IT (2017)

'IT' is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to come along in a very long time. It sports an excellent cast of young actors who all give strong performances and you grow to like each one of them very easily. You also feel for them and want to see them prevail from both the natural and supernatural evils that plague them in their little town of Derry, Maine. I think that's what gives 'IT' the strong appeal it has and continues to have since its original 1985 release. The novel wasn't just about an evil clown attacking children but about the real life horrors that we deal with every day such as bullies, parental abuse, and the overall dangers of reality that children and adults face. Pennywise is just a key that opens the door to these other horrors and also what helps the Loser's Club face their fears in an ironic twist that King is very good at.

I think that's what ultimately makes this newest version a much stronger outing, that Pennywise is the catalyst and not the star of the show. Director Andy Muschietti wisely keeps the sinister clown as much in the shadows as needed, while letting us get to know the kids and letting them carry the whole thing which is what the novel did and was its main strength. That's not to say Muschietti underutilizes Bill Skarsgard's take on the Dancing Clown and I was surprised to see that he turned out a better performance than even I expected. He is creepy as hell, and while I won't spoil any of his antics in this review I'm just letting you guys know beforehand that you will come to love this rendition of Pennywise not as a superior but rather on equal but different levels to Tim Curry's 1990 outing.

Any minor gripes I have with 'IT' comes down to the various continuity or seemingly missing scenes that left me with questions. Again, I will not spoil anything but one scene does leave a hole in the story that I couldn't help but let eat at me but overall, it's minor at best. If you are going into this new 'IT' with low expectations or preparing to compare it to the original mini-series, please allow me to relieve your fears. 'IT' 2017 is an amazing adaptation of a classic Stephen King novel that does the author's work justice and I cannot wait until 2018 when we see the Loser's Club return to Derry. BEEP BEEP!

(A-)