358. It Chapter Two; movie review

IT CHAPTER TWO
Cert 15
169 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong gory violence, horror, language, discrimination

Two years ago I wrote: "I can't say It completely steers clear of horror cliches but it does have a freshness which the genre has been disappointingly lacking in recent years."
Today I pose the question - can a sequel have similar "freshness"?
I fear not. There have been so many this year and none have that fundamental element of initial surprise.
In 2017, I found Andy Muschietti's interpretation of Stephen King's novel captivating and scary but with the full shock value diluted, its follow-up is much less enthralling.
The second It film rolls on 27 years for the first, with all bar one of the central characters having left the cursed town of Derry Maine.
However, they are lured back by Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) when he fears that the dreaded clown, Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), has returned.
Therefore, we skip through the adult stories of Beverly (Jessica Chastain), Bill (James McAvoy), Richie (Bill Hader), Ben (Jay Ryan), Eddie (James Ransome) and Stan (Andy Bean) before the scenes in Derry begin.
Once there, memories, which had been suppressed, come to the fore.
And then there is a matter of returning to battle with the clown which preys on children.
The movie flashes back to their childhood regularly so the audience wouldn't have to keep stretching their memories to recall the original.
And there are scary moments and ones of pathos.
But I go back to the point that it's just more of the same. Indeed, It with adults instead of kids.
Ok, there is a fine cast - McAvoy, Chastain and Hader have fine pedigree so they keep the bar high when it comes to acting.
But at nearly three hours, It Chapter Two is way too long and doesn't have enough spark to recommend it without reservation.

Reasons to watch: Well-constructed horror
Reasons to avoid: Way too long

Laughs: None
Jumps: Two
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? It is likely that Stephen King wrote It while under the influence of cocaine. In his youth, he suffered from addiction to drugs and alcohol. His prolific writing career did not stop - he merely kept writing under the influence."   

Final word. Andy Muschietti: "I shared the moviegoers’ need to see the second half of the story, the conclusion. This second chapter is as necessary to tell as the first. I couldn’t have been more excited to jump in and start imagining what that would be.” Hotpress

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