Because of the current state of cinema, reboots are apparently all the studios can do these days when it comes to ideas. So, if I had to pick a genre of films to reboot, it would definitely be the horror genre. The last few years have seen a rebirth of the genre, finding this great formula of strong direction, character actors, and emotional parallels to the world to sell quality films on a relatively low budget. So along comes It, hoping to cash in on the nostalgia of today and update on the beloved miniseries. Rest easy, fans of this story, this It weaves its own story and improves upon the original through modernization, some smart directorial choices from Andy Muscietti, as as well cast a group of kids this side of Stranger Things (they even poached one of those kids to be in It).
For my money, It contains one of the most sinister beginnings of any story: the abduction of Georgie Denbrough (Jackson Robert Scott) by the evil Pennywise the clown (Bill Skarsgard) in the small town of Derry Ohio (updated to late 1980s for some modernization). Fast forward a yearish later, and Georgie’s older brother Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) is still in mourning over the loss of his kid brother. He gets by with the help of his friends Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), and Richie (Finn Wolfhard), the self named Losers Club. Over the summer, Mike (Chosen Jacobs), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Beverly (Sophia Lillis) add to the group, in part because they are bullied by Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton), and in part because they also all realize that this crazy clown is terrorizing all of them. The group researches Pennywise and decide to take matters into their own hands to try to kill the clown and protect their town and any other kids from harm.
Fear not….well actually, fear a lot It fans, because this movie is scary as hell. Georgie’s abduction is as scary as ever, and immediately puts you on edge emotionally, just waiting for the worst to happen. Bill Skarsgard isn’t as charismatic as Tim Curry is, so director Andy Muscietti wisely has him show up periodically, keeping his exposure minimal until the third act. That pop up mentality plays really well, because when the clown shows up, the movie deploys several terrifying ways to have him accost the kids. There’s the requisite creepy houses, scary sewer entrances, and rooms filled with clowns (I shudder just thinking of this) that will make you grab your date tightly. But Muscetti does a great job keeping the tension elevated during the “slow” scenes of the kids’ lives. Pennywise isn’t the only thing messing with these kids; their home lives (especially Beverly’s) are mentally damaging and sometimes scary as well. So for over 2 hours, It just keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for the shoe to drop for one of these kids because the threat for them is everywhere.
Did you notice how many times I used the word “kids” in the previous paragraph? The other brilliant move here is dialing back Pennywise’s screentime (since demons aren’t THAT interesting) and building the story around a terrific group of young actors. Who among us hasn’t felt like a member of the Losers Club? Finn Wolfhard, fresh off his Stranger Things stint, just slays as the kid in Jr High telling sex jokes he CLEARLY doesn’t understand but thinks are hilarious, but underneath that Wolfhard nails that interaction teenage boys have where they care about each other but can’t genuinely admit it for fear of being gay. Sophia Lillis is the breakout star for me as Beverly. Bev has just this hideous set of circumstances making her life just awful, and Lillis plays the character as this amazingly strong willed young woman that really struggles holding herself together, for obvious reasons. Each of the kids gets a badass moment, but thanks to Lillis, you’ll cheer loudest for Bev’s big ones. And Jaered Lieberher is really solid as the stammering and iron willed Bill (sorry for the pun), giving us the emotional gut punch that drives the kids to get justice for lost loved ones. By focusing the story around the talented kids, It immediately attracts sympathy and a yearning for catharsis for these kids to get some happy ending, because Lord knows these particular kids need one.
I went into It cautiously optimistic. Clowns are inherently scary to me, and the miniseries had become dated, making It ripe for a modern touch up. The movie I saw not only does exactly that, but it touched something deep and real inside of me about being an outsider and the excitement of finding a connection with a group of friends. Tim Curry, rest easy, you don’t have to break out the clown costume for the potential sequel: Andy Muscietti’s got this.