IT: Chapter Two
In 2017, IT would come out of nowhere, shattering all
expectations and several box office records. Not only was it one of the highest
grossing films of the year, but currently still holds the spot of highest grossing
horror film of all time, and the biggest opening September release of all time.
With a budget of only $30 million, IT went on to gross well over $700 million,
winning a legion of fans; those who loved the book and respected the original
TV movie, and a whole new generation of audiences who probably hadn’t read the
book or ever would because let’s face it… who reads these days? 😉
When the end credits of IT appeared on screen, with the
words “Chapter One” fading onto the screen, audiences were intrigued. Would we
get more? It was only a matter of days after the films premier that a sequel
was announced to be released in early September 2019. And so we waited for two
years, with very little to see online about the production. As the adult cast
were announced, there were a few raised eyebrows to say the least. Some of the
cast included the ideal actors chosen by the child cast to play the grown-up
versions of themselves. In a surprise move, an actor called Isaiah Mustafa was
cast in the pivotal role of Mike Hanlon. And this actors most well-known screen
credit? The Old Spice Commercial. Yes, that guy. I’m sure the director
had his reasons, but we would have to wait till 2019 to see if his choices paid
off.
When the first teaser trailer for the film appeared online,
showing the fully assembled adult cast on screen – converging with images of
the younger cast from the first film – the internet went gaga again. The
casting choices were simply genius, and it seemed for the most part the adult
Losers really were the adult versions of the younger actors, resembling them in
looks and mannerisms. And given IT is really more a story about the characters
and not the clown, the casting had to be spot on.
IT: Chapter Two was destined to be a hit long before it’s
release, but it was going to face a few challenges. Firstly, it had to be equally
as good or better than the first film. And as Chapter One was such a surprise in
many ways, it would certainly be a hard act to follow. No one doubted Bill
Skarsgard would once again scare the crap out of everyone with his portrayal of
Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but how would the adult cast cut it?
Secondly, the focus of the story in the second film would be
on the adults. Historically, this hasn’t been the most popular aspect of the
story, whether that be the original novel and certainly the 1990 mini-series. That
3-hour television event was split into two parts, with the second focusing primarily
on the adult cast. It wasn’t received as well as the first part, which focused
on the kids. Would that be the case again this time around?
Thirdly, and this is more for me, is that I would be going
into IT: Chapter Two knowing everything about it. I’ve read the novel four
times – it’s my favourite Stephen King book, and my favourite novel of all
time. And at over 1100 pages, it is dense and rich in detail. There is a lot of
backstory about Pennywise’s appearances at pivotal points in the history of
Derry, Maine even long before he encountered the Losers Club in the 1950’s. As
much as I would love to see that realised on the big screen, I had a hunch it
would be left out. What I was more concerned about was how the filmmakers would
handle the bizarre and confusing ending of the book, now known to viewers of
the new movie as The Ritual of Chud.
It’s believed that Stephen King was writing at the peak of
his alcohol and drug use when he penned IT in the early to mid-1980’s. Many of
his stories go off into deep, dark and disturbing places, and we can only
assume he understands what he’s writing about more than anyone else. He lived
the experience of writing the book after all. And having read this and been both
galvanised and confused by the ritual segment of the story, I was hopeful but
also sceptical about how this would translate to screen. And if I had more of
your time in this review, I could go into a whole analysis of just that part of
the book alone, but as I’m talking about the movie adaptation of IT, let’s get
back to the main focus.
What can you expect from IT: Chapter Two? More of the same,
with a few new touches. It realises it caught lightning in a bottle with the
first film and brings the young cast back for a series of flashback scenes. What’s
controversial about this directing choice is that at the time of filming, several
of the young cast had grown and matured, so some clumsy CGI de-ageing was used
on two of the cast which didn’t quite work. None the less, it was good to see
the original Losers back on screen, for some additional scenes which were
included in the book but not the 2017 movie.
Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, nails it once again, and has
come to understand the monster he’s created very well. In his handful of screens
in the clown guise, the holds the screen and commands your attention. He has
developed his tactics of taunting, terrorising and tearing that are shown on
screen with no holding back. Be warned, two young children are shown brutally killed
on screen, and are lured into their traps in very macabre and sadistic ways,
with plenty of blood on screen.
As in the book, Pennywise can turn into any kind of monster
he wants, and several more demonic apparitions are portrayed on screen. A couple
you will recognise from the first film, and a few new additions to scare the adult
versions of the losers. The first teaser trailer which was really just a clip
in itself from the film, features about halfway through the film. It’s the
moment where the adult Beverly revisits her childhood home and is welcomed in
by a lonely old woman who now occupies the apartment. You see the scene where
she tiptoes behind Beverly in the nude and speaks to her out from the darkness
of the kitchen. In the trailer you hear heavy footsteps, and see her bare legs
run towards a shocked Beverly. The film reveals the old lady in her full form,
and it’s both scary and mesmerising. It’s the perfect examples of the length’s IT
will go to in order to trick and taunt his prey, and not just by appearing as
their fear, but also manipulating the environments around him.
Let’s talk about the adult cast a bit more. With seven characters
to get through, all with their own arcs, fears and twenty-seven years of
backstory to portray, the film is long in the tooth as you may know. But as a
fan of the book, I didn’t mind the nearly three-hour running time and knew it
was necessary to fit in the components of the story they wanted and needed to. And
each of the cast gets plenty of screen time (except for one who departs early
on and you will know who that is if you’ve read the book). The casting is
top-notch, and not just for the physical resemblance each of the adult actors
inhibits to portray their younger counterparts, but also the performances.
James McAvoy is as reliable as ever, given he can play the
Everyman and also inhibit the personal struggles of a tormented soul (see his work
in “Split” and “Glass” for that). Jessica Chastain who was always the first
choice to play the adult Beverly is a strong, dependable actor and carries
forth the torch lit by Sophia Lillis as the young Beverly. The rest of the
adult cast are fine, but as you’ve probably heard the real standout here is
Bill Hader as the all-grown-up Richie Tozier. Also played brilliantly by Finn
Wolfhard in Chapter One, Hader continues the character of the comedic,
immature, inappropriate but light-hearted member of the Losers Club. To most audiences
today, Bill Hader is the guy who pops up in the movies of Seth Rogen and Jason Segel
from time to time. Before that, he had a stint on Saturday Night Live. I was aware
he had done a few dramatic roles, but he was known to most audiences as a comedian,
so for that purpose was the perfect choice for the adult Richie.
But given the complexity of the story and the journey of the
character, some serious acting chops were also required to explore the journey
of Richie as he steps down from his funny guy routine to face his fears once
again. And it’s in these more tender and serious moments were Hader really
shines. He carries himself through the film with a natural effortlessness and a
fresh perspective on the character which
was a great fit for the film. He was the comic relief, as was Wolfhard in the
first film, but when shit got real he pulled his own weight and stood up as
tall as McAvoy and Chastain, who carried most of the dramatic power in the
film.
Even though Chapter Two is the direct follow up to 2017’s Chapter
One, this year’s film is not a sequel. Of course, it will be regarded as one
and for those not familiar with the book, will regard this purely as a sequel. And
seen in that way, IT: Chapter Two may disappoint the average moviegoer who
demands their sequels to be bigger, better and badder than the first. Thanks Marvel
for setting the bar so high. But realise, Chapter One and Chapter Two are part
of one story. Given the length and depth of the book, they could have split the
production into three movies, and on that note there have been some rumours
online that director Andy Muschietti has considered filming a prequel showing
the origins of IT, and IT’s appearances every twenty-seven years over the
history of its presence in Derry, Maine. This has neither been confirmed nor
denied by the director, and personally I don’t think it’s necessary.
Given the filmmaking talent behind these two films are
smart, they will quit while they’re ahead and leave it with the two individual
films. But in honour of the book, the director has pretty much confirmed he
wants to pull the scenes from the two films together, rearrange them and tell
the complete uncut version of IT, that follows the sequence of events as
written in the book. I would love to see that, and even it if it clocked in at
five hours running time, it would be the ultimate and most satisfying way to experience
the story.
But nor now, viewers can consider that IT: Chapter Two is
the concluding instalment of the movie adaptations of this incredible novel. It
has come full circle, and in the opinion of this movie-lover and lover of the
book, they did a bloody good job. Turning such a novel into a film was always
going to be a challenging task, and one to be handled with responsibility and
love. It’s safe to say the filmmakers have done that, from the first film to
the second, and even got the tick of approval from the author Mr. King himself
before each film was released. Speaking of which, it was nice to see him cameo
in the second film, basically playing himself. He must be smiling with his feet
kicked up and his head held high at the success of the films. For any writer or
creative artist, it must be very affirming to see your work respected and given
the treatment it deserves.
Even if King was under the influence of narcotics at the
time of writing his opus, he has presented a story which has lasted nearly
forty years in its popularity and social relevance. The film will also hold its
own place in pop culture as one of the great stories of our time. Put aside the
fact that at its core, IT is a story of a monster appearing as a clown to eat children
and remember the journey of The Losers Club; seven kids, mistreated,
misunderstood and missing something in their lives, who were all brought
together by their loneliness. In uniting, they become strong, brave and daring,
standing up to the bullies, the ignorant parents, and the fears manifesting in
front of them.
And it’s a story that carries its heart on its sleeve. As the
book ends with the narration of Bill Denbrough recalling his youth and the
friendships he made, IT: Chapter Two concludes with a beautiful narration from
one of the Losers who talks about life, youth and the journey to becoming an
adult. Considering their respective journey was tainted by the trauma of a terrorising
clown, it was also touched by the milestones of love, friendship, success and
discovering your place in the world. And those themes are captured so beautifully
in this film, especially in it’s closing moments, that you can’t ignore the
power and influence of IT to truly be one of the only scary stories with a
heart. Finding the balance between pure fear and pure love in equal measure and
winning us all over in the process. And that’s
an incredible achievement in storytelling.
No comments:
Post a Comment