Overall: 4.5/5
Acting: 5/5
Acting: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
The monster in It doesn’t hide under the bed. It lives in the sewers.
It’s 1988 in Derry, Maine, a small town plagued by the recent disappearances of children. It opens with a cherub-faced Georgie Denbrough (Jackson Robert Scott) running after the paper boat his big brother, Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) made for him, in the streets of his neighborhood during a storm. The boat, carried by the rushing rainwater, falls into a sewer. Georgie crawls to the edge of the drain and finds the boat in the hands of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård).
Spoiler! Georgie doesn’t make it home. In fact, viewers see blood gushing out of his shoulder as he attempts to wiggle away from Pennywise, who has just bitten his entire arm off. His tiny body, cocooned by his bright yellow raincoat (which serves as a symbol for the carefreeness of youth), disappears into the sewer along with Pennywise. This one pivotal scene not only causes his brother to seek revenge on Pennywise, but also embodies the entirety of It.
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| Photo source: Teaser Trailer |
It is a perfect concoction consisting of horror, suspense, and cinematic elements hinting towards an overarching theme that appears in the original novel written by Stephen King: “Being a kid is learning how to live and being an adult is learning how to die.”
Bill, still haunted by the death of his brother, decides to uncover the mystery shrouding the town of Derry. Joined by Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), and Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), Bill and his group of misfit teenagers (the self-proclaimed “the Losers’ Club”) band together at the start of summer vacation in 1989 in attempt to defeat not only schoolyard bullies, the Bowers Gang, but also Pennywise.
There’s a certain charm to It. It’s definitely not the shark-like rows of teeth belonging to Pennywise, but rather, the personalization of the movie. Perhaps it’s the never-ending homages to the late 80’s, such as New Kids on the Block, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, and many more, or the small-town vibe Derry emits. It’s most likely the bond between the rag-tag group of losers you’re guaranteed to be rooting for by the end of the movie. Even with the horrific child-eating entity removed from the plot, It would be a strong coming-of-age film documenting the ups and downs of growing up, all thanks to the well-developed relationships between characters and amazing casting.
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| Photo source: Teaser Trailer |
What makes the Losers’ Club stick together so tightly is the fear and unhappiness in their lives. All of them have either absent or abusive parents. They all suffer from their own personal demons, which is why it’s so easy for Pennywise, a creature who lives and feeds on fear of children, to target them. Thankfully, over the course of the film, the gang eventually comes to realize that they aren’t afraid of Pennywise but of their own personal complications. They come back stronger than ever and… well, you’ll have to watch to find out what happens.
Heartwarming, heartbreaking, and poignant, It is a must-see for horror movie fanatics with a fondness for what lies beyond the gore. Littered with jump scares, blood, suspenseful music, and more blood, the 135-minute long film will be sure to keep you at the edge of your seat.
Annie Xie
