Stephen King's IT (Time to Float) - Official Thread
- Thread starter VBM
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How the fukk do people watch reviews like this? fukk this guy with a broken beer bottle, he is crazy annoying
TheGodling
Los Ingobernables de Sala de Cine
So I just got back from it and here's some completely spoiler free thoughts.
I never read the book and it's been ages since I saw the original so if you want comparisons, I can't help you. I will say that what sets the movie apart, at least for me, is that it transcends the horror genre. By now you might've read about the movie actually having quite a bit of humor in it, but it's fitting since this is really a coming-of-age story about the Losers' Club set to the background of Pennywise's terror. In that sense it's a lot closer to Stand By Me, or more recently Stranger Things. I do think the movie could've used a bit more time to expand on the characters, or at least the backgrounds they come from as most of their parents are non-existent outside of the most story relevant stuff. An added 10-15 minutes would have helped there greatly, and the pacing of the movie is strong enough that it could handle the extra length. The acting from all the kids is excellent but 15 year old Sophia Lillis is the most obvious star waiting to happen, while Pennywise appears sparingly but every time he does it's pure menace courtesy of Bill Skarsgård's performance. If there was ever any doubt about it, Pennywise confidently reclaims it's place among the elite of classic horror icons once more.
Strangely enough though I thought the actual horror scenes were the weaker scenes in the movie. It's not that the horror element isn't effective, because it is a creepy and often terrifying film, but more often than not I found that those scenes worked mostly in spite of Andy Muschietti's direction, a man who understands atmosphere and build-up (also a big applause to cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung), yet when it comes to the 'scares' decides to throw around sloppy effects and shytty filters in some misguided attempt to create intensity. Add that some of the music is way too much on the nose and it's a clear case of doing too much but once again, it's a testament to the material and the effectiveness of the rest of the movie that it still works as much as it does.
Random note, which might be a slight spoiler, but for a movie that earns its R-rating in almost every way, I thought it was weird how the movie tip-toed around the extremely obvious racial subtext of Mike's character. Literally everything about his story begs for an acknowledgment of the role racism plays in society, but the movie never dares to really go there. I'm all for subtlety but this felt more like they didn't want to touch the subject even though it's so obviously there.
Overall I would give it a strong 8/10 right now (more like an 8.5/10 but let's stick to round numbers). I'm sure I'll warm up to it even more on repeated viewings because even with its minor flaws it feels unique and special. In the world of Blumhouse and ten thousand Insidious/Conjuring spin-offs and rip-offs it is a horror movie that dares to be bigger than its genre and it becomes all the better because of it. This one will definitely make waves.
I never read the book and it's been ages since I saw the original so if you want comparisons, I can't help you. I will say that what sets the movie apart, at least for me, is that it transcends the horror genre. By now you might've read about the movie actually having quite a bit of humor in it, but it's fitting since this is really a coming-of-age story about the Losers' Club set to the background of Pennywise's terror. In that sense it's a lot closer to Stand By Me, or more recently Stranger Things. I do think the movie could've used a bit more time to expand on the characters, or at least the backgrounds they come from as most of their parents are non-existent outside of the most story relevant stuff. An added 10-15 minutes would have helped there greatly, and the pacing of the movie is strong enough that it could handle the extra length. The acting from all the kids is excellent but 15 year old Sophia Lillis is the most obvious star waiting to happen, while Pennywise appears sparingly but every time he does it's pure menace courtesy of Bill Skarsgård's performance. If there was ever any doubt about it, Pennywise confidently reclaims it's place among the elite of classic horror icons once more.
Strangely enough though I thought the actual horror scenes were the weaker scenes in the movie. It's not that the horror element isn't effective, because it is a creepy and often terrifying film, but more often than not I found that those scenes worked mostly in spite of Andy Muschietti's direction, a man who understands atmosphere and build-up (also a big applause to cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung), yet when it comes to the 'scares' decides to throw around sloppy effects and shytty filters in some misguided attempt to create intensity. Add that some of the music is way too much on the nose and it's a clear case of doing too much but once again, it's a testament to the material and the effectiveness of the rest of the movie that it still works as much as it does.
Random note, which might be a slight spoiler, but for a movie that earns its R-rating in almost every way, I thought it was weird how the movie tip-toed around the extremely obvious racial subtext of Mike's character. Literally everything about his story begs for an acknowledgment of the role racism plays in society, but the movie never dares to really go there. I'm all for subtlety but this felt more like they didn't want to touch the subject even though it's so obviously there.
Overall I would give it a strong 8/10 right now (more like an 8.5/10 but let's stick to round numbers). I'm sure I'll warm up to it even more on repeated viewings because even with its minor flaws it feels unique and special. In the world of Blumhouse and ten thousand Insidious/Conjuring spin-offs and rip-offs it is a horror movie that dares to be bigger than its genre and it becomes all the better because of it. This one will definitely make waves.
Got my tickets for Friday @ 10:30 
DosCadenaz
Superstar
How many spiders??
Saysumthinfunnymike
VOTE!!!
WB did it AGAIN
Xtraz2
Superstar
NobodyReally
Superstar
Great review! I tend to agree with most of your reviews so this gives me hope I won't be too disappointed. In the book, there was explicit and vicious racism used to bully Mike. He was called a ****** several times by Bowers and his gang and singled out from the others as a target. In fact, it was the way the other loser club kids came to his defense that revealed their characters and formed a bond with Mike. King never shies away from that particular subject so it is disheartening to hear the script writers here are bold enough to show physical violence against children but not symbolic violence like racism. I'm still excited though!
3rd Koast Kang
Superstar
Copped tickets for tonight at 9 
The only spin I can think of is that this is set in the 80s instead of the 50s. You know it exists but society demands that at least some filter be put on it. But Cary F.'s original script made Beverly the main focus, so maybe it's just a matter of the other Losers taking a backseat to her.
darealvelle
Real Talk
3rd Koast Kang
Superstar
Going to see it tonight!
$$$HotBoyRonald$$$
All Star
Got tickets for tomorrow at 7:30 
darealvelle
Real Talk
7 more hours until i see this shyt