Stephen King's IT (Time to Float) - Official Thread

Mortal1

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TheGodling said:
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.
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That's unfortunate and surprising if I remember correctly the TV miniseries even touched on the racism Mike experienced from the bullies in the town.
 
Pammy91

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I'm watching this on Saturday Pray for me :mjcry:
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GzUp

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Been thinking about this movie too much lately, woke up in the middle of the night last night(my room gets pitch dark at night) and the first thing that crept in my head was IT. Had to turn the tv on and put on some cartoons for a bit :heh:
 
NobodyReally

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This movie was both refreshing and disappointing for me.

It was refreshing in regards to the way the script writers and actors were able to adapt the novel and bring the kids and their struggles to life. The real horror in this movie is the real life stuff the kids have to deal with every day. I was probably more disturbed by the real life situations than I was with the horror aspects.

I found the horror disappointing, and I think it's because I read the book first and at such a young age. This was one of my first novels and it left a deep impression on me. So I'm just gonna say this outright and let it go - I do not think it's possible for any filmmaker to translate the way Stephen King conjures up a reader's worst fears into a visual experience. It can't be done. That being said though, this movie is a much, much better adaptation than the TV mini-series, and they really had a few good moments, but in terms of horror, it doesn't deliver.

Bill Skarsgard was great, and all of the child actors were great. I do think the boy who played Stan was the weak link, but we all know what happens to Stan in the sequel, so maybe that's fitting. I was disappointed with Patrick Hocksetter's death. It's one of the best deaths in the book and they punked out, IMO. Besides that though, IT never felt truly threatening, especially when it came to the seven losers. But maybe my expectations were too high when it came to the horror aspect.

Despite my disappointment with the horror, I still consider it a very, very creepy movie. That combined with the raw depictions of real life bullying, manipulation, and child abuse left me very unsettled by the end. So all in all, I think it worked very well, just adjust your expectations about being scared and you'll really enjoy this.

8.5/10
 
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Visually the movie looked great, most of the Pennywise stuff didnt look goofy imo.

I think they overused him though, to the point he felt less and less threatening. Which aligns with the script, just not the book as much.

As horror it wasnt that dark/intense imo, but it was good as a Stand By Me type of movie.

Bev was much more heroic in this than what I remember from the book. She was a likable, fairly normal acting kid in the books, she's Wonder Woman in this.

This movie emphasizes the coming of age part of the book and minimizes the horror aspect. I guess they've gotta make choices with the 2 hr runtime. This version doesnt fully do the book justice imo, but is a good take on IT.
 
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