It: Chapter 2 Review

Peter Loftus, Arts and Entertainment Review

“It: Chapter 2” was released on September 6, 2019. Based on the novel by Stephen King, It Chapter 2 is a follow-up to the 2017 film “It.” 

Much like its predecessor, It Chapter 2 was incredibly successful, having already grossed $152,675,074 at the box office. This new film focuses on the Losers Club 27 years after the events of the original film. Pennywise the Dancing Clown has returned to Derry, leaving terror and a pile of corpses in his wake. Since nobody in Derry knows what’s causing the killings, it’s up to the (now fully grown up) Losers Club to kill Pennywise once and for all. 

It: Chapter 2 has made some improvements compared to the original film, but it still seems to fall short of being something “great.” One aspect that has improved was the acting. James McAvoy gives a subtle but moving performance as Bill Denborough, and Bill Skarsgård once again dominates the screen as Pennywise the Clown. 

Unfortunately, this movie still falls short of being considered above average. Despite being scarier than the first film, jump scares are still horrendously overused. It was disappointing to see that an R-rated film with other decent scares had to resort to cheap tricks to try and make the audience jump. The movie is also unnecessarily long, which is a pain for anyone who plans on watching it more than once.

My biggest complaint with both It movies is the lack of substance–the themes and ideas of Stephen King’s brilliant novel do not transfer well to the silver screen. This is partially due to several scenes from the book being cut because of their inappropriate nature; which is understandable but still disappointing.

If you liked the first film, It: Chapter 2 is definitely worth the watch. I give this film a 6/10 for being “good enough,” but not spectacular.