I’m a big fan Stephen King fan, in fact my son’s second name is Stephen (Luke Stephen), when I was thinking of his second name (I had already decided on Luke) I looked around the room and saw my Stephen King books and thus “Luke Stephen” came to be. I’ve read a lot of the works of the “master of Horror” but have not read “It” and when the first movie came out in 2017 I was pregnant with Luke Stephen and decided to skip seeing the film until after Luke was born (you know, just avoiding anything scary, just to be safe).
Fast forward to 2019 I was ready to face Pennywise (for the first time) on the wide screen! Going in, you know that the movie is going to be scary and IT WAS, super scary, I think I’ve met my quota of disturbing images and scary sequences until next year! There was so much in this movie that would give you nightmares!
We have to talk about how the casting was perfect for the adult Losers -especially Bill Hader, who plays an adult Richie Tozier, he steals every scene that he is in! Appreciated the humor that was injected in the film, just to relive the audience from the many stressful scenes and Hader, alongside James Ransone (Eddie) are a dynamic duo, much loved by the audience.
Of course, James McAvoy as an adult Bill and Jessica Chastain as an adult Beverly Marsh, also bring their A-game in the film.
I was also a big fan of all those transition sequences which seamlessly joined the first film and the second.
Probably my one complaint about the film was the de-aging process that the kids had to go through, since after filming the first movie, two years ago, they have grown and their features have changed so their faces were scanned and there was some post-production CGI magic that happened. I just thought that in some characters (Richie and Ben) it turned out a bit strange, like they had too much beauty filter on.
Going in the cinema, I expected to be scared and terrified, and I was, until now, a week after seeing the film, I find myself still thinking about some of its scenes. What I did not expect was feeling so emotional about the movie, as it was also a story about friendship and courage. Finding the courage to face the greatest and most unimaginable fears, together! And beating the monster, no matter its shape and form together.
These children are battling different traumas and grew up as damaged adults and just when they think they can live their own lives are called back to finally defeat an evil, an evil which exists in this world. That just takes a different form and shape but its there, and its up to all of us to take a stand and say No! You don’t have power here!
The finale for It Chapter II is more than just bringing the scares and the fear factor it is also a social commentary that tackles battling fear, hate and indifference. I’d like to think that when you leave the cinema, it’s not just about being scared for more than two hours, I’d like to think that you would leave a little braver, a little stronger to face and fight our own fears and that in some way, we’d be able to defeat our own Pennywise.
9/10 I was terrified, still but but PS. I also cried a lot in this movie.