Director: Andy Muschietti
Running Time: 2h 15m
Cast: Bill Skarsgard, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jaeden Lieberher
Movie Score: 92%
*[0-50%-red (poor); 50-70%-yellow (average to good, better and promising); 70-90%-green (very good to great); 90-100%-blue (outstanding to perfect and a masterpiece)]
The most bizarre thing about horror flicks is that most of them always try to be horrific, regardless of the content or the given story and some, just drag it too far up to the point of being funny! But some exceptions have been there in the face of modern day directors. One of them is Andy Muschietti, who’s here, back again, with ‘IT’-Stephen King’s classic horror novel that has already been adapted, way back in 1990s, in the form of a mini TV series, starring Tim Curry as Pennywise, the dancing clown.
I won’t talk of that mini-series and instead come straightly to the current 2017 adaptation, being executed and handled masterfully by Muschietti-keeping itself afloat!
Wait a bit. Before I start talking of IT, let’s just get aware of its synopsis first-you see, it’s always a formality I have to adhere to.
‘IT’ revolves around a bunch of children, living in the town of Derry, Maine, who are still growing in their tender ages and call themselves, ‘The Losers Club’-being always bullied by one of the school boys, Henry (Nicholas Hamilton). There is Bill (Jaeden Lieberher), the leader of the pack along with Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Richie (Finn Wolfhard). But, among them all there’s a girl too, named Beverly (Sophia Lillis) who is tormented of her own family life and want to get away from it. But her presence makes two of the ‘Losers’ club’s boys attracted to her-Bill himself and the other being, Ben. They both keep trying to impress her-the usual teens you know. But it feels natural.
The very scene of ‘It’ shows Bill’s younger brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott), chasing a paper-boat in the rain along the moving water leading to the underground ‘storm sewer’, where lives the orange-headed, deadly dancing clown-Pennywise aka ‘It’ (Bill Skarsgard). Georgie gets missing and everyone assumes that he is dead. But Bill, on the other hand starts a mission on his own along with his team of miss-matched members, to find about the disappearance of many other children in the town, including his own brother.
But soon, they come across the dark secret, lying beneath the sewer, and a killing and fatal truth which confronts them-being inevitable and hard to fight with-the ‘It’. He capitalizes on the fear of each of them and can sense it, no matter what.
‘IT’ is more than a mystery horror movie and goes into telling you more, at its core. It shows the harsh realities of being a teenager, dealing with it in your own manner and eventually facing and getting over your inner demons. The story is pumping, lively, and keeps you hooked, stuck to it and in a way getting yourself immersed in it and going through a journey of innocence, friendship, relationship, fear and dangers. Writers Cary Fukunaga, Chase Palmer and Gary Dauberman have done an immensely commendable job with the screenplay.
Coming back to the child actors, it’s been a bliss for this film to get such an exceptional talent. Each and every teenage actor is amazing and impressive in his or her role. Again, credits to Andy Muschietti for investing time and putting brains in finding the most deserving faces who could really pull this off-and yes, they all succeeded!
But, can this all be complete without ‘It’ himself? No way!
According to me, Bill Skarsgard is the best Pennywise ever and he just steals the show with his unforgettable fearing presence, leaving you craving for some daylight-because dark is scary here! Probably, the most amazing thing to have happened to this movie is Bill Skarsgard, being chosen to play the epic evil clown from Stephen King’s novel.
Pennywise, the clown is dead scary-just have a detailed look and you will know it why. Skarsgard has done it with sheer perfection here and he makes you believe that, he only, can be the funny-looking yet murderous, killer clown who stops at nothing in leaving you frightened to death. Accompanying Pennywise along with his own superb tactics, is the background score-and mind it, it is so great listen. Some scenes of the film are less about the scares and more about the fear that comes right at you, thanks to a stellar use of background music, wisely-but is never felt overdone.
The film makes a controlled grip on almost everything and gives fiendishly scary feels. ‘It’ can be called the best horror movie of this year, with not even a single pinch of doubt, save for the box-office records-Warner Bros, is surely going to have a blasting time after Wonder Woman’s greatness!
If you want to get an experience of your own childhood days, those tiny, little moments hard to forget and at the same time a ghostly feel that is both internal and external of yourself, then ‘It’ is for you.
I won’t be surprised, if ‘you’ll float too!’
Distributed by Warner Bros, ‘It’ has now been released worldwide. Don’t wait, just get flown with ‘it’.
