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★★★★★
Directed by Andy Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Jaedan Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Jack Dylan Grazer
Film Review by Niall Maggs
“Wow!” is the best way to describe the 2017 adaption of Stephen King’s It in one word. After seven years of development, finally it’s been released after going through multiple directors, countless actors and plenty of rewrites, the long wait has paid off, giving audiences a truly terrifying, haunting horror masterpiece.
2017 has been a year of excellent horror films and that doesn’t seem to be slowing down with releases like Get Out, It Comes at Night, and It.
It has been doing extremely well, critically, and commercially and has been one of the most anticipated movies of the year, mainly due to the appeal and popularity of the 1990’s miniseries starring Tim Curry, in a notorious performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
When Bill Skarsgård was first announced to be playing the clown who has haunted children’s nightmares for years, reactions were very diverse, much like Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Beforehand many hated it, few loved it, but both actors proved the hate was unnecessary, by giving monumental performances of famous villains, and characters that have defined them, as well as being the most memorable in their careers.
Skarsgård’s performance topped expectations and then some. He was purely terrifying and chilling, he makes you feel uncomfortable, disgusted, and most of all, completely freaked out, but oddly likeable! The costume and makeup team deserve Oscar nods, as the look of Pennywise is evil, and each time he’s on screen, he steals every minute.
The performances from The Losers Club were all excellent and they had great chemistry between them, keeping the pace smooth instead of awkward interactions between the actors. In particular, Sophia Lillis and Jack Dylan Grazer were exceptional, and brought great character to the film. Speaking of ‘character’ it would be impossible to not mention the charisma of Finn Wolfhard’s hysterical performance as Richie; he brought humour into the nerving atmosphere, and lightened the tone in parts where something humorous was needed to make sure the film had a fun element to it as well as horror, much like The Goonies.
The cinematography was mesmerising, the variation of shots were perfectly executed, giving scenes a sense of depth and dread, some sequences make you feel isolated and lonely. With parts of the movie that completely floor you and hold you there with fear and suspense due to the camerawork and excellent direction by Andy Muschietti.
Jason Ballantine’s editing was very smooth, and flowed well with the pace. Hardly any of it was choppy, and if so, you wouldn’t notice due to the heart pounding tension that you feel right from the opening scene, up until the entertaining climax. You really feel exhausted after watching It thanks to the constant terror you experience. Modern horror directors need to take notes, because this is excellent horror done right.
Beyond the slight overuse of CGI, It is yet another horror masterpiece this year, that easily outshines the original in every way possible, from the tone, to the cast, to the acting, suspense, tension, fear and dread that the audience feel right up until the end credits, to what is one of the most terrifying and immersive cinema experiences of all time.
Watch the official It Movie Trailer below...
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