‘It’ Film Review

“It” is the latest reboot of an original film. As if the version from 1990 wasn’t creepy enough, a fresh jab at the original thriller with new faces and the latest technology makes this even creepier.

For those unfamiliar with the original, in the town of Derry, Maine local children are disappearing at an alarming rate. One by one, children are disappearing without a trace or leave bloody remains behind. When a group of bullied children looks deep into Derry’s history, they discover something terrifying. There are four notable incidents that happen in town and they all revolved around a circus fire. That’s when the children share their spine tingling secret: they’ve all seen it.

As an all-around thriller, this is one of the best I’ve seen. I’m not a fan of ‘horror’ so to speak, but the way the story played out was fantastic and well-written. I felt like it was more of a movie about the kids than ‘it’. These kids acted their tails off and provided a level of comedy that is guaranteed to catch audiences off-guard. Billy (Jaeden Lieberher), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stan (Wyatt Oleff). You might recognize Finn Wolfhard from the TV series “Stranger Things” and “Supernatural.” He, along with castmate Jack Dylan Grazer, provide so much comedy that they can pull your attention away from the horror and relate to them as kids simply trying to coexist.

So what is ‘it’? It is a clown. An extremely scary, demonic clown that was unfamiliar to the children so they called him ‘it’. His actual name is Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) and he uses fear to paralyze children and capture them.

The biggest compliment I can give this film is the balance that you can see throughout its duration. Even for the most squeamish fan, the children’s dialogue is so strong and authentic, it will completely consume you as to almost distract you from the horror that’s on the horizon. Director Andy Muschietti has an instant hit with his adaptation of the classic thriller. I wouldn’t be surprised if the kids turn some heads during awards season either.

I give ‘It’ an 8.5 out of 10. Be prepared to sit since the film is 2 hrs. and 15 mins. There will be screaming, jumping, and even people walking out all throughout the film. The suspense in this is intense so do not even attempt to bring your children to this just because you survived watching in 1990 (this is not 1990). The biggest surprise I can leave you with is advice… And that advice is to wait until the film is over. Do not leave early because there’s a special bit of info waiting for you…

-Jon J.