If the titular monster in It Chapter Two really had to sustain itself for the next twenty-seven years by feasting on people at the height of terror and decided to start its hunt with me after seeing the two hour forty-nine minute movie, that clown wouldn’t have energy for a minute of hibernation. Soon after watching the movie, I decided to watch Daredevil Season 3 Episode 6, and for a hot six minutes, I was gasping and clutching my pearls sincerely concerned about the well being of the main characters then thought, “Oh that was how I was supposed to feel while watching that movie.” More is less.
It Chapter Two felt as if it was made by an entirely different group of people behind the scenes, or they stumbled on greatness. I genuinely enjoyed the first chapter, but it was as if the filmmakers had no idea what made the first one effective, though it does not stand after repeat viewings, and just thought that it would exponentially amplify what didn’t work in the first film. Did someone pitch it by saying, “If one balloon floating up could terrify people, what about if the whole screen was flooded with them?” Yawn. Nope.
For example, there is one scene in It Chapter Two that builds up tension without really doing anything. It is just a bunch of people finishing their meal in a customary fashion that Pennywise exploits to terrorize them while nothing actually terrifying occurs. Then the filmmaker just ruins it with generic gross imagery that is supposed to disgust and terrify you, but is so redundant that I thought that the filmmakers must have been next door to the Hellboy remake CGI team and asked to borrow some unused footage like sugar. I started asking myself if the people who made Rocketman snuck on to the set and decided to try their hand at horror it was so lacking in effective storytelling and credible character development. The first installment solely terrified using judicious, artisanal scares specific to each character, but Pennywise went to the value store instead.
It Chapter Two decides to split the characters apart so they can go on individual journeys, but it does not work. The quality of each character’s journey varies tremendously. There appears to be a pattern to the proceedings, but some characters encounter Pennywise during the journey and others don’t. The variety in journeys does not make the story more interesting. Bill’s story feels redundant, especially since the end of the first installment should have resolved the issues that he revisits and why does he end up wielding a weapon that Mike would have used. The first installment should have made Ben’s interest in architecture more important because it felt tacked on so he could have a storyline in this movie. Ritchie’s story was touching, but at the end of the movie, I didn’t get the sense that he really got to be free. Mike not only gets neglected, but comes across as an inadvertent disciple of Pennywise so for fans of The Black Guy Who Tips, 100%.
Because It Chapter Two is weaker than the first movie, I found myself wondering about the general feasibility of the plot. Did they not go back to visit their parents? Sure Bev wouldn’t want to see her dad, but no one else ever came home for the holidays? The waitress was way too chill about her crazy customers, especially the black man causing property damage. She would have called the police. There is one overhead shot that reveals that the Neibolt house has neighbors with nice houses right next door. I want a movie about those people living their regular lives while a horror movie is literally unfolding around them. No one seemed even mildly perturbed about locating the escaped madman.
A crucial misstep of It Chapter Two is that it largely neglects Derry’s townfolks as a sinister character in the film. It is mostly limited to the beginning of the film, which is effective as a diminutive bully has a mouth covered in red from drinking a beverage that indicates that knowingly or not, he is one of Pennywise’s disciples so even though his appearance should seem laughable as a threat, it isn’t. There are a few visual reminders of his influence: during one of the adult losers walk down memory lane as cheerleaders are eerily practicing in the background; the appearance of some of the festivals’ attractions and while the crowd is watching an outdoor sporting event clad in their red team color. They are willfully ignoring the truth, but this time around, it could be just ordinary preoccupation instead of something more sinister.
If It Chapter Two is barely watchable, it is because of its excellent casting. Rich Delia, the casting director for both installments, is the real MVP. I would give him a ninety-five percent for perfectly casting the children and their adult counterparts. I’m subtracting five percent because of an unnecessary Stephen King cameo and though I thought Jay Ryan did a great job as Ben, he does look younger than the rest of his colleagues when they should be the same age. Even though I objectively prefer Ryan to Josh Hartnett, Hartnett would have been the better choice. Ryan created an accidental dissonance that made it seem as if he didn’t really belong to the group through no fault of his own. James Ransone is an amazing actor. He became Eddie and generally his scenes were the best because he made the material better by sheer force of will. Sometimes an actor does his job well, but the movie is still crap through no actor can be blamed. Sometimes an actor will take crap and pull a Midas, which is what Ransome was forced to do in his cutting room appearance from American Horror Story, or at least, that was what his scenes looked like. I instinctually warm up to any Bill Hader character so I maybe biased, but I thought that he was perfect.
There are three excellent scary moments in It Chapter Two: the opening scene, the first time that Pennywise kills a kid (gift of fear, kid, gift of fear), and Beverly’s search for her artifact, which seemed like an effective visual ripoff of the genuine scares in Ari Aster’s Hereditary. Bev’s journey is the most thorough because with her red hair, she seems as if she was marked to be one of Pennywise’s disciples, and she is the daughter of a monster, but she escapes her destiny. I felt as if she was facing her worst fear about herself if she adhered to her heritage. Otherwise as much as I love Jessica “I’m the motherfucker who found this place” Chastain, I can only watch so many women be covered head to toe in blood before my eyes strain from all the rolling (there were two in this film). Enough! There is one adorable moment.
It Chapter Two will make you ask yourself repeatedly, “Oh my GAWD, when is this going TO END??????” I looked at my watch a thousand times. They didn’t fix the sound issues so if you are a completist like me, save your money, wait to see it at home and turn on the subtitles.