Stephen King It 2017 Review

Psycho Circus….

I’m not gonna lie, I was so excited about this remake, that I went back and reread the book, and watched the old made for tv movie of Stephen King’s It. I wanted that familiar feeling of being back in Derry when I watched this re-imagining, so I came prepared.

I am going to make comparisons while referencing the book, the old movie, and how the new movie takes its own swing at It, so there will be spoilers here, but mainly from the book and old movie. I will do my best to not go into crazy detail for the new movie.

So, if you want my spoiler free verdict, I will get it out of the way. Whether you have read the book or watched the old movie, or none of the above, go watch It. It does a great job from tons of source material to stand on its own legs. It is violent, it is creepy, and it has some decent(albeit quick) character growth. If you want to read on, its time for the-

SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AS IN THE BOOK, OLD MOVIE, AND MINOR NEW MOVIE SPOILERS!!!!

Still with me? Great. This is where I get to have a bit of fun now. This movie takes place in the 80’s, which can mean one of two things here. One, they brought up the time from the 1950s so the younger generation can at least relate to the time(which is what I would think), or two, they are leaving it open to some possibility that it coincides with the adults coming back too from the original book/movie. There is already crazy theories out there. While I doubt that is the case, would it be much more far fetched than a cosmic turtle throwing up the universe and helping the kids fight Pennywise? Because that is in the book. I lost you now? Sorry about that, let’s continue on. Can you smell the circus?

Georgie could smell the circus, even through the rain that the town of Derry had seen nonstop for what seemed like an eternity now. But unlike Georgie, we all know what’s coming. We see a different Pennywise here. Clearly, Bill Skarsgard wasn’t looking to upstage Tim Curry. No, he took Pennywise into a completely different direction. One second he is this fast talking, twitchy happy clown. But while speaking, you can hear this sort of frustration in his voice, trying to hold back from snapping and just killing the person he is talking to. He wants to feed off the fear before finishing it. There are great back and forth moments with Pennywise and the kids that make up the lucky seven, or the loser’s club.

Where the book and older movie jumped back and forth between the adult versions and kid versions of the loser’s club, the 2017 remake focuses solely on the kids this time. We get a little time with each kid, and how they all came together, and how each of them have encountered Pennywise at some point. We also get to see hints of how Pennywise has taken over the town of Derry itself, like a fog has been placed over the adults from trying to help the children, or even get to the bottom of all these murders/missing kids. While the book goes into gruesome detail of how certain citizens of Derry meet their fate, the old made for tv movie couldn’t quite accomplish that due to restrictions for what could be shown. The 2017 remake doesn’t hold back here, trying to use these kids as a means to terrify you.

Speaking of kids, I should note that the portrayals of each character were played out to where I had little or no complaint. This is the 80’s, so we have the humor, the f-bombs, the music, the hairstyles(including a mullet for Henry Bowers), and I believe I even saw a late 70’s early 80’s Trans Am. While the story does feel closer to the book this time, some liberties were taken here and there, most likely for time management or to fit a narrative for that particular character. The kids are in high school now, except for Mike Hanlon, we see him as a home schooled outsider. We see a bit about the fire mentioned in the book, but it has been changed to his parents instead. It is a nice touch for those who have read the book. But it is no longer Mike that has the interest in Derry, but Ben. Ben moves here as the new kid, and keeps going to the library researching Derry’s history. It was an unexpected change, as I wonder now if it will be Ben that stays in Derry instead of Mike. Perhaps not.

Ritchie is more of a smart ass than ever, cracking jokes even at the worst of moments. Eddie takes on more of a flat out jerk, as we see him just lay into the group at times, which is a bit more from the book. Beverly definitely has more of a dark history, which is played out here in some creepy between the pages type notions with her father. Also queue the Pat Benatar Legend of Billie Jean song Invincible, as we see Beverly cut her hair and make a stand for herself. We see that Stan has a different fear that is played out, which shows him a bit more exposed than the bird watching non believer in the book/old movie. Have we left out anyone? Oh yes, stuttering B-B-Bill.

To me, Bill is more of the brains of the group, but not this headstrong leader type that is portrayed in the book. We see each of these kids at their weakest, but none more so than Bill. Georgie makes it much harder for Bill in this movie, and we see Bill crack every time he is mentioned or shown via Pennywise. When Pennywise is confronted, it feels more like a desperation attempt than an all out plot to finish him, which makes more sense to me coming from kids. New fears are played out here, as well as some from the book, such as the leper that haunts Eddie. We finally see the popping motion as Pennywise pops out of existence, which is constantly referred to in the books. Little nods are there too, such as the Paul Bunyan statue, which I hope plays a bigger role in the sequel. Nods to Maturin the cosmic turtle are there as well. We see the father of Henry Bowers as a police officer now, interacting with his son about the same as the books, so no big change, minus the constant racism from the book. But don’t worry, he won’t be around long if you know what happens in the book!

The take on Henry Bowers is a bit different here. He pretty much starts off as a psychopath in bully clothing. And this is before Pennywise influences him to the breaking point so to speak. We get to see some of Victor Criss and Belch, along with Patrick Hockstetter briefly. I guess diving into his crazy world would have taken too much time away from the main drive of this movie. And that’s what it all comes down to, right folks? Is Pennywise terrifiying? Does that dark cellar have that musty smell to it? Do you feel the mystery in this town, and notice your heart skip a beat when Pennywise does something just for shock horror? The answer is(mostly) yes. As with any remake, some changes are made for the better, some not so much. I generally enjoyed going back to Derry, and can’t wait to get that call saying It has returned for chapter two, seeing the kids all grown up to do battle again. Will you keep your promise? Don’t be like Stan!