4.5 stars out of 5
IT is scary as sh*t. IT’s also many other things: funny, sweet, sad, nostalgic, and very well-crafted. But if you’re someone who doesn’t like to be frightened, well, you’re really going to miss out on a good one.
And this is coming from somebody who’s not really a Stephen King guy. When all my buddies were reading his books in middle school and high school, I was not. So my only experience with King has come from the movies, and not that many of them. Stand by Me, sure. The Shining. Creepshow. Misery. Shawshank Redemption. Didn’t read IT, didn’t see the miniseries. For the element of surprise, that certainly helped.
IT actually has some things in common with Stand by Me. Both are set about 30 years in the past. And both revolve around a close-knit band of misfit/damaged friends. Parents are either absent or toxic.
In IT, we get the stuttering nerd, the hypochondriac nerd, the obnoxious wisecracking nerd, the Jewish nerd, the black nerd, and the chubby nerd. Of course, they are terrorized by a group of bullies… but that soon becomes the least of their worries.
You see, quaint Derry, Maine, doesn’t have alligators in the sewers, IT has an evil clown. And oh my, who among us doesn’t enjoy an evil clown? (Well, there was my late friend Pat Cashin; he was practically in the Clown Anti-Defamation League.) Here we meet Pennywise the clown, expertly and terrifyingly portrayed by Bill Skarsgård.
And yet, his is only the second best performance in this film. The title goes to Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh, the outcast bad girl who is really a good girl (and has Replacements/Young Fresh Fellows and Siouxsie and the Banshees posters on her wall) and joins ranks with the self-proclaimed losers, inspiring a crush or two or five along the way. (Full disclosure: Lillis is the stepdaughter of my wonderful friend Karen.) She delivers a bravura, wise-beyond-her-years, layered performance, alternately kind, strong, vulnerable, and of course, scared silly. I see big things for Sophia Lillis.
The scares and terrors come often. They made me jump, they made me laugh, but mostly, I kept noticing that scenes left me with my mouth hanging open. However, IT’s the charming, realistic friendship among the boys — and girl — that brings the film to another place. And their good-natured ribbing adds just the right amount of humor, so you don’t constantly feel like slitting your throat. Unknown director Andy Muschietti brings more than a touch of Spielbergian warmth to the proceedings. (There’s even a Goonies poster in a kid’s bedroom.) There’s also a nice, judicious use of 1989 period music, including XTC and the Cure.
As a genre film and a remake, I was feeling like I couldn’t give this more than 4 stars. However, I really couldn’t find much fault here, and the ending came together really nicely. As of right now, IT is the best movie I’ve seen this year.
You need to read “Carrie,” “The Stand,” and “11/22/63.” Looks like you haven’t seen the film version of any of those yet, which is good.
I recall reading The Stand & then AIDS happening. Never forgot how Stephen foretold the future, albeit a bit bleaker.
I saw this over the weekend with one of my kids. When the song “Dear God” by XTC came on I said “Dear God!” and waited for the lyrics to start to watch her reaction (I was quite sure she did not know the song.). She was consumed in the movie though, and didn’t react much.
That was my favorite musical moment in the film.