Following the success of the movie “It”, the sequel, “IT Chapter Two”, premiered on Sept. 6. The movie takes place 27 years after the events of the first movie. Photo fair use of slash film.com
“IT Chapter Two”, which was released on Sept. 6, had lots of potential, but ultimately failed to live up to it’s predecessor.
“IT Chapter Two”, directed by Argentine filmmaker Andrés Muschietti, was released in theaters on Sept. 6. The movie is the second part of Muschietti’s film adaptation of Stephen King ’s novel, “IT”. While “IT Chapter Two” has its good parts, the movie disappoints in comparison to its predecessor.
In the previous film, viewers followed a group of misfit teenagers in the fictional town of Derry, Maine as they must defeat an ancient shapeshifting evil — most commonly appearing as a clown named Pennywise — which emerges every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. In “IT Chapter Two”, the characters return to Derry as adults after learning that the evil had not yet been defeated.
The storyline has great potential, as seen by the success of the novel, but the movie misses the mark in its execution. While sporting a great cast, including James McAvoy and Bill Hader, its character development is shallow to say the least, considering the movie’s nearly three-hour run time. In addition, the feeling of comradery between these outcast characters is sadly missing, as they barely interact until the ending action sequence.
The plot of “IT Chapter Two” is built from childhood trauma and flashbacks for much of the movie. Audience members may find themselves wondering when the story will start, only to realize how little plot is really included. Advertised as a horror movie, sporadic comedy and romantic moments feel out of place and dull the impact of the story. What horror there is almost exclusively comes from jump scares, which soon become predictable and cause the writing to appear lazy and even downright boring.
While “IT Chapter Two” may be a visually engaging film with a good cast, the story was not executed to its full potential. That being said, fans of the horror genre and the Stephen King classic may still enjoy viewing.
