Movie Review: ‘IT Chapter Two’ floats to the end

IT Chapter 2 Movie Poster

By Catherine Engstrom-Hadley
Staff Writer

Grade: B

See it if: You loved the book, you love Bill Hader

Skip it if: You are short on time, you dislike clowns

The “losers’ club,” novelist Stephen King’s fictional group of social misfits, is back after 27 years to lay Pennywise the clown to rest, finally.

The kids have grown up and all but one, Mike (Isaiah Mustafah), have escaped the evil city of Derry. Now they must come back and face Pennywise, Derry, and the past if they ever hope to survive. “Chapter Two” delivers a heartfelt but long conclusion to the fight between the losers’ club and Pennywise.

The adult losers’ club was excellently cast. Although the grown-up losers lacked the comradery and familiarity the younger losers had, 27 years apart is bound to do that to a group of friends. James McAvoy plays Bill and Bev is played by Jessica Chastain. They both did a good job in their respective roles, but the characters fell flat.

Bill Hader delivers a brilliant performance as the adult Richie, the smart-ass kid turned stand-up comic. Hader might not have gotten the same screen time as his counterparts, but when he is on, he steals the show.

2017’s “IT” was a breakout hit, scoring the largest opening weekend ever for a horror movie at $41 million. While “Chapter Two” was bigger and longer than the previous chapter, it’s still clear the filmmakers tried to stick closely to the original work by Stephen King.

The CGI in the film is out in full force, especially during flashbacks with the losers’ club, making the child actors look exactly as they did in the 2017 “IT.”

The 2-hour 45-minute runtime sets “Chapter Two” back—the scares start to wear on watchers after a while. Although the movie certainly has its graphic moments, the film is never quite as scary as it should be. My hope is they let “IT” rest and don’t drag Pennywise out for a prequel as rumors suggest.

“Chapter Two” is a story that explores childhood trauma and the arrested development that comes with it. After all, what is Pennywise but a walking, shapeshifting and nagging trauma that forces the grown-ups to face it once more, after 27 years of hiding in the deep?