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★★★
Directed by: #AndyMuschietti
Written by: #GaryDauberman
Starring: #BillSkarsgård, #JamesMcAvoy, #JessicaChastain, #BillHader
Set 27 years after Chapter 1 and completing a whopping 5 hours and 21 minutes, 2-film adaptation of Stephen King’s horror, It Chapter 2 sees the return of The Losers Club, and concludes their three-decade battle with Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
The cast has aged well, into the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and the hilarious Bill Hader. And whilst It Chapter Two is a solid sequel and gripping conclusion, it does seem to lack the impressive creativity and creepy tone of its predecessor.
The scares are still epic and Skarsgård as the titular antagonist is perhaps even more impressive this time around (which is certainly saying something). But this sequel seems to rely heavily on nostalgia deriving from memories not well-enough established as well as a need to include every character and plot point from the first film, even when these clash too heavily with the more developed characters that we are watching.
That’s not to say the older cast aren’t entertaining and imposing – McAvoy and Chastain lead well whilst Hader and James Ransone closely follow – but the return of the likes of Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis and Jack Dylan Grazer as young Richie, Beverly and Eddie are moments to be cheered.
Chapter 2 is seemingly a case of ‘bigger is not always better’, but it doesn’t prevent the entire event from being a successful version of one of King’s most popular novels. But it could be tighter if it took away focus from irrelevant separating side plots, cringey fortune cookie CGI and numerous script simplicities that make it seem as though this film is from completely different creators than the first.
It is at it’s best when Skarsgård is allowed to go off on one of his creepy, dribbling monologues, or when Chastain uses her terrific non-verbal acting skills, and perhaps most of all, every time there is a shiny red balloon floating across the camera, suggesting it’s all about to go down.
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