Member review

After seeing IT: Chapter 1 I had expected to be seeing the film set 27 years after the first film with the return of Pennywise (the IT monster). I was expecting and hoping that they would continue the alternative look at the horror genre that the first film had but with more character development and humour as well as the creepy horror elements that keep you on the edge of your seat.

At the end of the first movie we see the losers club create a pact that if IT returns all members will return to Derry to defeat IT. In chapter 2 we see how all the Losers have moved away from Derry to continue their lives, apart from Mike Hanlon who has remained in Derry researching the monster and ways to defeat it. In the film we follow the characters as they face their childhood fears and remember the terror and band together to defeat IT.

The plot is overall fairly easy to follow as it just follows a very simple and straight-line narrative, however I would say near the middle of the movie it gets somewhat repetitive in that we follow each character as they all go to a place from their childhood, have a flashback of the hauntings they endured, then get confronted by IT in the modern day. One thing about the plot that I enjoyed was how they made it believable in that the characters, after returning to Derry and finding out they are in danger, try to go back to the safety of their homes rather than choosing to risk their lives confronting IT.

Overall, I did enjoy the film. I felt it continued the same horror vibes that Chapter 1 had and conveyed very good character development. I really like how in the film they made it funny and yet tense at the same time as I was on the edge of my seat and laughing all at once. I like how this effect was created to mirror the clown Pennywise, as clowns are normally fun characters but in the context of IT clowns are creepy and terrifying. I did feel though when leaving the cinema, the film was missing something, I can't tell what I needed more or less of, it just felt incomplete despite being 2 hours 49 minutes long. I also would have liked to see more appearances of the IT character as Pennywise rather than some other creature as there was a lot more of IT appearing in his shapeshifted ways in Chapter 2 compared to Chapter 1. I prefer Pennywise in his clown form as I find Bill Skarsgard’s excellent performance more intense.

I really like how in one scene Andrés Muschietti uses character perspectives and imagery to offer hope to the audience when the characters get into a dangerous situation. In one scene we see both Beverly and Ben trapped in a seemingly unescapable situation, slowly being drowned in different areas. At the start we think the two are in completely different locations and unable to help each other. But when Beverly kicks though a door we see they are truly within the same location just with different perspectives and with this knowledge we see then they are able to escape. I particularly enjoy this scene due to the incredible shot of the two viewpoints side by side and Beverly's hand reaching through. I like this because it creates a feeling of possibility to the audience and reminds them of IT’s supernatural powers.

I would recommend this film to you if you enjoyed IT: Chapter 1 or just enjoy horror movies in general, however I would say you need to have watched Chapter 1 or at least know the story of it and the monster as it is a crucial part of the plot of Chapter 2.