If you’ve never read Stephen King’s It then it’s probably a good idea to clear some time out of your schedule and get through all 1,200 pages. It’s a long book but it’s also a truly brilliant novel from the opening page to the closing, and the cast of characters feel like living, breathing people who you’ve known your whole life. The miniseries from 1990 introduced the world to the Losers Club and the town of Derry, and boasts what is still Tim Curry’s most iconic non-transvestite role as King’s greatest creation Pennywise. Yet without nostalgia goggles the 1990 version hasn’t aged that well; it’s kinda lame.
This is all mentioned because even though you should never judge a book by its movie, and there have been so many disappointing Stephen King adaptations that it’s smart to avoid hype, Andy Muschietti’s 2017 remake of King’s masterpiece totally and joyfully meets expectations. This is a brilliant adaptation which will satisfy book fans but also introduce a new generation.
The town of Derry, Maine (it’s a King book so of course it’s set in Maine) is haunted by some kind of implacable Lovecraftian monstrosity. This is It, and whatever terrible and unknowable thing It is, it takes the form of whatever scares you the most. In the summer of 1989 (the film has skipped forward thirty years from the text) a group of preteens, social outcasts from the bullied to the token black kid, call themselves ‘the Losers Club’. Each of them has had experiences with It, as it prays on the young and the adults don’t believe in silly stories about killer clowns. As the Losers Club are brought together, they realise they are the only ones who will or can do anything.
Following on from a brilliant marketing campaign and working on a script co-written by the wunderkind Cary Fukunaga who gave the world the first season of True Detective, director Andy Mushcetti has well and truly made his name in the horror genre after 2013’s Mama. This is a film that doesn’t put a foot wrong, from directing to script to acting.
Borrowing more than a little from the success of Stranger Things, including one main cast member and presumably whoever did the set design, everything that made the characters memorable in the novel is here. It’s the performances of the seven Losers which really makes this something special. These kids talk and banter just like real people; it’s amazing to see children so well written and acted. All the actors are good but Finn Wolfhard as the motormouthed Richie, and especially Sophia Lillis in her first major role as Beverly, are incredible. Going by this performance alone Lillis has very big things ahead of her; keep an eye out.
Pennywise the Clown was always going to have… well, big shoes to fill, considering the malevolent brilliance of the source material and the giant iconic performance of Tim Curry. Many actors were considered for the role (Including Ben Mendelson and Tilda Swinton and oh boy wouldn’t THAT have been something) but the baby faced little brother of the Skarsgård family does the role justice. Bill Skarsgård is a creepy presence who pulls off the role without being ridiculous or over the top. Most of the role is physicality, simply the omnipresence of him looming over these characters’ lives, and this performance is just right. The famous scene of him talking to Georgie in the sewer drain has to be one of the most iconic images in the entire genre of horror and Mushcetti’s team have done it justice. Bravo.
If there’s one thing that stops this from being an instant classic, and this isn’t a small flaw, it’s that the film simply isn’t scary. It’s creepy, sure, and a couple of the relatively few jump scares totally land, but this doesn’t have the ever encroaching dread that all good horror films have. There are dud moments – children giggling being used to creep you out is just cheap – and a few pieces of dodgy CGI.
There was a lot of hope for this adaption and, incredibly, the It remake has totally pulled it off. The chemistry which bubbles between every member of the cast is a sight to behold. Everyone who worked on this should be proud to have cast and then directed a team of such talented young actors. The dialogue is spot on and the creepy aesthetics are perfect. This is everything an adaption can and should be. Bring on Chapter 2!
It is in cinemas from 7th September through Roadshow Films.
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