It (2017)

Matt Brunson started his review by saying, “In its original hardcover incarnation, Stephen King’s It ran 1,138 pages, second only to The Stand’s 1,153 pages in terms of finding the prolific author at his wordiest. Given that generous length, it’s not surprising that It (and The Stand, for that matter) found itself being fitted for a television miniseries slot rather than a motion picture release, resulting in a 192-minute two-parter on ABC back in 1990.” Of course, in this time where many popular books are broken into two or three movies (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 & 2” and “The Hobbit” trilogy, for example), it’s not surprising to find a studio willing to allow King’s book a chance to have its story stretched across two films.

Brunson said, “In its original hardcover incarnation, Stephen King’s It ran 1,138 pages, second only to The Stand’s 1,153 pages in terms of finding the prolific author at his wordiest. Given that generous length, it’s not surprising that It (and The Stand, for that matter) found itself being fitted for a television miniseries slot rather than a motion picture release, resulting in a 192-minute two-parter on ABC back in 1990.” This is the right way to split the story, and what’s offered in this first part, released in 2017, is mostly good stuff.

Obviously, the main attraction is Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the evil being that’s kidnapping and killing the children of a small Maine town in 1989. Brunson noted, “Bill Skarsgård needs some help from the CGI gods to make his Pennywise as memorable as Tim Curry’s superb interpretation from the miniseries, but he nevertheless does a fine job of bringing this monster to life.”

The seven kids cast as the members of the self- rubbed Losers Club, reluctantly ready to fight Pennywise, are perfectly cast, with Sophia Lillis as Bev, Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie, and Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben particularly memorable (the other members include Jaeden Lieberher as Bill, Finn Wolfhard as Richie, Chosen Jacobs as Mike, and Wyatt Oleff as Stanley).

Brunson compared, “Indeed, the sequences in which the kids merely relate to one another are among the film’s strongest, stirring memories of the exquisite Stand By Me (another adaptation of a King property). These scenes never wear out their stay, which can’t be said of a couple of the extended horror set-pieces that verge on overkill.”

Interestingly, the 1990 miniseries was at its best when it focused on the adolescent protagonists – despite solid performances by Richard Thomas, John Ritter, and others, the adult parts weren’t quite as persuasive, ultimately halting by a completely disappointing finale. The 2017 “It” is a respectable addition to the King novel adaptation, but it will be the adults-only second part that similarly will make or break the overall attempt.

I can’t say this is bad as there are a lot of scares, fun ideas, decent enough characters, and, in many ways, it is better than the original. I do recommend this if you want to see a scary movie. However, there is one thing the original had, which was silly and awkward, but it kind of enjoyed it. From the awkward effects, the artificial acting, the odd writing, and Tim Curry giving it his all. It wasn’t scary, but it wasn’t an over-the-top, campy TV movie. This new one is trying to be a lot of things, and you can tell it’s just all over the place, which is why the original had personality. However, if you want to see it on Max, I do think you should because I did enjoy it.

Next week, I will talk about the second part in “Halloween Month 2025.”