IT 2017

Rotten Tomatoes score for It: Chapter Two is out. 78% after 83 reviews.

I find that Rotten Tomatoes scores don't matter so much for horror movies.

It's been 3000 years…

It's strange that Pennywise is supposed to be an Eldritch Abomination, because not only does it act like a human Serial Killer, but in the books the POV of IT reveals IT to be nothing short of a Card-Carrying Villain who thinks everything in existence is inferior to IT, with Maturin being slightly less inferior but still stupid for having goodness in him like caring for people

Edited by RJ-19-CLOVIS-93 on Sep 7th 2019 at 6:38:38 AM

Of course it acts like a Card-Carrying Villain, the damn thing targets children, who are easily scared and helpless. It's got no answer for adults which is why in the final confrontation it just turns into a big spider.

That is the face of a man who just ate a kitten. Raw.

I liked it, but some parts felt like they were scenes cut from It Chapter 1 for pacing reasons, but were important enough they had to be put back in for part 2, essentially leading to some scenes that feel like they should have just been a callback instead leading to an extended flashback.

Usually with most movies, the ending's the worst part. Not here, though. Once you get past the brutal opening scene, it's pretty blah up until the middle of the movie. Then it gets better and better until the end.

It's been 3000 years…

I saw some review and the biggest problem of the movie is that the adult stuff in the book just isn't as interesting as the kid stuff since the mystery already been solved. Also the ending, King basically write the most unfilmable ending so the movie have to compromise and it just doesn't work.

E.T technically is a Isekai movie

Playing devil's advocate, predators always go after the easiest prey, but still even Palpatine comes off as less of a Card-Carrying Villain whenever we get his POV in stories

I quite liked Chapter One, but Chapter Two was more of a mixed bag. There was a lot to like in there, but a lot of it felt half formed and didn't really click for me. And for as long as it was, it honestly felt too short in some places. I could have done with a bit more of the adult Losers before they returned to Derry, for example, and more of Mike as well. And some of the humorous bits were just... weird. The Angel of the Morning gag was so out of place it felt like a mistake.

That being said, there are more than a few decent scares, the cast is generally very good (Hader being the standout), and there are a few scattered moments that really nail the emotional beats, particularly near the end.

x4 A few scenes really were cut from Chapter One, including some of the Bowers stuff, and Stan's Bar Mitzvah speech. Others weren't, like Richie's whole flashback and what it reveals about him as a character.

Edited by GrandmasterKiramidHead on Sep 7th 2019 at 10:57:25 AM

The Doctor is in.

I think it mostly because how the book was written. Because the adult stuff and the kid stuff happen alongside in the book, we get to know these characters through their childhood adventure. Splitting them up make the kid stuff stronger as a standalone movie but also weaken the adult part, cutting away a key part of their characters.

E.T technically is a Isekai movie

The book's structure was always going to be huge hurdle, as it's essentially un-adaptable as is. Chapter Two would have needed some really clever writing to pull the adult stuff off, and I doubt even Fukunaga was up to that task, let alone Gary Dauberman.

The Doctor is in.

I like the detail in the films on how Pennywise's make-up is cracking around the forehead. It's as if the disguise is cracking, as if he can't truly hold it together and the demon within is leaking out. Yes, demon, because demons are overworldly yet completely comprehensible in their actions. I cannot emphasize how Pennywise would fail Lovecraft's Eldritch Abomination test (besides Nyaralthotep) due to his human mentality. Because just like Toriyama, King can't complex

Addendum: I'm exaggerating on the "can't complex" count, but I am pointing out how it's weird and doesn't fit Lovecraft's model of the Eldritch Abomination that IT has the mindset of a human Serial Killer

Edited by RJ-19-CLOVIS-93 on Sep 9th 2019 at 9:17:45 PM

Speaking of demons and Eldritch Abominations, what do people think of IT's final form?

It's probably the best thing they could have done with the spider form, honestly.

It's been 3000 years…

I love it. It looks deliciously creepy!

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

I plan to watch the movie on Wednesday and I have a question.

Is a reference made to the turtle (Maturin)?

—-

Finn Wolfhard has already played two characters who have faced a Lovecraftian horror.

More specifically avatars of a lovecraftian horror.

Edited by JoLuRo075 on Sep 9th 2019 at 7:26:49 AM

Kind of. At one point, you see a toy turtle inside a classroom. But that's it.

Honestly thought the final form was kind of dumb. It looked the Groundskeeper Willie spider from that Treehouse of Horror episode. An actual giant spider would have been a lot better.

The Doctor is in.

That wasn't its final form, though. It's real form, as the others state, is the Deadlights.

I didn't think the Deadlights were rendered in a particularly impressive way, either.

The Doctor is in.

Seen it today, it was great. Lots of tense moments when IT was hunting, but also a lot of darkly amusing moments too.

The cast did a fantastic job maintaining the characters the kids did in chapter 1.

Liked the final confrontation.

Still want to know more about the original Pennywise.

Thinking that IT assimilated him. Maybe that's why he acts like a human Serial Killer(or just a smarter cat) instead of just an amoral predator, or how an Eldritch Abomination beyond the universe can be killed

So I overall enjoyed the movie. The underlying thing about the story is that IT feeds on fear and terror, which makes all the horror elements justified because the characters are supposed to be scared, and circumventing Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? as to why they don't go straight for the kill. This also justifies the character development, as they literally have to come to grips with their own fears and failings in order to win.

Foremost, just a great cast, both adults and children. Separated-at-Birth Casting was astounding, and important for the story with several perfect Match Cuts. Seeing both films and knowing the original novel was just one book, I don't think the movie would have been as good using the flashbacks to tell the entire first encounter with IT. With chapter one out of the way, chapter two was able to lean into the character moments. Unlike the first film where some of the kids felt interchangeable (specifically Richie, Eddie and Stanley), this let everyone come into their own. It may have been a bit long but every scene serves a narrative purpose, if maybe a little Ending Fatigue.

What I did like most was that it was not a straightforward monster story but it tries to build a mythology surrounding the town, characters and IT. As a result it feels more like a fantasy film than traditional horror.

Edited by KJMackley on Sep 12th 2019 at 2:36:47 AM

I would have preferred Richie to be in love with Stanley instead of Eddie.

The relationship between Richie and Eddie seemed more like a sibling relationship.

Edited by JoLuRo075 on Sep 12th 2019 at 5:14:21 AM

Eddie might think of it as a brotherly relationship but Richie may have not realized it was more than that until that arcade scene. It's one of those things that makes you wonder if Eddie would have reciprocate Richie's love or not. It's quite tragic when you think about it. Hiding inside the closet for so long only makes it harder to bravely come out; a vicious cycle of regret.

Edited by Shadao on Sep 12th 2019 at 8:13:53 AM