If you asked people what they were most afraid of, most would probably say clowns and the reason for this was either Stephen King’s 1986 novel or the 1990 miniseries. Pennywise the clown is now back to scare up a new generation with this reboot.
Synopsis: A group of bullied kids band together when a shapeshifting demon, taking the appearance of clown, begins hunting children. (IMDB)
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, and Finn Wolfhard
Writers: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman
Director: Andy Muschietti
Rating: 18A (Canada)/R (United States)
Running Time: 135mins
Trailer:
For showtimes and more, check out It on movietimes.com.
As much as this was a horror film, it was also a coming of age story about a group of kids who had to come together in order to take on a demented clown named Pennywise (Skarsgård). There is just something about kids that makes it easier to relate to the characters because we were all kids at some point. All of the kid characters were interesting and had interesting stories but the film was much better whenever they were together. The camaraderie between the loser club was the best part of the film which was a testament to the writing, the performances of all the child actors (Lieberher, Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Talor, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Wyatt Oleff), and the chemistry between them.
In terms of horror films, this did have some scary moments, inventively banking on each of the kids’ own fears. Again, there was just something about experiencing it from the perspective of the kids made it more exciting to watch. The special effects used to bring Pennywise to life were great but it was SkarsgÃ¥rd’s performance that brought it all to the next level. Pennywise was charming when he needed to be and also very menacing. He definitely brought a lot of energy to the role and was dynamite to watch and occasionally overshadowing the kids.
Overall, this was a great and very creepy horror film but it was an even better coming of age story with great writing and performances, including a memorable performance by Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise.
Score: 9/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.