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Clowns are creepy no matter what. We can all agree on that, right?

But Pennywise, the dancing clown who tracks down and torments the children of small-town Maine in “It,” is deeply unsettling. At least, he is in the latest incarnation of Stephen King ’s iconic novel. Infamously, Tim Curry ’s take on the character in the 1990 TV miniseries version was so over-the-top, it was laughable—not that you’re looking for understatement in your homicidal clowns.

But what Bill Skarsgard does with the role works well precisely because he doesn’t appear to be laboring so hard to frighten us. He doesn’t vamp it up. He’s coy—he toys with these kids—making his sudden bursts of insane clown hostility that much more shocking.

Even more effective than the horror elements of Argentine director Andy Muschietti ’s adaptation is the unexpected humor he reveals in the story—and, ultimately, the humanity. Finding that combination of tones is such a tricky balance to pull off: the brief lightening of a tense moment with a quick quip, or an earnest monologue in the face of extreme danger. But “It” makes that work nearly every time, thanks to its perfectly calibrated performances from a well-chosen cast.

The kid-bonding parts of the movie are actually stronger than the creepy-clown parts, even though images of that freakish, frilly fiend will be the ones that keep you awake at night. Led by “ Midnight Special ” star Jaeden Lieberher —whose everyman (everykid?) appeal grows with each film—and including a star-making performance from Sophia Lillis as the crew’s lone female member, it’s mostly unknown actors who comprise the film’s so-called “Losers Club.” But their characters are distinctly drawn, each with a fleshed-out backstory that explains why their fears make them so vulnerable to Pennywise’s attacks.

Unlike King’s novel and the 1990 original “It,” the screenplay from Chase Palmer , Cary Fukunaga (the acclaimed writer-director of “ Sin Nombre ” and “ Beasts of No Nation ”) and Gary Dauberman doesn’t jump back and forth in time. It moves the time frame to 1988-89 and sticks with our core group of seven kids while they’re still adolescent misfits, which grounds their story and makes it more immersive. (It also surely will draw comparisons to the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” another supernatural mystery set in small-town America in the 1980s. The nostalgia factor is strong for those of us who grew up then, too.)

Muschietti’s version begins as the book does, though, with innocent, six-year-old Georgie Denbrough ( Jackson Robert Scott ) chasing his toy boat as it sails down a gutter and into a storm drain on a rainy afternoon in fictional Derry, Maine. He’s especially fond of the boat because it was a gift from his beloved older brother, Lieberher’s Bill, a smart, skinny kid who struggles with a stutter. That’s why his choice to chat with Pennywise—who just happens to pop up in the sewer with the boat and a smile—leads to his tragic demise. (Muschietti’s cutaways to a cat who witnesses everything from a nearby porch are chilling; he showed that same delicate mastery of mood with his underappreciated 2013 horror film “ Mama ,” starring Jessica Chastain .)

But Bill insists Georgie has just gone missing, as such an unusually large number of Derry children have over the years. He enlists his posse of similarly bullied, outcast pals to help him get to the bottom of this lingering mystery: wisecracking trash-talker Richie ( Finn Wolfhard , who also happens to be in “Stranger Things”); wimpy mama’s boy Eddie ( Jack Dylan Grazer ); nervous rabbi’s son Stanley ( Wyatt Oleff ); heavyset new kid Ben ( Jeremy Ray Taylor ); and the tough-but-kind Beverly (Lillis). Eventually, the home-schooled farmhand Mike ( Chosen Jacobs ), who’s suffered racial attacks as the only black kid in town, makes them a team of seven.

Despite the many terrifying moments they endure in their quest—scenes that will leave you trembling and giggling at once—“It” is even more powerful in the warm, easy camaraderie between its young stars. Certainly you could view it as a straight-up horror flick, but the underlying allegory of these characters facing their deepest fears as they enter adulthood gives the movie more emotional heft—a bit of bittersweet within the suffering.

These kids have all languished on the fringes—hence the “Losers Club” tag they wear as a badge of honor—whether it’s because of an overbearing mother, an abusive father or a devastating family loss. But they’re also all on the cusp of something. Pennywise knows what frightens them in this precarious state of flux and tries to use that devious, supernatural ability to lead kids to their doom. Confronting those fears rather than running away is what just might save them.

Tonally, “It” feels like a throwback to great King adaptations of yore—particularly “Stand By Me,” with its ragtag band of kids on a morbid adventure, affecting bravado and affectionately hassling each other to mask their true jitters. Wolfhard in particular has great comic timing as the profane Richie. Technically, Muschietti shows some glimmers of early Spielberg, too—the low camera angles, the images of kids on bikes pedaling furiously in a pack, the overall mix of wonder and danger.

“It” could have used a bit of tightening as it builds toward its climax, though. While the imagery is undeniably harrowing and even poignant in the action-packed third act, some of it feels dragged out and redundant. And because the final confrontation takes place within a dark, underground lair, it’s sometimes difficult to tell exactly what’s going on, despite the impressive visual effects on display as Pennywise unleashes his full powers on his young attackers. (That’s one of many ways in which the new “It” is a vast improvement over its low-tech predecessor.)

Not to burst your balloon, though, but the closing credits suggest this may not be the last we’ve seen of Pennywise after all.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

Rated R for violence/horror, bloody images, and for language.

135 minutes

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise

Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough

Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom

Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh

Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier

Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak

Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon

Wyatt Oleff as Stan Uris

Nicholas Hamilton as Henry Bowers

Owen Teague as Patrick Hockstetter

Logan Thompson as Victor Criss

Jake Sim as Belch Huggins

Jackson Robert Scott as Georgie

Steven Williams as Leroy Hanlon

Javier Botet as The Leper

Andy Muschietti

Writer (based on the novel by)

Stephen King
Gary Dauberman
Chase Palmer
Cary Fukunaga

Cinematographer

Chung-hoon Chung
Jason Ballantine
Benjamin Wallfisch

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Well-acted and fiendishly frightening with an emotionally affecting story at its core, It amplifies the horror in Stephen King's classic story without losing touch with its heart.

Critics Reviews

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Andy Muschietti

Jaeden Martell

Bill Denbrough

Jeremy Ray Taylor

Ben Hanscom

Sophia Lillis

Beverly Marsh

Finn Wolfhard

Richie Tozier

Chosen Jacobs

Mike Hanlon

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IT Movie Review: Chapter One

IT Movie Review

I have been waiting to see this film ever since it was announced. So much so that I actually purchased tickets two weeks before it premiered in theaters. I saw the 1990 made for television 2-part version when it aired and it terrified me. I was 13 years old. I was never afraid of clowns. I’m still not. But Pennywise was something different. He wasn’t just a clown. He was an evil, devilish entity. Maybe it was the way Tim Curry portrayed It but boy was he the epitome of frightening. I went into this telling myself I was not going to compare the original with the current version (too much). Of course there are going to be differences as the original version was made for television. I highlight some of those differences below but this new film can stand on its own in the genre.

The acting was fantastic! Bill Skarsgård did an excellent job as Pennywise. I was skeptical because I loved Curry’s portrayal but Skarsgård made the role his own. His version will go down as one of the best in horror history for sure! There was some CGI as was expected from a modern day horror film but I liked that Skarsgård had some scenes in the film where he was moving as himself. I don’t even know if you can call the CGI in the 1990 version CGI but whatever it was there was less of it and it showed Curry’s range in the role. That’s part of why his performance was so good. Skarsgård, though, played Pennywise as he should. His performance was menacing, energetic, and mesmerizing.

Wish there was a little less CGI with Pennywise. It looked really good but I would have loved to see more real life creepy acting from Skarsgård.

IT lived up to everything I expected it to be. It was funny, creepy AF and nostalgic to its core. I loved how Muschietti did not make this a carbon copy of the original. He threw in some classic lines that in my opinion had to be in there. Beep beep Richie . It’s hard to make a remake, especially of a horror film, and have it not be criticized before it even comes out. Fans are typically partial to the original (if its a good one). But sometimes, they get it right. This remake was done right. And although I knew they would eventually make a second part, in the end when the screen read – IT Chapter One, I lost it! So excited to see what they do when the loser’s club are adults and return to combat Pennywise. To IT (2017) – Y our hair is winter fire, January embers, my heart burns there too .

Acting - 9/10 9/10
Cinematography - 10/10 10/10
Plot/Screenplay - 9/10 9/10
Setting/Theme - 10/10 10/10
Buyability - 9.5/10 9.5/10
Recyclability - 9/10 9/10
Entertainment - 9.5/10 9.5/10

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Review: ‘It’ Brings Back Stephen King’s Killer Clown

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By A.O. Scott

Sept. 6, 2017

Late in the summer of 1989, the marquee of the downtown movie theater in Derry, Me., advertises “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5.” This is an accurate period detail, and also a declaration of kinship, if not outright homage. “It,” Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the novel by Stephen King, belongs in the same tradition of small-town terror as Wes Craven’s “Nightmare” franchise, though the question of influence has a certain chicken-and-egg quality. Pennywise the clown, the designated predator in “It,” (played by Bill Skarsgard) is, like Freddy Krueger, an avatar of deep childhood fears. And like Freddy, he’s also the literal, lethal manifestation of the evil of the world. As such, he has the potential to spawn endless sequels. He’ll be back.

Or rather, he is back. Mr. Muschietti’s “It,” written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman, represents a second trip to this particular well. Mr. King’s novel, published in 1986, was adapted for network television in 1990. The new movie, a skillful blend of nostalgic sentiment and hair-raising effects, with the visual punch of big-screen digital hocus-pocus and the liberties of the R rating, still has the soothing charm of familiarity. The gang of misfit ’80s kids who face down the clown and the deeper horror he represents evoke both the middle school posse of the recent TV series “Stranger Things” (there’s some overlap in the cast), but also the intrepid brotherhood from “Stand by Me,” surely one of the all-time top five Stephen King movie adaptations.

We can argue about the others — I’m happy to make a case for John Carpenter’s underrated “Christine” — but this “It” doesn’t quite ascend to their level. Nonetheless, the filmmakers honor both the pastoral and the infernal dimensions of Mr. King’s distinctive literary vision. Derry, with its redbrick storefronts and its quirks and kinks, seems like a genuinely nice place to live in spite of the fact that its citizens, children in particular, turn up missing or maimed at an alarming rate.

The supernatural nastiness embodied by Pennywise is abetted and to some extent camouflaged by the ordinary human awfulness that also afflicts Derry. In addition to menacing clowns, phantasmatic lepers and spooky paintings come to life, the town is home to an ugly assortment of bullies (the worst one played by Nicholas Hamilton), gossips and abusive parents.

Against these forces — the banal and the diabolical alike — “It” assembles a squad of early and preadolescent ghostbusters as varied as an infantry platoon in a World War II combat picture. The leader is Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), a melancholy, thoughtful boy whose little brother, Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott), has been spirited down a storm sewer by Pennywise. Bill’s comrades — they call themselves the Losers’ Club — include a nerdy chatterbox (Finn Wolfhard) and a germ-phobic mama’s boy (Jack Dylan Grazer), plus a Jewish kid (Wyatt Oleff), a black kid (Chosen Jacobs) and a new kid (Jeremy Ray Taylor). Also a girl, Bev (Sophia Lillis), who becomes part of a sweet, alliterative romantic triangle involving Bill and the new kid, whose name is Ben.

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It (2017) Review

08 Sep 2017

135 minutes

Back in 1986, when Stephen King first wrote It , his seminal 1,138-page horror epic about a clown-demon terrorising a small New England town, he probably wasn't thinking about search engine optimisation. Pity, then, the poor studio marketers hoping to gain Google ranking traction on a widely used third person singular pronoun. But, as it turns out, the Warner Bros. marketing team needn’t have worried: as that record-breaking trailer attests, Pennywise The Dancing Clown holds a deep-seated cultural cachet, and this latest adaptation from Mama director Andy Muschietti meets that huge expectation like a perma-grinning demon meeting an unsuspecting victim.

It ranks among the better Stephen King adaptations — no small praise indeed.

This is emphatically not the Tim Curry -starring made-for-TV adaptation from 1990. There are deferential little nods here and there — a likeness of Curry’s costume can be glimpsed in one scene, and the iconic opening sequence, with the paper boat of doom, seems nearly identical — but Muschietti’s version feels distinct, discarding the back-and-forth timelines for a straightforwardly linear story (the grown-up portion of the story reserved for a potential sequel), wisely dispensing with the book’s bizarre pre-teen orgy, and shifting things along by 30 years or so, from the original ’50s setting to the more Amblin-esque ’80s.

The result: a coming-of-age yarn not unlike a horror-inflected jumble of The Goonies and E.T. (plus, inevitably, Stand By Me — another King adaptation). Which means the kids are important, and Muschietti is patient enough to devote precious screentime establishing each member of the Losers’ Club and their respective dysfunctional lives. There’s a lot of exposition to get through, but each of the seven losers gets their due, and the result is a truly well-rounded ensemble, as awkward and romantic as they are foul-mouthed and funny. Credit must go to the young cast, among whom there is no single weak link; it’s as authentic a portrayal of children staring down the barrel of adolescence as you’re ever likely to see.

Crucially, the personal strifes that each of the Losers face, from hypochondriac mothers to sexually abusive fathers, are filmed with just as much menace and horror as the supernatural scenes, and are arguably more disturbing. This is It ’s great strength: it wants you to care about these loser kids, invites you to share in their deep angst, and bolsters the facing-your-fears allegory by being, fundamentally, a human drama first and a supernatural horror second.

Which is not to say It disregards It. Just as Tim Curry’s larger-than-life performance anchored the 1990 version, so Bill Skarsgård proves the centrepiece of the 2017 vintage. Like the dinosaurs in [Jurassic Park]( https://www.empireonline.com/movies/jurassic-park/review/ , Pennywise is generally used carefully and sparingly, and is all the more powerful for it. With his cracked porcelain forehead, mucky Victorian scruff and giant protruding bottom lip, this Pennywise is a triumph of make-up and design as much as anything else – but despite his minimal screen time shared with prosthetic artists and CGI compositors, Skarsgård leaves a hell of an impression. His performance is full of strange nuance and wit, with subtle touches — like a fine trickle of drool hanging forebodingly from his mouth — making this interpretation more fascinatingly entertaining than truly disturbing.

How scary is It ? That depends on your horror threshold. Seemingly oblivious to any recent trends in the genre, Muschietti seems content to go with the most straightforward horror tropes, opting for jump scares, whip pans and Psycho strings from composer Benjamin Wallfisch. There’s nothing wrong with a cliché if it’s executed well, and some of the practical effects are executed astonishingly well — most notably, a nuclear-level explosion of blood, acting as a brilliantly unsubtle puberty metaphor. Only occasionally does the film struggle to escape the sort of easily-avoidable peril that Scream mocked — as when the gang merrily wander into a haunted house, and are surprised to find it haunted.

If the horror sequences sometimes feel obvious, it’s perhaps because King deliberately leaned on those tropes. It’s power to scare, ultimately, is not as strong as its power to evoke the joys, confusions and fears of childhood, or its power to leave you wanting more. In a cinematic landscape weighed down by increasingly unnecessary franchises, you’ll leave It desperate for a sequel — something of which a marketing department charged with promoting a two-lettered film could only have dreamed.

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Review by Brian Eggert September 9, 2017

Stephen King’s novel It does not tell a cinematic story. Over the course of more than 1,100 pages, the massive 1986 tale of horror involves a killer alien clown haunting children in Derry, Maine, and then turning them into lunch on a 27-year cycle, while also flip-flopping between its adult characters and memories of their traumatic childhood. When they’re not being terrorized by Pennywise, the shark-toothed clown of our nightmares, they’re sharing psychic experiences with a benevolent turtle, evading a gang of King’s typically psychopathic bullies, and conducting strange rituals born from entrenched superstitions and fantasies. Even so, the first big-screen adaptation by director Andy Muschietti simplifies the material into an average, occasionally heavy-handed supernatural horror picture with an above-average cast of pre-teen performers. The film adopts a similar approach to other recent literary material with franchise potential (like The Hobbit ) and cuts the book’s story in half. By centering the action exclusively on the younger versions of the book’s characters, distributors at New Line Cinema have secured themselves an inevitable sequel following the adult counterparts, reportedly due in 2019.

Moved from the late 1950s to the late 1980s, the adaptation by Chase Palmer, Gary Dauberman, and Cary Fukunaga (who was originally going to direct) has the usual string of faithful moments and deviations from the source material. The new setting facilitates a nostalgia factor for today’s middle-aged viewers, complete with references to New Kids on the Block, Tim Burton’s Batman in theaters, and plenty of other pop-culture references . The resituated era also follows in the wake of Netflix’s instant favorite Stranger Things , the ’80s-set thriller about a group of children hunting a mystical creature. That show was a loving pastiche of various King stories, including The Body , Firestarter , and of course It. The cycle of influence has come full circle as Muschietti’s film borrows from the series’ alternating humor and horror (not to mention one of Stranger Things’ leading young actors, Finn Wolfhard), suggesting perhaps that Stranger Things’ popularity may have justified the production.

Fans of the ABC network’s televised miniseries from 1990 fondly remember Tim Curry’s creepy clown, who helped established the story’s memorable lines like “You’ll float too.” Here, Bill Skarsgård (brother of Alexander, son of Stellan) puts on the clown suit as Derry’s longtime haunter, a shape-shifting sewer-dweller with a taste for fear. In the effective opening sequence, easily the most closely adapted from the book, six-year-old Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) follows a homemade paper sailboat in the rain, only to meet his grisly demise when faced with Pennywise the Dancing Clown—seen as a pair of glowing eyes, bad teeth in an over-salivating mouth, and a flurry of aural trickery. Creepy though Skarsgård’s performance can often be, Muschietti doesn’t seem to trust it. Very rarely is Pennywise allowed to inhabit the frame on his own. The character has been accentuated by a copious amount of CGI augmentation (necessary in more monstrous sequences) that distracts from the inherent terror of an evil clown. Note the silly, computer-generated effect that blurs the background of Pennywise’s more violent moments, making him pop artificially from the screen; or the digitally rendered array of teeth hiding inside Pennywise’s head, like some kind serrated horror hole. None of the more FX-oriented qualities of the character match the nightmare power of Pennywise himself, grinning with a red balloon in hand.

The “Losers Club,” as they call themselves, consists of an archetypal group of King outsiders that resemble any number of cinematic kid-gangs from The Goonies to The Monster Squad . Their leader is Bill (Jaeden Lieberher, from Midnight Special ), the older brother of the later Georgie, whose stuttering hasn’t been an impediment on his bravery. He’s followed by the hypochondriacal mama’s boy Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), their Jewish friend Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), and the sex-obsessed chatterbox Richie (Wolfhard, stealing the show). As school lets out for the summer and they make plans to search for the long-gone Georgie, the Club gains new members in Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), a shy bookworm interested in Derry’s high-body-count past; a home-schooled farmboy, Mike (Chosen Jacobs), who’s also the only black kid in town; and the tomboyish Beverly (Sophia Lillis), who brings an unsure female element into their group. Of course, everyone’s heart is aflutter around Bev, and she remains the impetus in a triangle including Bill and Ben. Bev may also be the most complicated character of the bunch, given her chain-smoking, thoughtfulness, and sexually abusive father.

Riding bikes around Derry and playing detective, the members of the Club experience individual waking dreams brought about by Pennywise. Bev experiences the worst of the hallucinations when her bathroom sink spews goopy blood and covers everything in a coat of red only her fellow Losers can see. And when they’re not evading their worst nightmares, they’re avoiding the mulleted Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton), the sort of irredeemable King crazy who carves his initial into a victim’s belly or tries to run the black kid out of town. On the strength of the young cast alone, It becomes an engaging and intimate narrative. Each of the child actors gives a believable performance that never seems like child acting. Best of all, the Losers Club has chemistry and a kind of lived-in friendship that seems developed off-screen—the sort that made Stand By Me and Stranger Things so relatable and accessible. The only question that remains is whether the sequel’s players will be as charming or well-cast in the adult roles.

Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon, a longtime collaborator with Park Chan-wook, gives the film an impressive physical reality that, supported by the rich production design by Claude Paré, lends the film a textured visual quality outside of the ho-hum digital effects. Regardless of looking sharp, no viewing experience in recent memory has been more distracting for its use of arch music and on-the-eardrum sound design. The film’s abrasive approach has replaced the psychological horror of the book, which mined its characters’ worst fears and brought them to life, with gimmicky shocks that feel typical in today’s supernatural-saturated horror genre (an approach that recalls Muschietti’s previous feature, his first, Mama from 2013). When the scary things emerge from the dark and turn out to be digital specters, it’s not all that terrifying. More effective is our investment in the characters and their fates, as well as the individual performers and their ability to convince us of their terror. It should not be hailed as one of the great Stephen King stories on film. Frank Darabont, Rob Reiner, Stanley Kubrick, John Carpenter, George A. Romero, and David Cronenberg have each made better. Then again, perhaps after the sequel, the sum may be greater than its parts.

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Horror Movie Review

It chapter one (2017) movie review - pennywise is back.

Director: Andy Muschietti
Actors: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard
Writers: Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman, Stephen King
Producers: Dan Lin
Country: United States
Language: English, Hebrew
Parental: Violence, Language, Gore, Violence To Animals, Violence To Children, Peril, Self Harm

In the summer of 1989 a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry their small Maine town.

Welcome to Knockout Horror. For day 6 of our KOween 31 days of Halloween feature we are taking a look at the multi award winning 2017 feature length version of Stephen King’s It. A full length movie version of the beloved 90s miniseries was always going to be a tall task. The question is, did it succeed? We take a look.

We are reviewing a horror movie a day for the entirety of October 2022 leading up to Halloween. These reviews will be shorter and more straight to the point than my standard format. We will feature a range of movies from horror classics to international hits and a few indie darlings. You can check out the entire KO-Ween feature by clicking right here .

Stephen King’s It

It Chapter One follows the story of a group of adolescent friends and their experiences with a local entity known simply as It. Set in the late 80s, Bill, played by Jaeden Martell , is ill and stuck indoors. The small town of Derry, Maine, is caught in the middle of a rain storm. Bill’s brother, Georgie, wants to go out and play so Bill makes him a paper sailboat.

Georgie takes his sailboat and sails it along the gutters of the streets by his home. The sailboat, caught in the flow of water from the rain, sails down a storm drain and out of reach. Looking into the drain, Georgie spots a clown. The clown introduces himself as Pennywise The Dancing Clown. Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgård , says he can give Georgie his boat back; he just has to reach in and get it. When Georgie reaches in, Pennywise rips off his arm.

Back in the Summer of 89

A year later, Bill is still troubled by Georgie’s disappearance. He believes that Georgie may still be alive and held captive somewhere. Bill believes Georgie may have been washed up in a wasteland, at the end of a sewer, called the Barrens. Bill and his friends take a trip to the Barrens in the hope they can find a clue about Georgie’s disappearance. While there, they discover the shoe of a missing girl in the sewer.

One of the more genuinely unsettling scenes in modern horror.

Upon researching further, it becomes apparent that Derry has a history of missing children going back centuries. Believing the events to be linked, the group, now expanded with the addition of local kids Beverly and Mike, decide to investigate. They have all recently seen manifestations of a horrifying clown that targets their inner most fears. Believing the clown and the disappearances may be linked, they begin to seek out the hiding place of Pennywise The Dancing Clown.

A Tall Task

Directed by Andy Muschietti , “It” faced the unenviable task of bringing the popular Stephen King story to the big screen. A TV adaptation from the early 90s, featuring Tim Curry as Pennywise the clown, was adored by many horror fans. Before It was even fully in development people were casting scorn. The thought that someone else could play Pennywise was sacrilege. Tim Curry was, and always would be, Pennywise to many fans of horror.

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With that in mind, what Andy Muschietti managed to achieve with It Chapter One was quite remarkable. Critical reception to the movie was excellent and a whole new generation of Stephen King fans were created. I believe much of this starts with changing the setting from the 1960s to the 1980s. This was a fantastic move, in my opinion, and helped distance the movie from the 90s miniseries.

A New Pennywise

Another important move was the casting of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the clown. Replacing Tim Curry was always going to be a nigh on impossible task. The only real way to do it was to go in a completely different direction. Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise is a much more animalistic villain and far more intimidating than Tim Curry’s.

Bill Skarsgård is fantastic as Pennywise The Dancing Clown.

Looking like the result of a disgusting and smelly motel 6 rendezvous between Bette Midler and Carrot Top. Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise is truly horrible to look at. Pennywise is no longer making constant wise cracks in a thick Bronx accent. He is now other worldly, physically terrifying, and singularly driven by his desire to take children.

Closer To The Original Vision

The Pennywise we see here is far closer to Stephen King’s vision from the original novel. The outfit is the same, his motivations are the same, and he has the ability to both entice, and terrify, kids depending on his intentions. Much of this is helped by Bill Skarsgård’s incredible physical performance. Bill spent time working with contortionists to add a sense of unnatural, non-human, movement to the character. Standing over 6′ 3″ while being rather slender added yet another element of intimidation to the appearance of Pennywise.

Bill Skarsgård has the uncanny ability to move one of his eyes independently of the other. Caused by a lazy eye as a child, this is yet another way he manages to scare as Pennywise. The use of prosthetic teeth added to the general creepiness. The teeth also caused Bill to drool profusely which is used to great effect to make Pennywise look even more demented and animal like. All in all it is a fantastic all round performance and Pennywise is, once again, one of the scariest horror villains ever.

The Losers Club

The 1990 It miniseries featured a likeable cast of young actors playing the Losers Club. All of the performances were great and a number of the actors went on to bigger things. The late Jonathan Brandis played Bill, a young Seth Green played Richie, and Emily Perkins was Beverly Marsh. All went on to great careers though, sadly, Jonathan Brandis took his own life at a relatively young age. Just as it was with casting a new Pennywise, it would be a difficult task to put together an equally likeable child cast for the big screen version of It.

I always felt as though the first chapter of It is the strongest. The experiences of the children are far more interesting and, generally, scarier than what the adults experience. The sense of camaraderie in the midst of a lazy summer holiday is something most people can relate to from their school days. The child cast of Andy Muschietti’s It are just as good as they were in the 90’s miniseries.

I would go as far as to say the characters here have more depth than in the miniseries. Beverly’s, played by Sophia Lillis , story in particular is expanded on and given more depth. Sophia Lillis does a great job with the character and her story feels far more developed here. Jaeden Martell, as Bill, is excellent. Jonathan Brandis, in this role, was hard to replace but Jaeden does a really good job. Stanley, played by Wyatt Oleff , is expanded on here a bit more than in the miniseries which I think is a good thing. He feels like far less of an afterthought. There really isn’t a particularly weak performance.

Not Perfect

It Chapter One isn’t perfect, however. The opening scenes are suitably terrifying but, when it comes to scares, the movie falls into a somewhat formulaic pattern. We meet a child, they are scared by Pennywise in an almost set piece manner, rinse and repeat. The way this plays out is so by the numbers that it can impact the scariness of the movie somewhat.

The Losers Club from It Chapter One (2017)

The Losers Club are just as good as in the 90s miniseries.

It has something of a fairground horror house feeling to it that is hard to explain. The scenes of Pennywise meeting each kid for the first time are always fun but they are also predictable. The movie has a tendency to fall into cliched tropes at times as well. You have seen these types of horror scenes many times before. They are still impactful, however, as Pennywise is an excellent antagonist. Predictability is something of an issue here. The way the movie is paced lends a feeling of familiarity and “horror by the numbers” to everything.

Is Pennywise Funny to You?

Something else that may put viewers off is It’s reliance on comedy. Although genuinely funny in parts, some of the kid’s wisecracking comes at the expense of the horror. There are times when the kids should be shitting themselves but, instead, are cracking jokes. Surely Pennywise is nothing other than terrifying? Why are so many of the kid’s reactions laced with humour?

A common problem with modern horror is the overreliance on CG. It Chapter One is no different and it makes no sense. Bill Skarsgård puts on a powerful physical performance that would have been all the better without the copious amounts of CG. Let him create the scares and ground the movie in reality. There is no real need for any CG at all here.

Still A Fantastic Movie

All of those complaints aside, It Chapter One is still a fantastic movie. None of the issues should impact too much on your enjoyment. The cast is great, Pennywise is brilliant and suitably terrifying, and the pacing is good enough to keep you interested. The camaraderie of the losers club is endearing and, despite the subject matter, the movie can be genuinely charming at times.

It Chapter One is very different from the miniseries version but manages to hold up on its own. Fans of Stephen King and fans of horror in general should definitely check it out. It’s just a shame that It Chapter Two didn’t manage to live up to the quality. Letting the series down, as a whole.

Should You Watch It Chapter One?

It Chapter One is a fantastic movie adaptation of a beloved book and TV miniseries and is definitely worth a watch. Bill Skarsgård puts on a masterful, and terrifying, performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and a brilliant cast of kids keep you invested in the story.

Cinematography is excellent. It features a number of creepy locations and is extremely well filmed throughout. A long runtime is balanced by a well paced plot. Both funny and scary in parts, It Chapter One is a fairly feel good movie featuring a tale of camaraderie and overcoming fear.

It Chapter One does have a somewhat formulaic feeling to its scares. Some inappropriately timed wise cracks from the kids can have you wondering whether you are watching a comedy horror at times. There is a fairground haunted house feeling to the scares and the story can be predictable at times. An overreliance on CG also undermines an incredible physical performance from Bill Skarsgård.

With all this being said, It is still an enjoyable movie that is definitely worth a watch for both horror fans and fans of Stephen King. A worthy big screen adaptation and a great popcorn horror in its own right.

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IT: Chapter One (2017) [REVIEW]

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Starring Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Hamilton, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Bill Skarsgard,

Directed by Andrés Muschietti

For several decades, Stephen King’s IT has been one of the great modern horror tales, sparking a wave of imitators and scaring several generations off clowns for life.

I first saw the original 1990 mini-series during its initial airing, and as a ten-year-old kid, it absolutely thrilled and terrified me. Like any good horror addict, it immediately started me down the road of Stephen King novels and turned me into a lifelong fan and constant reader. To this day, IT remains my all-time favorite horror novel. Sadly, the mini-series hasn’t aged nearly as well: Aside from a few memorable scenes and a fantastic Tim Curry performance, it’s a largely cheesy affair, full of Lifetime-level drama and silly sequences that jettison most of the book’s best qualities.

IT ‘s road to the big screen has been a long one, going through several false starts, budget woes, and a changing of the guards. Now, IT is finally coming to us on a massive hype train courtesy of Mama director Andy Muschietti. So, how does this new version float?

I’m happy to say that all the stars (or, in this case, balloons) have aligned against all odds: IT is an instant horror classic and as good an adaptation as I could’ve ever hoped for. It’s the rare Stephen King movie that nails everything we love about the material and gives us a full-tilt freak show roller coaster that’s scary, emotional – and yes, fun.

Updating the book’s 1950s setting to the summer of 1989, IT is part one in a duology (that thankfully still stands on its own). It tells the origin story of The Losers’ Club – seven children in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, who form a unique spiritual bond to face an ancient evil. “It” awakens every 27 years and feeds off the fear and flesh of the town’s children, taking whatever form terrifies them most – its favorite being the razor-toothed and psychotic “Pennywise the Dancing Clown.” When his younger brother Georgie becomes Pennywise’s latest victim, Losers’ Club leader Stuttering Bill unites his childhood band of social outcasts to take down “It” while contending with town bully and gang leader Henry Bowers as well as the underlying darker influence that seems to have infected the entire town.

Directing with confidence and class, Muschietti deftly juggles all the characters, layers, and themes behind the novel while cranking up the jump scares to 11 and still finding room to explore the dense mythology. Despite its 80s setting, there’s something timeless and haunting about the town of Derry, captured perfectly by cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. It’s among the most gorgeous-looking modern horror films you’ll watch, and those astounding visuals are aided by music and sound design that have the ability to quake your insides and raise hairs during the most horrific moments.

Of course, the million-dollar question is: “How is Pennywise?” For the generations that grew up terrified of Tim Curry’s commanding performance, a completely new clown has been a tough pill to swallow, as evidenced by the countless Internet reactions to the early photos (“He’s nothing like Curry!” “Looks too evil!”etc., etc.). After seeing this new turn, I can’t imagine a single skeptic who won’t be immediately won over by Bill Skarsgard’s terrifying version.

Sporting a more vintage look and a serial killer aesthetic, the new Pennywise is instantly iconic from the second he opens his mouth. While Curry went for the smoker-voiced, evil Bozo approach, Skarsgard channels his dialogue and physicality in truly unsettling ways, bouncing from high-pitched children’s show host to guttural monster in the space of seconds. And the various forms and set pieces he takes are equally unsettling. Make no mistake; if you fear clowns, this movie will do you in like no other (every Pennywise scare ended with mass audience applause in my screening).

But coulrophobia can only take a good horror movie so far, which is why the real heart and soul of IT isn’t the title monster, but The Losers’ Club. Think long and hard about this: When was the last time that you genuinely felt and cared for the protagonists in a studio-driven horror movie? The Hollywood fare of the last few decades has had a history of treating its heroes like cattle, at best providing fleeting moments of humanity like, say, the Elvis sequence in The Conjuring 2 .

IT works so well because it bucks the trend and makes us fall in love with a terrific cast of kids. The Losers embody the nuance and realism you get from the youths in Stand By Me or the Freeling family in Poltergeist , while retaining the fun and charm of ensemble casts like The Goonies or The Monster Squad . They’re the reason why the film works in grand 80s fashion – not because it throws nostalgia or references in your face – but because it harkens back to the glory days of Amblin when genuine care and affection were being put into its protagonists (the crowd favorites here clearly being Finn Wolfhard’s wiseass Richie Tozier and Jeremy Ray Taylor’s adorable Ben Hanscom). There isn’t a weak link in the cast, and through every minute of the film, you’ll cheer, laugh, and be scared right alongside these characters.

Even at 2-1/2 hours (a run time that flies by), there’s a lot to the children’s story that needs to be covered. Thankfully, Muschietti and the screenwriters do a masterful job condensing and adapting King’s massive tome in a way that will satisfy purists and newcomers alike. Everything from the Losers’ Club to Bowers’ sociopathic gang to the town of Derry itself is given its due, without feeling rushed or glossed over. And while the second half of the film plays out much differently than the novel or mini-series, it all works while retaining the spirit of Stephen King’s story from start to finish. Even when it goes off the beaten path into original scenes and set pieces (all of which are scary and imaginative), Muschietti has huge reverence for the source material, even going so far as to sneak in visual nods for eagle-eyed fans. (Watch out for the turtle!)

Is IT a flawless film? No, because those don’t exist. You can gripe about a few obvious CGI moments or throw out purist complaints about how they made Ben the historian instead of Mike – but this is such a well-realized work of horror that any gripes feel like the kind of petty “ Get off my lawn! ” variety you see on the Internet. No amount of obsessive online nitpicking can distract from the fact that this is one of the best Stephen King films yet, and in an age where the theatrical experience is slowly dying in a haze of bad franchises, iPhone texters, and over-priced tickets, IT stands as a grand reminder of why we love going to the movies. This is a crowd-pleaser in the best sense and deserves to be seen on the largest screen with the most shrieking, enthusiastic audience you can find.

The final title card reads “ End of Chapter 1, ” confirming that we’ll soon see the adult half of the story (hopefully with a wonderful vintage title like IT RETURNS or IT LIVES AGAIN ). And while the next installment has a lot to live up to, this film leaves no doubt that the future of Pennywise and The Losers’ Club is in good hands. I can’t wait to float again.

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Movie Review: IT (2017)

Movie Reviews
8 responses
--> September 8, 2017

It can be a tricky thing to review horror films. The red-headed stepchild of the movie business, horror is an incredibly subjective genre for fans. Despite repeatedly being let down by film after film, we return to the theater with each new offering, hoping for a gem — a new classic. Remakes are especially daunting undertakings, as the new version is up against fiercely loyal fans who judge a new film by its poster, well before the first images even grace the screen. Add to these challenges book adaptations with already established film versions and you’re faced with an unscalable feat.

In the case of IT , there are some seriously huge clown shoes to fill — how do you successfully adapt a revered classic of horror literature written by the king himself (Stephen King, that is)? How do you remake an existing adaptation, featuring one of the most iconic horror characters with an unmatchable performance by the legendary Tim Curry?

Ask director Andy Muschietti. Ask screenwriters Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. Ask Bill Skarsgård. They’ve done it, and they’ve done it admirably.

In October of 1988, young Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher, “ Midnight Special ”), sick in bed, builds a paper boat for his little brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) to sail on the rainy streets of Derry, Maine. The love the two brothers share is immediately apparent; Georgie looks up to Bill, and Bill is clearly his hero. When Bill warns Georgie to be careful outside, you know that Georgie would never think of doing otherwise; however, in the subsequent well-known (and well-publicized) scene, Georgie’s boat gets away from him and slips down into the sewer where it’s retrieved by Pennywise the Clown. After a tense and terrifying encounter, Georgie disappears, adding to the growing list of missing children in their small town.

The following June, Bill and his friends escape the doldrums of school into the freedom of summer. While his friends are excited about dumping their leftover folders and notebooks into the trash, Bill remains preoccupied with finding his little brother, studying sewer blueprints and maps in his garage. Meanwhile, his friends are haunted by different fears: Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer, “Scales: Mermaids Are Real”) is tormented by a skeletal leper that chases him from a dilapidated neighborhood house; a twisted ghostly woman leers at Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff, “ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ”) from a painting in his father’s office; Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis, “37”) hears whispering children calling her for help from the drain in her bathroom sink; Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs, “Cops and Robbers”) barely escapes the reaching ghostly hands from the site of a historical fire; and Ben Hanscom’s (Jeremy Ray Taylor, “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”) studies are interrupted by something treacherous in the storage room of the local library . . . not to mention the very real-life threats they all face from bullies Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton, “ Captain Fantastic ”), Belch Huggins (Jake Sim, “Raising Expectations” TV series), Victor Criss (Logan Thompson), and Patrick Hockstetter (Owen Teague, “Echoes of War ”). The Derry kids — dubbed the Losers’ Club by Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard, “Stranger Things” TV series) — realize that there is a malicious evil in their small town, and that the adults will be of no help to them (in fact, they often just don’t see things happen . . . literally and figuratively). United in their fear of the terrifying clown they see around every corner, they decide their only defense is to venture after Pennywise together, hoping they can prevent any more children from going missing.

Stephen King’s classic New York Times bestseller IT is a doorstop of a book that stretches past 1000 pages, delving into brilliant characterizations, dreadful town histories, and bone-chilling encounters with an ancient evil that returns every 27 years. In 1990, Tommy Lee Wallace brought his version to the small screen in a four-hour miniseries that became the source point for many people with coulrophobia (fear of clowns). Andy Muschietti’s version of IT (this film being Chapter One) keeps the focus to the children of Derry, and the cast is pitch-perfect in their believability. One will be immediately charmed by each of the Losers’ Club members, and will feel strong nostalgic pangs for a simpler time of bike-riding and summer swimming trips. Their loyalty and love for each other is palpable, and the audience shares their faith in each other in their fight against the clown, masterfully recreated by Bill Skarsgård (“ Anna Karenina ”).

As incredible as Tim Curry was in 1990, Skarsgård embodies pure malevolence as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and his antics are guaranteed to create a new generation of clown phobics. While the CGI is a tad heavy-handed here and there, the overall effect of this new Pennywise is extremely unsettling and viewers will be just as entranced by his eyes as any of the characters in the film. Pennywise is truly fascinating to watch, and astonishingly, you’ll find yourself hoping for more terrifying doses of Skarsgård’s performance.

As a huge Stephen King fan myself, I’ve been anxiously anticipating the release of this film, as I’m frequently disappointed by lackluster and rushed adaptations of his work (case in point, this summer’s “ The Dark Tower ”); however, I was marvelously satisfied with Muschietti’s version of one of my favorite novels. While there are definitely small changes made that I’m not crazy about (far too little of Mike Hanlon, guys . . .) and one major change in particular near the end that I’m rather intrigued by (if you already know the novel, you’ll know what I mean when you [don’t] see it), IT has delivered an outstandingly well-written nostalgia trip into our past summers and past nightmares.

The voices of the children whisper that they “. . . all float down here” and warn that “You’ll float, too.” They’re not wrong. You’ll float, all right; you’ll float out of the theater with grim satisfaction, anxious for Chapter Two.

Tagged: children , clown , evil , murder , novel adaptation , remake

School teacher by day. Horror aficionado by night.

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'Movie Review: IT (2017)' have 8 comments

September 8, 2017 @ 9:10 pm DevlonOchre

Totally psyched to see my favorite King story get a proper treatment for screen!

September 8, 2017 @ 9:56 pm wassupial

I definitely enjoyed it but it is not as dark and scary as I was hoping it’d be. Only the library scene got me to jump.

September 8, 2017 @ 11:21 pm GoodSamaritan

Never read the book nor have I seen the mini-series so I went in knowing nothing other than a evil clown was responsible for killing some kids. I guess because of this I was a bit letdown because I was expecting Pennywise to be more like Freddy Krueger and the movie more like A Nightmare on Elm Street. Still it’s not a bad movie just not what I was prepared for.

September 9, 2017 @ 12:17 am Pete

IT didn’t do anything for me.

September 9, 2017 @ 10:30 am cheeryhead

“one major change in particular near the end that I’m rather intrigued by (if you already know the novel, you’ll know what I mean when you [don’t] see it)”

So the sex scene is omitted? I don’t think it ever belonged in the book anyway and I think King regretted writing it in.

September 9, 2017 @ 12:02 pm Jackson War

I hear it described as The Goonies on horror steroids and uppers!

September 9, 2017 @ 3:38 pm Madelyn

I loved it. It didn’t scare me to where I wanted to hide my eyes but it scared me that I had a constant pit in my stomach. Great job by all the kid actors and Bill Skarsgard, they were very convincing. I can only hope Chapter 2 is done as good.

September 10, 2017 @ 6:01 am DanMaz

First chance I got I’d nope the hell outta that town!

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DVD & Streaming
Horror , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

September 8, 2017
Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough; Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom; Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh; Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier; Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon; Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak; Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Uris; Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise; Nicholas Hamilton as Henry Bowers

Home Release Date

January 9, 2018
Andy Muschietti

Distributor

Warner Bros.

Movie Review

When I was a kid, I often listened to the Mister Rogers song, “You Can Never Go Down the Drain.” The rain may go down , he assured me, But you can’t go down. You’re bigger than any bathroom drain.

Pennywise begs to differ.

The Dancing Clown lives in the dank, dark underworld where the drains of Derry, Maine, lead. He’s led many a child down drain and tunnel. It’s just a matter of asking nicely enough. Pulling hard enough. Cutting deeply enough.

Going down into Pennywise’s world is easy. It’s the leaving that’s hard.

Georgie Denbrough finds that world during a rainstorm, following his paper boat down the gutters until it vanishes into a storm drain. Georgie peers into the darkness … and he vanishes, too.

People plaster posters across town, begging for information on Georgie’s disappearance. But soon they’re papered over by those of another missing child. And another. And another.

Even children who don’t disappear begin seeing … things. A picture of a twisted woman comes to life. Burning hands claw through cracks in a door. A headless child haunts the library.

And then there’s the clown, of course. Always the clown, with his bright red hair and rat-like teeth. He stares from shadows, hides in boxes, lurks in the drains.

The adults seem oblivious. Clueless. But the children … they see. They hear. They know.

You can go down the drain.

Positive Elements

Fear is a funny thing. It can cause us to shrink into ourselves and turn cold and selfish. But when we find the courage to face our fears, we become better people.

Bill Denbrough, Georgie’s older brother, has as much reason as anyone to be terrified of what’s lurking under Derry’s streets. But the boy, about 12 years old, is determined to find his brother—or at least find out what happened to him. He implores his friends to help him on his quest, telling them (quite truthfully in context) that it’s up to them to deal with the evil underneath. “What happens when another Georgie goes missing?” he asks his six friends.

Not everyone is particularly interested in following Bill on this crusade. But they stick together (mostly) and form what they informally call the Losers’ Club. And there’s something about their bond that seems to work. The movie tells us that we’re stronger together than apart, that when we work together we can do what would seem to be impossible.

The kids’ bond is even effective when dealing with more real-world dangers, too. While each member of the Losers’ Club has suffered mightily at the hands of Derry’s bullies (led by the truly sadistic ruffian Henry Bowers), together they find the strength and the will to stand up for themselves and others (albeit sometimes in violent ways).

Spiritual Elements

Pennywise’s power is inherently supernatural. While he often shows up as a clown, the evil inside the monster shifts shapes at will—transforming into everything from a living painting subject to a little boy. And while the movie never overtly tells us that Pennywise is a demonic entity, the story’s imagery often ties the clown to Christian depictions of hell: At one point, Pennywise introduces himself by dancing in front of a wall of fire.

Stan, one of Bill’s friends, is Jewish—the son of the local rabbi, in fact. He’s preparing for his bar mitzvah, and we see him attempting to read from the Torah in a Jewish synagogue. Some of Stan’s friends quiz him about what a bar mitzvah is and joke about circumcision. A bully uses Stan’s kippah as a Frisbee. We briefly see the exterior of a church.

Sexual Content

Let’s talk about Beverly, the only female member of the Losers’ Club. For years, she’s been the victim of vicious rumors at school, accusing the girl (all of 13 years old) of sleeping around. (We hear her called various uncouth names, and one of her supposed paramours taunts her by grabbing and stroking his crotch.) Some of the Club members believe the rumors at first—pointing to a school play in which she kissed the leading man. “You can’t fake that kind of passion,” one of them sagely says. But Beverly later tells Bill that the rumors aren’t true: She’s only kissed one boy.

While that may indeed be true, she also seems to hide an abusive secret: incest. While the film never explicitly tells us that Beverly’s father has sexually assaulted her, everything we see suggests as much. Her dad repeatedly asks Beverly if she’s still his “little girl,” stroking her hair and shoulders. She obviously fears him. And Beverly’s father also asks her whether she’s doing “womanly things” with the boys she’s hanging out with, then throws her to the ground as if attempting to rape her.

Beverly is an object of fascination for the other Club members as well. When they go swimming in a lake, they strip down to their underwear and splash around. And afterward, when Beverly lies sunning herself in a bra and panties, the boys stare at her—as much in wonder as lustfully—when she’s not looking. Both Bill and Ben have crushes on Beverly: Ben writes her a brief love poem, and both wind up kissing her. (She returns the kiss of one.)

It’s worth noting that Pennywise capitalizes on what people fear the most. And the film may suggest that Beverly fears turning into a woman (perhaps because of her father?). While her friends are chased by clowns or leprosy victims, Beverly is attacked by blood and hair shooting out of her bathroom sink drain (possibly representing the harbingers of adolescence). When she confronts Pennywise itself, his mouth opens impossibly wide and turns into a massive, toothy slit—perhaps a visual echo of the myth of the vagina dentata.

Boys in the Losers’ Club frequently make obscene, sexually charged jokes about masturbation, the size of their anatomies, their sexual experiences or prowess, and the supposed promiscuity of one another’s mothers.

Elsewhere, a girl scrawls “loser” on someone’s cast. The cast’s wearer tries to change the middle letter so the words read “lover.” Beverly flirts with a very old, creepy pharmacist—distracting him while her friends make off with some needed medical supplies.

Violent Content

Arguably, IT’ s most graphic moment takes place in the movie’s opening minutes and involves poor, doomed Georgie. When the boy reaches into a storm drain to retrieve his boat from the lurking Pennywise, the clown’s rat-like teeth suddenly turn into rows and rows of fangs. He bites into the boy’s arm, and the next thing we see is the little lad—missing an arm—frantically trying to crawl away from the drain. He doesn’t make it: He’s pulled in, leaving behind a roadway stained by blood and rain.

That’s just the beginning of the grotesque horrors awaiting us.

A man gets stabbed in the throat with a knife, and his blood coats his body and the chair he sits in. A monstrous mouth clamps down on someone’s face, leaving behind bloody tooth marks. Someone breaks an arm in a fall, with the arm wrenched into a sickening angle. (A friend painfully sets the arm later.)

Henry literally carves the first letter of his name into someone’s belly, and later he nearly plays target practice with a cat. Mike, a member of the Losers’ Club, works with his grandfather in a meat packing plant that apparently processes sheep. We see one animal shot in the head with a bolt gun (a small spray of blood accompanies the act); other sheep are killed in the same way just off camera.

Dead people—either truly walking dead corpses or creations born of Pennywise’s bag of tricks—shamble through the movie in all their stalking grotesquery. One such manifestation looks like a leper, with parts of his face eaten away. Other zombie-like beings haunt the sewers. Blackened hands reach out from a door, as if trying to escape an inferno below. We briefly see the top half of a body (apparently bisected) hanging from chains but still alive. A headless boy chases someone. An old photo shows a boy’s severed head lodged in a tree. People get thrown around. Supernatural entities are hit and skewered repeatedly. A child is apparently shot in the head with a bolt gun.

Beverly is attacked by her father. Someone falls from a tremendous height, never to be seen again. A man is hit in the groin and, later, coldcocked by the lid of a toilet tank. He lies on the bathroom floor, either unconscious or dead, with blood pooling around his head. People pelt each other with rocks, sometimes leaving bloody marks on their foreheads. Members of the Losers’ Club make a pact that involves cutting their palms with a piece of glass and holding each other’s hands.

We learn that Derry has been the scene of unimaginable tragedies in the past, including an Easter-morning blast that killed 102 (including 88 children).

Crude or Profane Language

Bad news: We hear plenty of bad language here. Worse news: Almost all of it comes from the mouths of children. The f-word is used about 40 times. The s-word is uttered nearly 25 times. God’s name is misused twice, Jesus’ name three times. We also hear “a–,” “d–n,” “h—,” “t-ts” and “f-g.” We see at least one obscene gesture.

Drug and Alcohol Content

While her friends swipe medical supplies from a drug store, Beverly makes off with a pack of cigarettes. A bully smokes. Beverly’s father is shown drinking sometimes—a regular habit for him, the movie suggests.

Other Negative Elements

Bill, suffering some sort of sickness, talks about vomiting. The kids splash around in sewage “gray water.” Beverly has a bunch of disgusting trash dumped on top her while she’s in a bathroom stall. Henry Bowers licks his hand and smears spittle across someone’s face. Losers’ Club members make a ton of grotesque jokes at each other’s expense. Someone’s mother is deceptively manipulative.

It takes a lot out of a kid to deal with a supernatural entity that wants to kill and eat you. And finally, Stan—the quiet, studious son of a rabbi—has had enough.

“This isn’t fun !” he hollers at Bill. “This is scary and disgusting!”

The same might be said about this movie.

Listen, I understand that some folks will likely find IT “fun.” There’s a reason why Hollywood keeps making horror movies, and why people keep seeing them. Sometimes people like to be scared. (And as someone who enjoys a good roller coaster ride now and then, I get that.)

And IT —for all the many faults catalogued above—does at least offer a certain moral with its massacres. Our innocent protagonists are doing what they feel is right and what they feel they must, pushing back against an unimaginable and spiritual evil.

I recently talked with Gary Dauberman, who wrote the screenplay for IT , about those themes. He explained why he has a special affinity for writing supernatural horror stories.

“I think that has to do with me really being a believer that there’s something that’s greater than all of us, and that death is not an end,” he told me. “So writing and researching these stories kind of reaffirms that for me in a way. Even if there’s a demonic presence, I’m always going, ‘If there’s a demonic presence, that means that somewhere out there there’s good.’ And a lot of times in these movies, the good comes from within.”

We see that goodness displayed in IT’ s young protagonists, without question. The movie, for all its content, still exudes a strange sense of innocence. It can almost feel at times like a Steven Spielberg coming-of-age caper, albeit one with far more f-words and senseless mutilations.

And therein lies IT’ s problem. The movie’s heart doesn’t dispel all the terror and carnage and extraordinarily adult problems that our young heroes must deal with. It does not expunge the fact that the adults here are often shown as impotent impediments to the task at hand. It does not mitigate our heroes’ own questionable words and deeds—the constant swearing or the near skinny-dipping or the shoplifting. A bevy of children may star in IT , but they’d be ill-advised to watch it.

Pennywise lured young Georgie into the drain by promising fun and adventure. This movie promises the same. But for those who venture down this drain, it will be a dark, haunting trip indeed.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Summary When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

Directed By : Andy Muschietti

Written By : Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman, Stephen King

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It chapter 1 is so much better than the sequel.

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Hugh jackman's newest movie role sounds awfully familiar, the one quote from each avengers team member that totally goes against their personality.

IT Chapter Two is playing in cinemas, but while the sequel is an ambitious effort, it can't match the heights scaled by 2017's IT Chapter One . Both movies were directed by Andy Muschietti, adapting the twin storylines of Stephen King's novel IT into two separate features. Both have been commercial hits, although IT Chapter 2 won't beat the first movie at the box-office , while IT 2 's reviews aren't as strong as the original's either.

The first IT was something of a surprise hit in 2017, at least in terms of just how good and successful it was, earning rave reviews and becoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all-time. Mostly starring a cast of teenagers, such as Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis, alongside Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise the Dancing Clown, it captured the same 80s coming-of-age nostalgia feel that's made Stranger Things so popular. IT Chapter Two takes place 27 years later , with Skarsgård back as Pennywise. Although the kids do return in flashbacks, they're mostly replaced by a starry adult cast, including James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader.

Related: IT Chapter Two’s Opening Is Too Brutal (& Hurts The Rest Of The Movie)

Despite so much shared creative talent and source material, IT Chapter 1 is a far superior film than its sequel. That's partly because of just how good it is, along with some (admirable) failings of IT Chapter Two , and also because of King's book as well.

IT Chapter 1 Better Captures Stephen King's Book

Both IT and IT Chapter 2 are based on Stephen King's epic novel and, as with any adaptation, both make changes to the text, either because elements wouldn't work on-screen, for length, or because they might not play well in a modern live-action film (like IT 's infamous orgy scene ). But what matters most is capturing the tone and feel of the book, and in that department, IT Chapter 1 is a clear winner over its sequel.

It might've taken out some of the really weird elements from King's IT book , like the turtle, but it really brought to life that mix of horror, humor, and heart that has helped make IT such an enduring work of fiction. That should extend to the second movie, but unfortunately it's lacking more than just weirdness, as it cuts down on all of those other elements as well. That might be more forgivable if it better tackled the themes of shared trauma and growing up with (or past) that as in King's novel, but here too it can't quite hit the mark, resulting in an uneven tone that doesn't quite mesh with either the novel or the movie that came before it.

IT's Adult Storyline Isn't As Strong As The Kids Plot

One of the reasons for IT Chapter Two 's weaker reviews is its plotting, which covers a lot of the same beats as the first movie: the Losers' Club have to band together to defeat Pennywise, they need to face up to their fears, and their bonds will be tested along the way. This doesn't work as well for IT Chapter Two , because the adults aren't as interesting to follow in this regard as the kids. There is potential in the exploration of childhood trauma, but IT 2 doesn't maximize it, and much of what happens felt like a better fit when they were teenagers rather than adults.

Related: Our 13 Biggest Unanswered Questions After IT Chapter Two

This isn't just the fault of IT Chapter Two though, but also something that's stemmed from Stephen King's book and the original IT miniseries . IT starts off as a coming-of-age tale, and it's much better suited to it - not least because the monster is mostly manifesting as a clown. But for the way the characters develop, and the things they have to face up to - not just the fears as presented by IT , but also those that come with growing up and potentially growing apart - there's a much clearer sense of purpose, story, and themes when it's told around teenagers. Adults, especially those who've settled down and become a little wearier, just aren't as fun or interesting to watch as children who are still full of wonder, imagination, fear, and possibilities.

IT's Cast Had Much Greater Chemistry Than IT Chapter 2's

The Losers Club looks up in the movie It.

One of the big reasons for the success of IT is the cast. Not just that Skarsgård's Pennywise cut a terrifying figure, but the kids themselves. Whether more experienced like Wolfhard or relative newcomers, each of the teenagers expertly fit into the role and brought their characters to life in a way befitting of the source material, but more important than that even was they really felt like friends. They clearly cared for one another, they knew one other, they fought and made-up like good friends do, and above all they bounced off one another really well.

IT Chapter Two is admittedly at a disadvantage with this, because the characters are coming back together for the first time in years, which means it can be awkward. But once that wears off, there's still little sign that most of these people ever knew each other, let alone were close friends. Richie and Eddie (Bill Hader and James Ransone) come closest, with their respective actors giving the two best performances, but the majority of IT Chapter 2 's cast is oddly lacking. Even if they don't remember things, there's no reason the cast shouldn't be able to fit together smoothly and play off one another, but we don't get that in IT 2 . The characters are strangers, and it feels like the cast were too, which means the big group moments, where that unity is key, don't carry like they did in IT .

IT Chapter 1 Is A Tighter, More Focused Horror Movie

IT Chapter Two is an ambitious effort from Andy Muschietti, but it's that ambition which ultimately becomes the film's downfall. With a three-hour runtime, IT 2 strives to be a true epic, wanting to balance horror with ripe character drama and an exploration of trauma and abuse. Unfortunately, while those attempts are admirable, IT Chapter Two can't pull it off. Much of the drama becomes stale because it feels repetitive and goes on for so long, and the movie is further dragged down by a lack of scares, while Skarsgård's talents are often wasted here too. It's not bad, but it's very messy and Muschietti's direction can't reach the lofty heights he aims for.

Related: IT Chapter Two Shows A Pennywise Origin (But Is It Real?)

That's a stark contrast to IT , which was a much smaller affair. That goes for its budget - $35m compared to $79m, meaning it had to be smarter and find more tricks to use - but also its length, which clocks in at 135 minutes as opposed to IT Chapter 2 's 169-minute runtime . On top of that, though, IT Chapter 1 has a much clearer sense of what it is and wants to be: it's a coming-of-age movie first, a horror movie second, but it blends the two genres together remarkably well, giving a sweet, funny, and scary character journey that far surpasses IT Chapter Two .

More: IT Chapter Two Ending Explained (In Detail)

SR Originals

Watch Review: Books and Movies TV IT: Chapter 1 Movie Review

IT: Chapter 1 is a 2017 horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The movie tells the story of a group of children known as the Losers Club who are terrorized by a shape-shifting monster that appears in the form of an evil clown named Pennywise. The movie starts by introducing us to the main characters, Bill, Eddie, Richie, Beverly, Mike, Ben, and Stanley, who are all outcasts at their school. They all have different personalities and backgrounds, but they all share a common enemy â the bully Henry Bowers.

As the summer begins, strange things start happening in the small town of Derry, Maine. Kids start disappearing, and the Losers Club begins to investigate what is going on. They soon discover that a monster is behind the disappearances and that it has been haunting the town for centuries, preying on children every 27 years.

Pennywise, the clown, is one of the most iconic horror characters of all time. The character is expertly played by Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd, who brings a new level of terror to the role. His portrayal of Pennywise is both disturbing and captivating, and he manages to make the character both terrifying and entertaining.

The movie is incredibly well-paced. It builds tension slowly, and as the horror intensifies, it becomes more and more terrifying. The movie doesn't rely on jump scares to frighten the audience but instead opts for a more psychological approach to horror.

One of the things that make IT: Chapter 1 so effective is its use of humor. The Losers Club is a group of misfit kids, and their banter and interactions are incredibly entertaining. The humor adds a human element to the movie, and it makes the characters more relatable.

The movie also deals with some heavy themes, such as childhood trauma, abuse, and neglect. The Losers Club is made up of kids who have all been through a lot, and their struggles are portrayed with sensitivity and depth.

The cinematography in the movie is stunning. The small town of Derry is brought to life with beautiful shots of the surrounding forests and lakes. The movie also delves into some surrealistic elements, which are expertly executed and add to the overall creepiness of the film.

Overall, IT: Chapter 1 is an expertly crafted horror movie that manages to be both terrifying and entertaining. The movie's use of humor and its portrayal of childhood trauma sets it apart from other horror films. The performances are all excellent, and Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd's Pennywise is sure to become one of the most iconic horror characters of all time. If you're a horror fan, IT: Chapter 1 is a must-watch.

Genres Horror
Director Carolina G.
Release Date 2017
Runtime 12 min

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Based on 297 parent reviews

Get Ready to Scream: Why 'This' is the Perfect First Horror Movie

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence

Report this review

It is the best.

Great role models
Too much swearing

A Good Start Before Going with Overuse of Jump scares and Poor Direction

Too much consumerism

Great film, but not for kids under 13

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

At the end they make a blood promise,friends help eachother,and mostly about friendship.

Not as scary as you would think, tv-pg-13- brief suggestive content, strong language, disturbing & scary scenes, its good for 12+, don't listen to all the reviews that say 18+.

Coffee With Frizzy J

Apr 21, 2023

Movie Review: IT Chapter 1

The first time I saw this movie was alone at the theater. I watched it again today, and I loved it. It missed the mark on a lot of topics from the book, and I disagree with the updated time period, but it was really good. The CGI was killer, the clown was excellent, and I liked all of the characters.

Chapter 1 focuses on the children section of the book, only they moved it from 1958 to 1989, which is a huge change. There were some changes that I thought made a lot of sense, like Ben Hanscom being the research as opposed to the 1990 adaptation where Mike Hanlon was fascinated with the town's dark history. I think this would have worked well in the book too. Ben was an avid reader, and as a kid Michael pretty much just worked and hung out, despite his father having the old books and firsthand information of the Black Spot. The Black Spot was a fascinating delve into history in the book (primarily because Dick Halloran, the cook from the Shining, was there), and it was glanced over in both theatrical versions.

I was disappointed that Eddie lost his battery acid moment of glory in the sewer, but the sewers in this movie were not the dangerous unmapped territory they were before.

Pennywise was vicious, with excellent CG teeth. There was no Ritual of Chud, no silver, but the clown was very well done in both the sense that it was more friendly and approachable than Tim Curry's Pennywise, and its evil was more vicious and violent (which, cinematically, I think, is a sign of the times that these movies were made).

I very much recommend this version to anyone who won't read the book.

Movie Review

One Piece Chapter 1122 "Time is Right" Changes Everything

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The following contains spoilers for Chapter 1122 of One Piece , "Time is Right," by Eiichiro Oda, now available in English from Viz.

Chapter 1122 of One Piece brings new plot twists, ending Dr. Vegapunk's message and the battle for Future Island.
Major parties like Koby, Blackbeard, & Cross Guild prep for the race to Laugh Tale and the One Piece treasure.
Emet bravely sacrifices itself with a powerful Haki blast, knocking away the Five Elders and changing the game for Luffy.

For some time now, the One Piece manga has experienced some slow pacing and same-y chapters, with many chapters in a row striving to juggle the ongoing battle for Future Island/Egghead and Dr. Vegapunk's lengthy video message to the entire world. While that juggled narrative did move the story forward, it had some remarkably slow pacing , and juggling those two things did not always work out so well. Chapter 1122 is changing all that, with new plot twists ending Dr. Vegapunk's message and suddenly bringing an end to the battle for Future Island.

By now, Dr. Vegapunk's exposition message has delivered all the shocking news it has to offer -- no major secrets will be revealed at this time. That's why it is no big deal for the video transponder snail in Emet to go permanently dark as the iron giant makes its final stand against the Five Elders with its sacrifice play, and it's just in time to help the manga move on to its next phase. The visit to Future Island has been great fun, but now One Piece readers are about to say goodbye, all while the race for the One Piece starts to heat up. Major parties all strive to either seize Gol D. Roger's famed treasure or keep them from reaching it, and that's definitely something to look forward to.

Luffy and Blackbeard from One Piece in front of a black background.

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Major Parties All Get Ready for the One Piece Race

Pages from One Piece manga Chapter 1122 show the Cross Guild plotting.

Chapter 1122 does what many chapters of One Piece do: take a few pages to show what some secondary parties in the world are doing while Plot A continues. Other recent chapters also did this, as many people around the world reacted to Dr. Vegapunk's warning about the sinking world, but Chapter 1122 takes it further with parties, including Koby, Admiral Blackbeard, and the Cross Guild organization. The three of them are either probably or definitely going to get involved in the race to Laugh Tale and the waiting One Piece treasure, and it's enticing to see. Interestingly, it's Admiral Blackbeard who's the most cryptic about this, since his scene actually reveals very little more about what he's going to do next. Instead, his brief scene shows the rogue Caribou getting ready to share information with Blackbeard, at the risk of getting shot if his message isn't deemed worthwhile.

The Cross Guild Organization reveals a little more about its current plans and activities. Interestingly, Buggy the Clown has no interest in ruling the world by seizing the One Piece, but his many admirers in the Cross Guild want him to be their glorious king, and Buggy knows that his image means everything for the Cross Guild. Thus, Buggy bows to the will of his subordinates and does a 180, declaring his intent to rule the world with the One Piece. It's now evident that somehow, some way, the leaders of Cross Guild will make a serious play for the One Piece, which will no doubt put them in conflict with the Straw Hat Pirates, the Blackbeard armada, and perhaps the Navy as well.

The third such scene is the most vivid one for One Piece readers, who have a stronger emotional attachment to the character involved. That scene shows Koby reacting poorly to Vegapunk's declaration that whichever pirate seizes the One Piece will rule the world, because as a devoted Marine, Koby doesn't want that to happen. He will not even make an exception for his frenemy Luffy, so readers might say that, unfortunately, Luffy and Koby are now true enemies, and with the stakes so high, there's little to no chance that those young men will ever reconcile their differences. This post-time skip Koby is far more assertive and even more idealistic than his Romance Dawn self, so fans are dealing with a new Koby with a new conflict here. The days of Luffy and Koby facing Lady Alvida seem so innocent and simple compared to this.

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Emet Makes Its Last Stand With a Powerful Haki Blast

Pages from the One Piece manga Chapter 1122 show the Five Elders affected by Emet's haki.

As for the main plot in Chapter 1122, this chapter could have continued the grueling fight that fans saw in the last handful of chapters, but the narrative is clearly done with that. The battle for Egghead comes to an abrupt end in Chapter 1122, because unless villains like Admiral Kizaru or Rob Lucci of CP0 are about to pop back in, this battle has come to a definite conclusion. Emet the iron giant cannot hold off the Five Elders for much longer with basic melee attacks, so Emet bravely makes a sacrifice play to defeat those Elders at the cost of its own mechanical life. After Emet asks Luffy for his name as the new Joy Boy, Emet pulls a cord and shocks everyone with a devastating display of black Haki. More specifically, Emet is discharging a huge last of Color of the Supreme King/Conquerer's Haki, which the original Joy Boy had stored there centuries earlier.

That great wave of Haki takes immediate effect in Chapter 1122, knocking away the Five Elders and reverting all but Jaygarcia Saturn back to their original human forms. The Five Elders may be the World Government's living weapons , but even they are at the mercy of Haki if they face enough of it, and Emet delivers. Most critically, those Elders aren't just reverted to their harmless original forms -- they're sent all the way back to Marijoa on the Red Line, taking them out of the fight for good. Only Jaygarcia Saturn remains at Egghead, and he alone may not be enough to stop the Straw Hat Pirates from fleeing, especially with the Giant Warriors Pirates backing them up.

While all this is not a 100% guarantee, it feels safe to say that the battle for Future Island is over, or at least, the difficult part is. One Piece fans may feel confident that Luffy's escape has been secured thanks to Emet's brave self-sacrifice, falling apart after discharging Joy Boy's knotted-up Haki like that. Notably, that vast wave of Haki even affects the mysterious Imu at Marijoa, causing Imu to sweat and tremble in pain. That's not much of a clue about who or what Imu is, but it's still satisfying to see that supervillain take a surface-level blow from their symbolic nemesis, Joy Boy. Even if the original Joy Boy, the defender of freedom , has been dead for centuries, he can still stick it to the World Government's leaders as a final act of defiance.

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Emet Thinks Back To Its Final Meeting With the Original Joy Boy

Chapter 1122 the flashback of joy boy and emet.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Chapter 1122 ends with a sentimental flashback starring two olds friends from centuries past, those being Emet the iron giant and the original Joy Boy, who appears entirely in silhouette form while wearing a straw hat on his head. In that seaside scene, Joy Boy provides some exposition concerning the Color of the Supreme King Haki that he's knotting up inside Emet's chest, saying that the Haki is only to be used when the time is right, leaving it to Emet's judgment to decide when exactly that will be. As Chapter 1122's title states, the final battle for Egghead is the right time. After all, the original Joy Boy promises that he will be there to support Emet and vice versa well into the future, and since Luffy is the new Joy Boy, then that promise has stood the test of time. Emet has no regrets about giving its mechanical life to fight one last time alongside any version of Joy Boy.

That sentimental flashback sequence in Chapter 1122 doesn't reveal much about the mysterious Void Century or what the first Joy Boy was like, but that is not the point. The flashback simply serves to add a sentimental edge to Emet's final sacrifice at Egghead and show that iron giant's soft side, complete with a cute, typical "anime" face as it shares a moment with its best friend. Thus, the shonen values of teamwork, friendship, and trust survived the test of time across the centuries, and that is heartwarming for any reader to see. All this might also remind One Piece fans of characters like Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who befriended Luffy and risked everything for his sake. Granted, Mr. 2 set a remarkably high bar that few characters can clear even after all this time, but Emet tries its best, with the benefit of serious story relevance about the Void Century, Joy Boy, and defying the World Government at any cost.

The straw-hats pirates on One_Piece manga cover art poster

Monkey D. Luffy sets off on an adventure with his pirate crew in hopes of finding the greatest treasure ever, known as the "One Piece."

Cast & crew

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

James Marsden, Tom Butler, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Tony McCarthy, Andy M Milligan, LeChristopher Williams, Nathan Hall, Amedeo Fedeli, James Wright, Jorma Taccone, Tika Sumpter, James Wolk, Ben Schwartz, Sofia Pernas, Lee Majdoub, Dempsey Gibson, Stuart Whelan, Alfredo Tavares, and Joshmaine Joseph in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Plot under wraps. Plot under wraps. Plot under wraps.

Jeff Fowler
Josh Miller
John Whittington
Ben Schwartz
Colleen O'Shaughnessey

Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Luke Freeborn, Tom Butler, Tom Holkenborg, Neal H. Moritz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Toru Nakahara, Brandon Trost, Tony McCarthy, Josh Miller, Pat Casey, Andy M Milligan, LeChristopher Williams, Amedeo Fedeli, James Wright, Jorma Taccone, Jeff Fowler, Tika Sumpter, Hitoshi Okuno, James Wolk, Ben Schwartz, Al LeVine, Sofia Pernas, Lee Majdoub, Toby Ascher, John Whittington, Dempsey Gibson, Stuart Whelan, Alfredo Tavares, Cristo Fernández, and Joshmaine Joseph in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

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Trivia The film makers of the prior movies have mentioned playing both "Sonic Adventure 2" and the "Shadow The Hedgehog" solo game for inspiration. The film is also inspired by narrative elements from the Saturday morning animated television series "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993 - 1994).
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IT Chapter One (2017) Review
Movie Review: 'It: Chapter One'
IT: Chapter 1 (2017)
Film Review: IT: Chapter 1
Movie Review
'It: Chapter One' (2017)—A Movie Review

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It movie review & film summary (2017)
A review of the 2017 film "It" that highlights the terrifying moments and strong camaraderie among the young stars.
It (2017)
It. R Released Sep 8, 2017 2h 15m Horror Mystery & Thriller. TRAILER for It: Trailer 1. List. 85% Tomatometer 389 Reviews. 84% Audience Score 50,000+ Ratings. Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine ...
IT Movie Review: Chapter One
Skarsgård, though, played Pennywise as he should. His performance was menacing, energetic, and mesmerizing. There were a few other breakout stars of this film in my opinion. Specifically, Jaeden Lieberher (Bill), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben), Sophia Lillis (Beverly), Finn Wolfhard (Richie) and Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie).
It (2017)
It: Directed by Andy Muschietti. With Jaeden Martell, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard. In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
Review: 'It' Brings Back Stephen King's Killer Clown
The new film adaptation of Stephen King's "It" stars Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise the clown. Brooke Palmer/Warner Bros. It Directed by Andy Muschietti Drama, Horror, Thriller R 2h 15m By A.O ...
IT (2017) Movie Review
It (2017) 3.5. It Chapter One is a supernatural horror film based on the book by Stephen King where several children, including the younger brother of one of the film's protagonists, have gone missing. A group of kids called "The Loser's Club" decide to investigate the cause and hopefully save the others. However, they realize they may be in ...
It (2017) Review
It (2017) Review. The summer of 1989. In the small town of Derry, Maine, children are disappearing at an alarming rate, and the mysterious culprit appears to be an immortal shapeshifting clown. It ...
It
It. Stephen King's novel It does not tell a cinematic story. Over the course of more than 1,100 pages, the massive 1986 tale of horror involves a killer alien clown haunting children in Derry, Maine, and then turning them into lunch on a 27-year cycle, while also flip-flopping between its adult characters and memories of their traumatic ...
It Chapter One (2017) Movie Review
It Chapter One is a fantastic movie adaptation of a beloved book and TV miniseries and is definitely worth a watch. Bill Skarsgård puts on a masterful, and terrifying, performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and a brilliant cast of kids keep you invested in the story.
IT: Chapter One (2017) [REVIEW]
It's the rare Stephen King movie that nails everything we love about the material and gives us a full-tilt freak show roller coaster that's scary, emotional - and yes, fun.
It (2017 film)
It (titled on-screen as It: Chapter One) is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. It is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King, primarily covering the first chronological half of the book. It is the first film in the It film series as well as being the ...
It (2017)
Filter by Rating: 8/10. Slightly updated, partial retelling of Stephen King's massive tome. AlsExGal 19 December 2022. It's 1988, and a group of young teens in the town of Derry, Maine are terrorized by an otherworldly clown named Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), who can make them see their worst fears.
Movie Review: IT (2017)
The red-headed stepchild of the movie business, horror is an incredibly subjective genre for fans. Despite repeatedly being let down by film after film, we return to the theater with each new offering, hoping for a gem — a new classic. Remakes are especially daunting undertakings, as the new version is up against fiercely loyal fans who judge ...
IT
This movie promises the same. But for those who venture down this drain, it will be a dark, haunting trip indeed. Elevate family time with our parent-friendly entertainment reviews! The Plugged In Podcast has in-depth conversations on the latest movies, video games, social media and more. Learn More and Subscribe Here!
It
When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
It Movie Review
Terrifying evil clown movie based on Stephen King classic. Read Common Sense Media's It review, age rating, and parents guide.
IT Chapter 1 Is So Much Better Than Chapter Two
IT Chapter Twois playing in cinemas, but while the sequel is an ambitious effort, it can't match the heights scaled by 2017's IT Chapter One. Both movies were directed by Andy Muschietti, adapting the twin storylines of Stephen King's novel ITinto two separate features. Both have been commercial hits, although IT Chapter 2won't beat the first movie at the box-office, while IT 2's reviews aren ...
"It: Chapter One" Movie Review
Scary and intense and largely faithful to the young kids half of the book (the adult half was released in 2019), the film is a sterling example of how to do King right. Not only does It deliver the requisite slow-burning chills and more than a handful of jump scares, but it gives ample time to the non-clown challenges (and also joys) of being ...
Watch Review: Books and Movies TV IT: Chapter 1 Movie Review
Review: Books and Movies TV IT: Chapter 1 Movie Review doesn't appear to be available from any streaming services.
Parent reviews for It
Get Ready to Scream: Why 'This' is the Perfect First Horror Movie. It is a horror movie based on Stephen King's novel and is rated R for strong violence, language, and disturbing imagery. Due to the graphic and intense nature of the movie, it may not be suitable for children under 12 or 13. While some children may be able to handle the content ...
Movie Review: IT Chapter 1
The first time I saw this movie was alone at the theater. I watched it again today, and I loved it. It missed the mark on a lot of topics from the book, and I disagree with the updated time period, but it was really good. The CGI was killer, the clown was excellent, and I liked all of the characters. Chapter 1 focuses on the children section of the book, only they moved it from 1958 to 1989 ...
It (2017)
A man is sleeping and a deranged teenager comes in and stabs him in the neck. So much blood is seen. Pennywise rips off a young boy's arm. Leaving him bleeding to death in the rain, it can be emotional to watch. Two boys put a cat in top of a garbage can and one of them points a gun at it, threatening to shoot.
REVIEW: 'Rebel Moon
What Rebel Moon - Chapter One: Chalice of Blood immediately does better than the prior version is the visual component.So much of Zack Snyder's signature visual style was lost in A Child of ...
It: Chapter One
It: Chapter One | Canadian First Time Watching | Movie Reaction | Movie Review | Movie Commentary CineBinge 158K subscribers Subscribed 7.8K 155K views 1 year ago #itchapter2 #stephenking # ...
One Piece Chapter 1122 Recap and Spoilers
One Piece's latest manga chapter changes everything, with plot twists ending Dr. Vegapunk's message & bringing an end to the battle for Future Island.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Directed by Jeff Fowler. With Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves. Plot under wraps.

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Movie Review: IT (2017)

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