We all had a fear when we were little, the boogeyman, ghosts, school, etc, and all that can still haunt us either way, even when getting older. One example being the notorious Pennywise the clown, birthed by the famous novelist himself, Stephen King. king manages to bring us a character in a story where no matter what age or person you are, you will be afraid. The original story managed to spawn a TV series in the 90's that wasn't really a movie but a series spanning over three hours. It wasn't that bad in general, the first hour was okay, but the rest was just cluttered and confusing. But when I was little that Clown scared me, Tim Curry was born to scare children just by laughing or staring at the camera while mocking you.
Years passed and we were soon introduced to a image on the internet of the teaser image of Pennywise for the 2017 It movie. My mixed feeling for this look were that he looked ridiculous, and what happened to your forehead dude? But later in the summer the world was given the official trailers! Honestly, I was still mixed if this was gonna be good or another sleazy attempt like 2010 Nightmare on Elm Street or 2013 Carrie. Finally, after a long wait, It had reached cinemas and I saw it. Children disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, neighborhood kids work together to fight against Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries. In this movie, we are introduced to some great characters, when people think of child actors in movies they imagine sleeping at a middle school reenactment of Romeo and Juliet. But watching these kids was still great, they have spot on emotions and are slick with pulling off some actual fright in their eyes. Pennywise was just amazing, watching bill skarsgård as the Iconic clown was a thriller, that man scared me multiple times with his tension and that voice. I think Bill was just as sweet as the other actors and supporting cast members. The Scenery was cool, this movie does feel like Maine or any type of country town with how we see even the most creepiest thing when the clown appears.The story does take place in the eighties with the looks, vehicles, and slang, and the young actors do pull of a decade worthy movie. While sometimes the backgrounds may seems simple and bland, but that rarely happens, and we get more detailed and chilling scenes that could seem like a fever dream or Satan's imagination. During the part where a kid is trapped in a clunked room with creepy dolls and figurines, I was expecting some baby faced dolls or nutcracker rip-offs. No, a lot of them were creepy with soul crushing eyes, pale clown faces,and some that made me wish I didn't sit in the first couple of rows.
The scares are somewhat great, I love the building tension it brings when they're faced with their nightmares or running away from the clown. This movie doesn't shy away from creeping you out with a beast that can kill you or the feeling of being in a circus. While some scares weren't that impressive on some levels whether if they tried or the trailer ruined it, the rest were great with how they stood. The effects or makeup did look fake on some moments, sometimes characters will have some pale face makeup that look cheap. This movie does have some strong gore in it, with characters being pulled apart and blood splattering all over a room. It could make some people squeamish, but it feels overused and may seem like they're trying to be practical.
Overall, I loved this movie, it is great representation of the original Stephen King story, and I have to give it credit for attempting to make me enjoy the ride, and I did. I enjoyed Richie, Beverly, Mike, and the rest of the Losers. The acting was talented, this movie has some fantastic performances, especially by these young teens,the realistic portrayal of kids feels impactful and felt bad when a kid died. The scares are great, while some may not be spot on or terrifying, a lot still pulled through. I enjoyed IT 2017 because it brought a more refined adaptation with still some fresh new relations and scares. I can't wait for a possible sequel because this was fun to see and I am excited for more!
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