Directed by Andres Muschietti

Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Lieberher, Jack Dylan Grazer

IT feels like the lovechild of Stranger Things and The Goonies. I'm not sure if that sounds a little mean or not, but that's all I really seemed to receive from my midnight showing experience of watching Stephen King's famous novel finally getting it's theatrical treatment. It's not a bad thing necessarily, as I'll go into, but IT really doesn't seem like the horror it was marketed to be. Would I say it's misleading? To certain extents, yes, but the film has enough strengths to really set that aside. Is this film as good as everyone is saying? Well, it's decent. I liked it. But I don't think it's everything it's cracked up to be. And no, I'm not scared of clowns.

1989. A group of middle school kids in Derry, Maine, start their summer vacation by trying to find Georgie, the younger brother of Bill (Lieberher) who disappeared the year before. Upon meeting some new friends and Bill falling for Beverly (Lillis) the Losers club begin to enjoy their summer, until they all begin to see a mutual familiar image. A clown named Pennywise (Skarsgard) begins to stalk them, prompting their greatest fears and taking them to feast on that fear. The club band together to stop Pennywise and achieve closure, on not just Georgie, but the dozens of other missing children in Derry as well.

To start off this review proper, I have to say that IT works strongly as a coming-of-age film rather than a horror, as this is essentially what it is. And that's a good thing, as the main cast are all as excellent as eachother (well, some more than others). Wolfhard's character is hilarious, and you'll find yourself laughing more than jumping in your seat. The chemistry between them all is well done, and it's great to have a group of characters to follow that you will root for - they're all very likeable other than Chosen Jacobs' character, who for me really added nothing to the story at all. Skarsgard is brilliant in the role of Pennywise, only I wish I could have heard more of his voice. There was something about it that was very different, yet good, in comparison to Tim Curry's Pennywise. The makeup team also did a fantastic job on the look, and his costume designers should also be complimented.

There's some interesting cinematography, that tries new things I would never be able to think of, and it works very well for the film. The 80's stylings and colour are really well done too and help you find yourself in this world. But then, the film's tone becomes quite noticeable. As I say, there's that coming-of-age aspect and then the horror aspect, and the films transitions between them both so much that it becomes off putting. Some scenes mesh these tones together that some parts become quite alerting and throw you off, and while I got why this changing in tone was needed for a little more connectivity with the characters, it just didn't feel natural and I was left wondering what kind of film I was watching.

The horror elements were fine. Pennywise is scary, and the bits that you know that are going to make you jump will, even when you expect it. They wouldn't be as creepy without Skarsgard in the role - but some of it's horror conventions are horribly cliched - such as the house the kids have to enter to fight Pennywise for example. The outside of it just screams haunted house, which I get - but it looks too over the top and too obvious. Of course there is the jump scare here and there, and I only wish that they used Pennywise more to enhance the fear factor, instead of having to rely on these tropes. The third act suffers heavily, as a subplot is brought in which adds nothing at all to the story in the slightest and seems confusing to me. I won't spoil it, but you'll know it when you see it. Some of the writing falls flat in this act too, and the way it has been done just seems messy in the end.

Now, this is only half of King's novel. Meaning that there is a whole lot of room to grow and expand - and the film does very well at the set up, and I definitely liked and enjoyed these characters. The issue remains however, whether it exceeds as a film in it's own right. It's solid, but it misses a lot of opportunities that could have made it better. It's entertaining, interesting and funny, but it leaves you wanting more from it. Much more.

6/10