After seeing it, I am kind of surprised to see the very positive reviews from a few here, and notably critics from NY Times, and a few more, I generally agree with. I thought the direction, as I assumed (given his previous work) was really conventional, (bland, boring, uninspired work too) the setting never felt either real enough to set a mood, or like some sort of fever dream, horror come to life. It just felt like a movie set. There is a lot of talk about it being a "Stand By Me", but this is way too obvious and unsubtle for that, though bits and pieces work here and there.
The horror isn't really creepy or scary, or unnerving, though a few images worked well in the moment. I doubt I'll think much of this movie ever again, I did see the original when I was probably 15, and I read the novel (during a 90 day in county) when I was 19, which I thought was one of King's best works. This all felt like it was just hitting the marks, and I mostly blame the director. It all feels like set piece after set piece, with no momentum or build of real tension or fear.
And I keep reading that the kids "real horrors" were the real highlight, that material was mostly so on the nose, so cliched, so much a checked box, (the Dad passed out in the front of the tv) the neurotic Mom, the bully, Henry seemed so unhinged and manic, as to not be really scary, or believable at all. There is no real message about bullying or it's causes, and effects. There is no real discussion of sexual abuse, or child objectification.
I may be too old for the material at 31, and I assuredly envisioned a much different movie under Fukubuagkas' direction, like a beautiful, grotesque, East Coast gothic, that looks like "True Detective", or "Beasts of No Nation", this felt flat, and bland, very by the book and uninspired.
Not to mention the real surprise, which logistically, I figured out at some mid point.
The horror isn't really creepy or scary, or unnerving, though a few images worked well in the moment. I doubt I'll think much of this movie ever again, I did see the original when I was probably 15, and I read the novel (during a 90 day in county) when I was 19, which I thought was one of King's best works. This all felt like it was just hitting the marks, and I mostly blame the director. It all feels like set piece after set piece, with no momentum or build of real tension or fear.
And I keep reading that the kids "real horrors" were the real highlight, that material was mostly so on the nose, so cliched, so much a checked box, (the Dad passed out in the front of the tv) the neurotic Mom, the bully, Henry seemed so unhinged and manic, as to not be really scary, or believable at all. There is no real message about bullying or it's causes, and effects. There is no real discussion of sexual abuse, or child objectification.
I may be too old for the material at 31, and I assuredly envisioned a much different movie under Fukubuagkas' direction, like a beautiful, grotesque, East Coast gothic, that looks like "True Detective", or "Beasts of No Nation", this felt flat, and bland, very by the book and uninspired.
Not to mention the real surprise, which logistically, I figured out at some mid point.
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