Movie: “It Chapter 2”
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2019
Director: Andy Muschietti
Runtime: 2 hours 49 minutes
Rating: C-
“It Chapter 2” does a good job of following up the 2017 film, “It,” with its character-driven story, but it can’t quite match the quality of its predecessor.
“It Chapter 2” picks up 27 years after the events of the first film when Pennywise returns to the fictional town of Derry, Maine. To combat the villain, Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) calls upon the rest of the Losers’ Club to make good on the pact they made after defeating him the first time.
With the characters all grown up, the film does lose part of the charm that made the first film so appealing. However, that does not stop it from being any less of a strong character-driven story.
The best part about “It Chapter 2” is the cast. James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader and the rest of the Losers’ Club are wonderfully cast. Each actor perfectly portrays the adult versions of the characters from the previous film.
Not only that but they successfully portray them in a childish manner, as, upon returning to Derry, each character becomes more like their childhood selves. The characters' immaturity is portrayed in nuanced ways, such as Bill’s (McAvoy) stutter returning.
Out of the whole cast, Hader, much like Finn Wolfhard in the first film, has the stand out performance with his portrayal of Richie. Hader is constantly spouting seriously funny dialogue and steals most scenes he is in.
Another strength of "Chapter 2" is its ability to give proper weight to death. In most big budget, popular films, character deaths rarely have lasting effects and are typically forgotten within a few scenes. However, death has an impact in this film. "Chapter 2" explores how characters are affected by it throughout the entire film, not just in a few scenes.
Cinematography certainly shines in some scenes, too — specifically in the way background shots are used. There are multiple times when one of the main characters will be focused in the foreground while something spooky is happening behind them, be it a creepy old woman scurrying out of shot or fairgoers being brought to a chilling halt. These shots are some of the more successful scary moments of the film.
Heavy use of CGI and jump scares hold the film back from being truly chilling, subjecting the audience instead to cheap scares. “It Chapter 2” is not an Ari Aster film, so perhaps it is unfair to expect such a level of smart horror.
Pennywise is used much less this time, the majority of his screen time relegated to flashbacks when the characters were children. CGI monsters have a much greater screen presence. While, technically, the monsters are Pennywise in a different form, they do not have the same effect that Pennywise has in his iconic clown garb.
There are certainly times where the film feels more like an action comedy than horror. One scene, when a zombie drives a car, feels particularly out of place in a horror film. However, despite its flaws, "It Chapter 2" serves overall as an enjoyable follow up to the first film.