IT: Chapter Two

Chapter 2 is Truly what we Craved for! - 7.5/10

by Popcult Productions

“IT: Chapter 2”
Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.
Before we break down our “IT: Chapter 2” experience we’d like to point out that we had a really good time with the first chapter back in 2017. We thought it was funny, well character driven, and a truly horrifying narration featuring an outstanding performance by Bill Skarsgård himself. We also noticed that it imparted numerous elements close to that utilized in shows like Stranger Things from the look-production design, time period, and especially the idea of seeing a group of underdog kids standing up to a stronger/scarier party.
Now coming out of “IT: Chapter 2” a lot of people might criticize the absence of true horror satisfaction that one would want to feel in a traditional horror flick, especially that there were many CGI based creatures and monsters that did come off as entertaining but not enough to give a person nightmares and they’re even sometimes laughable due to the monsters’ unexpected and weird looking nature. But in our opinions we do not consider this one of the cons of Chapter 2. In fact, any horror film that holds back with its scary portions and makes up for it in the storytelling department is more than just admissible for us, but the opposite of that statement can never work. That’s why Chapter 2 gets away with it!
The first chapter of IT accomplished a significant job in shedding light on the emotional key parts in each character’s backstory, where it took the needed time to build a fairly explored group of characters. And that’s why a major part of the sequel works so well, because it truly does land a more touching storyline that reaches the audience’s hearts, where the scary scenes had a powerful emotional drive to them due to their relation to each character’s origin. In addition, the heartwarming exploration of the friendship and the bonds those characters had formed along the way is something we rarely see in horror films and it really played out smoothly.
Now about the amazing performances that we do have to address, we really think that the casting director deserves an award for recruiting such a substantial group of actors from Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, to James Ransone, and especially Bill Hader who oftentimes saved the film’s unjustifiable runtime(which we’ll get to in a second) while relying on his precise comedic one liners and his quick-witted performance. The chemistry on screen between the cast paves the way for allowing the comedy and even the dramatic scenes to stick the landing and they really all do.
In addition, the adequate use of CGI and practical tricks made some of the creature and Pennywise scenes heavily enjoyable and the amazing visuals aided the well timed transtions and creative edits featured in the film.
As for our compliants with the movie, the second act is clearly the weakest, it did feel like we’re watching 6 short films played after one another which laboriously hampered the pacing. The runtime of the movie as pointed out by others is highly dragged-out and could’ve been largely shortened in a way that doesn’t bore the viewer, because at some point our patience was definitely tested and the events taking place didn’t really assist the story in getting directly to the point, so it’s quite debatable whether non-fans would be able to justify the film’s long-lasting runtime.
Summing up, yes we do know that there were a few bumps through the second act and yes the runtime was quite lengthy but “IT: Chapter 2” still obtained a story that’s funny, heartwarming, and one featuring a truly well crafted ending. So we’re glad that Stephen King’s adaptation really ended on a high note and we suggest you go see it as soon as you can, cause it’s definitely worth checking out!
⚖️ Final Rating: 7.5/10

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