LogFAQs > #929567197

40. It Chapter Two (18 points)
Nominated by: Raka_Putra (0/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKL1ImsN-DU

Importance: 4
Fear: 5.5
Snake: 8.5

"Hello."

What happened to It: Chapter Two? The first film was such a roaring success, I expected It 2 to either match it or even surpass it pretty handily. I guess the reviews had a pretty negative impact on the box office for this film, along with an admittedly bloated run-time. I mean, it was still a success and was a movie I saw everywhere around release time, but I think that can be attributed to the first chapter I feel having a real lasting impact that's still hanging around now.

I myself really enjoyed It Chapter Two a lot. It's strangely bold, ambitious, and a hot mess of a blockbuster horror movie that I feel hardly ever comes out anymore. Bill Skarsgard is incredible as Pennywise, even surpassing his chapter one performance, a powerhouse of a role that's as hilarious as it is sinister, with tons of physicality and even some depth to what is is essentially a giant space bug. Everyone in the adult cast is just as fantastic. Not only do they look just like their child counterparts, they manage to add interesting layers on top of their already established personalities, not merely being one-note grown up versions of their kid selves. I think Bill Hader in particular does excellent work as Richie, adding a subtle touch of sexual identity to the role, and being a anxiety-ridden comedian, clashes particular well with Pennywise. The characters are so wonderful and like the first chapter, it's what makes It particularly worth watching.

Now, is the middle just an excuse to become a funhouse of scares? Yes, of course it is. But this is honestly what I love about the movie too. I love seeing each individual character's interactions with Pennywise, and what scares them the most. These scenes also satisfy two crowds in my opinion. There's that typical Blumhouse jump scare excess for that horror crowd, but there's also some depth behind that naked dancing grandma too. It preys on Beverly's ugly parental and sexual upbringing, Bill encounters another kid brutally reminding him of Georgie, and Eddie has trouble escaping the shadow of his mother and hypochondriac issues. As It Chapter Two is all about the characters, these scenes are fantastic and kept me absolutely glued to the screen throughout, making the long run-time seem like a breeze.

Chapter Two has its problems for sure. There are occasional tonal and story inconsistencies that are jarring, like a quick "Angel of the Morning" cut during Eddie's sequence that felt like it crawled out of the ass of Deadpool. The flashbacks to kid times didn't do it for me either. We already saw It Chapter One, and I think if these scenes were that important they would have already been included there. Once again, this adaptation completely fumbles Henry Bowers and his importance in the novel, just being a distracting footnote to create the illusion of tension outside of Pennywise.

All of this though is what makes It Chapter Two such an intriguing mess. Whether enthralled by the drooling Pennywise, rolling your eyes at It's giant CGI spider form, or feeling super confused at the Native American montage, one thing everyone can agree on is that It Chapter Two proves the original novel might just be too inapproachable to adapt fully & faithfully. But hey, the film sure makes one hell of an attempt at it, and where it succeeds, it does it masterfully. If you're up for three hours of clown tomfoolery, there's honestly few places you're gonna find it done as fun as It Chapter Two does it.
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I try in vain to slumber, my reveries gripped by violent terror. My only salvation, the shock of awakening. Something is very, very wrong here.