries event) that I had a hard time seeing why I was different. While I found the first episode incredible, I thought the second one was terrible. It's worth noting that the one constant in the uneven mess of the series is Tim Curry's phenomenal performance as Pennywise. He's more of a human version of the character, and he always struck me as aiming for the child-molester image. I think a huge reason there is a stigma against clowns and such deeply rooted fear in children is Curry's performance. This is why I stated Skarsgård had a different take on the character. Curry's clown shoes are too big to fill and it'd be worthless to try. Also, I've never read a Stephen King novel, but I hear they're pretty uneven and I'd imagine It would also suffer those same pitfalls. I think the director was able to streamline King and Curry's best pieces of the story and really made it his own.

Detractions

All this being said, It is not a perfect movie. This will be short because the film is nearly perfect in my eyes. Certain inaccuracies, vague plot points, and unnecessary setup occur throughout. There is one "death" in particular that doesn't make sense given that the character survives to the second part in both the series and the novel. Given the way they exited the film at the end, it'd be hard to come back alive. If they do, then there better be a great explanation. For the most part, It escapes the nonsensical setup so many superhero and franchise movies fall into. This film can easily exist on its own and wouldn't even need a sequel. Of course, it has one coming, and occasionally a few setup quotes or plot-lines occur that I just deemed unnecessary. I firmly believe in "show don't tell".

 Conclusion and Casting

In conclusion, I think It is coming out at the perfect time to be a cultural phenomenon. Nostalgia is at an all-time high with Stranger Things and Beauty and the Beast, and its a Stephen King property that was never given the proper treatment. It's a horror movie that's more psychological than jumpy, and it relies on mental terror. I guarantee when the sequel comes out, the hype will be just as insane if not more. And just to humor myself, here is my casting for the sequel. I think it's a given that Jessica Chastain will be Beverly since she worked with the director on Mama, his only other film.

Billy- Jason Bateman
Beverly- Jessica Chastain
Richie- Bill Hader
Eddie- Adam Scott
Ben- James Corden
Stan- Ben Foster
Mike- Idris Elba

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