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It (2017) - Movie Review

4 beersDirector Andrew Muschietti and screenwriters Chase Palmer and Cary Fukunaga do something very interesting with their big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s hugely popular novel It. They take the thrills and chills of horror and, rather than use them as a cheap means of simply scaring our pants off, they are used for an entirely different purpose: to create a sense of fun. That’s right, a horror film that is fun.

That’s not to say that It isn’t scary. It is. But everything else in the story is just so delightfully familiar and endearing, it’s a blast to be put on the edge of our seats with the knowledge that something so unsettling is lurking just beneath the surface. And in the age of dime-a-dozen horror flicks that struggle to invent the next big gimmick, it’s actually quite refreshing when the thrills and chills provide the much-needed break from all the pleasantness. How’s that for something new?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the film’s unsettling moments come from a demented clown that lives in the sewer system of Derry, Maine, a small burg that stands in for Anytown USA. The clown is a shapeshifting predator that emerges from his cesspool every 27 years to feed on the fears of his chosen prey: the town’s children. Don’t be fooled by the clown’s penchant for offering colorful balloons nor by his vaudevillian moniker. Pennywise, the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård) is a bad, bad dude who would just as soon hug your face with his rows of detachable teeth as he would throw you peanuts. Skarsgård absolutely sinks himself into the role and gives us one of the most frightening, yet memorable, villains in recent memory. Working clowns around the world are afraid of the ramifications, and they should be.

It is teeming with loads of heart and soul provided by a ragtag group of seven middle school outcasts. They call themselves the Losers Club and each has been terrorized in some way, whether it be by the local pack of school bullies, or by a dysfunctional home life. But they gain strength in being together and, as is the case with many of King’s novels, the story’s beauty comes from the way he juxtaposes fear and terror against the experience of growing up. Smartly, Muschietti never loses sight of that, and as a result, It is frightening, fun, relevant, and meaningful, all at the same time.

Leading our pack of lovable losers is Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) whose world is rocked when little brother, Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) mysteriously disappears while chasing a paper boat into a storm drain. Unsatisfied by his father’s calls to face the fact that his brother is dead, Bill joins up with his group of friends after school to find out why the town’s children go missing at six times the national average.

The Losers Club is rounded out by chubby kid and de facto town historian Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), foul-mouthed Richie (Finn Wolfhard), who stands in as the comic relief, cute-girl-with-a-bad-reputation Beverly (Sophia Lillis), and others whose charming chemistry gives us a strong sense that the film belongs right alongside Stranger Things or even Stand By Me. In fact, there’s a nice little montage that shows the kids walking along railroad tracks as a train goes by. It is brilliant little flourishes like these that set It apart from the crowd. In fact, we occasionally wonder what the film might have been had the horror elements been dropped altogether. Those heartfelt moments are that strong by themselves.

It isn’t without its problems, however. A second act that slogs a bit, coupled with some tonal inconsistencies throughout, keep the experience from floating to its intended lofty heights. Also, Muschietti very nearly overuses his Pennywise to the point of diminishing returns. The more we see of him, the less effective his demonic dealings become. And a bit more background into the wall-eyed clown and his motivations might have lent the proceedings an even stronger sense of danger.

Steeped in a heavy 80s-drenched look and feel, It jumps on the current nostalgia bandwagon and plays to our childhood memories while at the same time preying on the things that we fear the most: being attacked by the things that we fear the most.

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It (2017) - Movie Review

MPAA Rating: R for violence/horror, bloody images, and for language.
Runtime:
135 mins
Director
: Andy Muschietti
Writer:
Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga
Cast:
Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
You'll float too.
Memorable Movie Quote: "It's summer! We're supposed to be having fun!"
Theatrical Distributor:
New Line Cinema
Official Site: itthemovie.com/
Release Date:
September 8, 2017
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
January 9, 2018.
Synopsis: 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.

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It (2017) - Movie Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray - January 9, 2018
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; Digital copy; Movies Anywhere; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Warner Bros presents It on 1080p with an Ultra HD Blu-Ray Combo Pack release that stuns with its bloody goodness; details are layered and the corpses are vivid.  It’s a quiet affair, of course, as the story takes center stage but, with crisp greens and soiled browns, everything feels very, very lived in and expressive.  Interior details are fierce and black levels never disappoint, even fibers are textured.  There’s a lot of dark magic involved in the underground and the visuals of suspended children are sharp.  Details in the location are great and locations are triggered with a crispness that only 1080p can provide.  The aspect ratio is 2.39:1.  A strong Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and/or Dolby Atmos provides the surround sound and adds a definite kick to the dark and gory visuals.

Blu-ray Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

With a three featurettes concerning the making of It and a solid selection of deleted scenes, Warner Bros gives fans something to be thrilled about with their handling of It’s debut on blu with this their Blu-ray Combo Pack, which includes the theatrical version of in HD and standard definition. A digital version of the film in HD is also included.  In Pennywise Lives! fans are treated to see how Bill Skarsgård prepared for the role of the iconic dancing clown; in The Loser’s Club we get to see profiles of the cast of courage during the production of the movie; and in Author of Fear we get the homegrown roots of King’s clown prince of terror.  There are also 11 deleted/extended scenes that give viewers a bit more characterization of the kids.  But, truly, the best additional bit is from King himself.

  • Pennywise Lives!
  • The Losers’ Club
  • Author of Fear
  • Deleted Scenes

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It (2017) - Movie Review

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