IT (2017) (Movie Review)

I'm starting this review with my verdict already made up: IT isn't a good horror movie, not in the least. Sure, there's tension in places, music builds to its alarming climax, and there's plenty of jump scares fitted into its two hour run time, but is it scary? No, its not, and here's why.

Getting past the only scary part in the entire movie, which is the legendary opening scene in which Georgie, in his yellow rain slicker, is attacked and pulled into the sewers by Pennywise the Dancing Clown, aka, the IT creature and the title villain, the movie immediately plays for laughs as we're introduced to the members of the “Losers Club” chatting, and joking about their excitement for the school summer holidays, as well as Georgie's big brother, Bill, who just a year ago lost his little brother to the ultimate evil that's plaguing their town. He clearly hasn't gotten over Georgie's disappearance, as we later see him construct a plan to find him, believing he isn't dead at all, but I felt his relaxed demeanour was too relaxed and betrayed the horror element of the previous scene.

But, as it'd turn out, the entire movie betrayed itself.

IT plays out like a unofficial sequel to “The Goonies”, where a bunch of nerds, and geeks bond together in their similarities, while facing off against an ancient evil that's hunting them down one by one, and influencing a neighbourhood bully, and abusive father to do its dirty work. That last part sounds frightening doesn't it? But, believe me, the execution is a lot less disturbing than what it could've been.

Sure, we get an evil clown that stretches, and contorts its body in unnatural ways, a rotting leper, zombie children, a headless corpse and even a distorted painting come to life, but each appearance is less terrifying when we finally see these incarnations of IT in all their glory. The anticipation is more tense than the actual monster we're supposed to fear, mainly because they're so over the top, so dramatic and even comical that they lose their fear factor as soon as we see them.

For someone who has seen a lot of horror films in his day, I was expecting a full throttle, neck strangling, blood and guts horror movie that doesn't let up. Instead, what we get is very tame, and bloodless, which makes the filmmakers' efforts come across like an extended episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark” instead of a Stephen King classic. Or maybe I'm finally too old for these sort of films. They're obviously targeted towards teenagers, and I should know, I was one of them suckers who flocked to the cinemas to catch those scary films, but this one was a real let down in terms of horror for an adult like me.

But its not all bad. IT isn't a good horror movie, but it is a good movie. Its funny, dramatic, and each of the child actors bring their own special quirk to their characters, making them more than just a name on a piece of paper. Its because of their efforts that we truly believe in them from their humble beginnings to their heroic ends. You'll laugh, clap and cheer at these colourful kids, even root for them as they band together, and face their worst fears. Its your typical Amblin-Steven Spielberg, feel good moment that never gets old. Even Bill Skarsgård, the aforementioned murderous Pennywise, is a joy to watch as his exaggerated performance will be remembered for a long time to come.

I'd even like to thank the marketing department for making this movie seem unmissable in the trailers, posters, and other campaigns to get tickets sold. Hell, they even constructed a haunted house walkthrough of the abandoned, and broken down Well House, where our favourite monster clown hides out in. I've never seen such dedication in bringing a horror movie to the masses in years. Not much is given to mainstream audiences when it comes to advertising horror pictures (or maybe I'm looking in the wrong places), so it felt like a nice change to see horror brought to the forefront of pop culture once more, and as the box office has proved it paid off.

Its just not what you'd be expecting, and that's a horror flick.

I absolutely recommend this movie to just about anyone. Its worth a watch, and you'll get a kick out of it. Its just when it tries to sell itself as a horror movie, that has no sense of threat or dread, and with a very limited body count, do things get a little bit disappointing. Hopefully its already announced sequel will be a different story, as the second part of the novel is where things really hit the fan for the Losers Club.