It (2017)

[starri]

I went back a few pages and couldn't find a thread specifically for the movie.

...you'll float too.

[MarkHB]

Yup.  Still hating clowns.

ETA: It's well known (at least in Maine) that Derry is based on Bangor.  At 0:58 you can see a reproduction (sort of) of Bangor's Paul Bunyan statue in the background, so good for them to include it!

[johntfs]

I assume they're doing a part 1 and part 2 kind of thing with this being about the kids and the next being them as adults. 

[MarkHB]

I believe that's the intent, yes.

[raven]

Hmmm, the first trailer was better.  The "you'll float too" chant  was annoying rather than scary and the glowing eyes looked a little silly.

[starri]

The current plan is for this part to only be about the kids, and the second part using the novel's structure of both the adult Losers and flashbacks to them as kids.

They did say there was some material cut from this half that will probably make it into the next.

And they've also been clear that they consider the project two halves of one story, not a movie and its sequel.

[TheGreenKnight]

I grew up watching the It TV film as a child, so I have to say I'm really looking forward to this.  The thing I was most worried about really was the clown (since I never imagined they'd top Tim Curry), but going by the trailers I feel more confident. I just hope it won't be like the Poltergeist remake where the effects look nicer yet overall the film is rather hollow. I've just started reading the book for the first time to go along with the new film.

[Wiendish Fitch]

Does anyone else think that by trying to make Pennywise look scarier, he's actually less scary?

[Matt K]

3 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Does anyone else think that by trying to make Pennywise look scarier, he's actually less scary?

All I know is that when I saw the trailer in theaters it looked more unintentionally funny than scary.

[Anela]

On 8/2/2017 at 7:11 PM, Matt K said:

All I know is that when I saw the trailer in theaters it looked more unintentionally funny than scary.

Same here. I thought one part of it looked like a hair commercial. 

[Bruinsfan]

I liked the bit with Pennywise slowly emerging in the projector images. But he looks ridiculous popping up in the sewer drain and doing that Paranormal Activity/The Conjuring style sudden jump forward in the tunnel.

[BitterApple]

I loathe clowns, but they will be getting my $10.50 on opening night. I just can't help myself. 

[Mabinogia]

I'm gonna stick to the Tim Curry version. He was a creepy ass clown. This one just looks kind of silly (the clown, not the movie, the movie looks kind of, well, like every other horror movie with a creepy character with an added dash of dullness).

[Cobalt Stargazer]

3 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I loathe clowns, but they will be getting my $10.50 on opening night. I just can't help myself. 

"Float..."
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/20374576_127510027859728_871250772925190920_n.jpg?oh=493c84ca37a10c3cd8b848e9b9c2a64e&oe=59F087D3

[SuburbanHangSuite]

So I finally saw an ad for this--I was hoping for a vast improvement from the TV version because I was not impressed with that dreck, Tim Curry aside.  But who the fuck did the casting for this??  That Beverly?  No.  Just no.  Beverly Marsh had cascading, gorgeous red hair.  Why did this girl with the short hair get cast?  If she was the best actress, they couldn't get her a wig?!  FAIL.

[methodwriter85]

Beverly gives off a tom-boy, maybe punkish girl vibe here, hence the short hair?

[Spartan Girl]

The same theater that got grief for an all woman screening for Wonder Woman will host an all-clowns screening for this.

[Bruinsfan]

They're really going over and above in accommodating the guys who complained about the first event.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Beverly gives off a tom-boy, maybe punkish girl vibe here, hence the short hair?

Yeah, except in the novel, Bev was a kind of tom-boy but she still had cascading, beautiful hair.  It was such a focal point in the story with Ben writing her the poem. Ain't nobody writing a poem about that mop of hair this actress is sporting.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

They're really going over and above in accommodating the guys who complained about the first event.

And what do you have against clowns, besides the obvious?

[Rilla-my-Rilla]

On 8/22/2017 at 3:47 PM, SuburbanHangSuite said:

So I finally saw an ad for this--I was hoping for a vast improvement from the TV version because I was not impressed with that dreck, Tim Curry aside.  But who the fuck did the casting for this??  That Beverly?  No.  Just no.  Beverly Marsh had cascading, gorgeous red hair.  Why did this girl with the short hair get cast?  If she was the best actress, they couldn't get her a wig?!  FAIL.

Beverly's hair is a plot point in the movie. She has long hair before she has short hair.

[SeanC]

I thought it was quite good overall.  The decision to chronologically untangle the narrative the tell it linearly does lead to the first part being a bit awkward, since it's just several different people having run-ins with It (but dividing the story this was way overall a good decision).

Considering that the director's debut film was Mama, it's hard to imagine that It: Part 2 doesn't feature Jessica Chastain as the adult Beverly.

[Petunia13]

I'm a big fan of clowns and killer clowns and feel they get a bad rap. I'm excited to be seeing this Saturday for that reason. I do like Stephen King but this is one of many stories of his I'm not a fan of. When he gets to far into the paranormal or unexplained he loses me. I feel his strongest suit is actually his folksiness and authenticity. His realism is underrated. 

Tim Curry's Pennywise might be scarier... maybe because his was more commercial and stereotypical looking and his mannerisms more theatrical it conveyed more of a sinister menace. Bill's Pennywise looks like a Baz Luhrmann version of a 20's era clown whose gonna start singing Cure's Mint Car. 

[BitterApple]

I skipped seeing this tonight to watch the football game and the 7:00 pm show tomorrow night is already sold out. I think I'm going to drink a ton of coffee and hopefully make it to the late show. 

[calliope1975]

I saw it earlier and really liked it. My theater was really into it which made it even more fun. I thought the kids were great, the overall atmosphere creepy, and the humor helped break up the tension. Aside from the jump scares, Pennywise was just...unsettling. For all the Stephen King books I've read, the two I haven't are It and The Stand. I've only seen the TV movie for It, but whatever was changed from the book didn't bother me. I look forward to Chapter 2, but hope there's a lot of the kids. The adult casting better be on par. 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Thank you, Rilla-my-Rilla for explaining that without giving anything away.  

9 hours ago, calliope1975 said:

For all the Stephen King books I've read, the two I haven't are It and The Stand.

My two favorites.  I've re-read them both multiple times and didnt care for either TV adaptation.  But i think ill give this version of It a whirl.  If you found Pennywise to be "unsettling" then it's probably a good portrayal.  

[Jediknight]

That was really really good.

I thought Skarsgard did excellent, hell I thought everybody did excellent.

Everybody in Chapter 2 has a lot to live up to, they've gotta nail the casting.

[BitterApple]

I saw the movie this afternoon with my husband and really enjoyed it. I thought it was funny and touching, along with being dark and scary.

They did a great job with the casting and the child actors had awesome chemistry. I loved the "Stand By Me" vibe with the small-town outcasts and the redneck bullies. 

I'm a huge Skarsgard groupie, and I thought Bill did a great job as Pennywise. I was sufficently skeeved out by his portrayal.

Edited September 9, 2017 by BitterApple

[Corgi-ears]

Quote

I'm a big fan of clowns and killer clowns and feel they get a bad rap.

I think killer clowns probably deserve a bad reputation?

Edited September 9, 2017 by Corgi-ears

[Robert Lynch]

Bill did a good job getting into the character of Pennywise. Usually, I am a little upset of changes done in movies, but the changes here surpassed the 1990 mini series with Tim Curry. I especially liked the 80s refences, especially seeing Street Fighter on an arcade cabinet. Finn Wolfhard was really funny here. 

Speaking of the 80s, didn't Bev look like a young Robyn Lively or what! I thought it was a twin or something. Uncanny..

[BitterApple]

For the sequel, I think Amy Adams would be perfect as adult Bev. The blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair and freckles are a perfect match.

I also loved the 80s setting and pop culture references. I grew up in a Boston suburb in the 80s, so I totally got the New Kids obsession. Everyone in the theater was "awww-ing" and laughing anytime something so representative of that Era showed up onscreen.

[HolmesUltimateQu]

I saw It this afternoon and I loved it. I remember how scary the 90s version was. I was little when it came out and it was so scary. 

I thought Bill Skarsgard did an amazing job. I went into it knowing he isn't Tim Curry and not really sure how he'd do. He surpassed my slightly low bar. He was so good!

I was annoyed at the oversexualization of Beverly. Most notably, when she flirted with that perverted pharmacist. That was gross but when I think about it,  children with sexual abuse trauma can be that way. That does not mean that the old ass pharmacist has to flirt back. 

Anyway! Overall, I really enjoyed it. The kids were great. Pennywise was great. I can't wait for part 2.

[snickers]

I saw this yesterday, my theater was dead because we went at like, 1 pm.  I think it would have been interesting to see with a full house. 

 

For a movie I originally had no interest in seeing, this really exceeded my expectations.  While I still really like the TV mini series movie, that one seems really sub par compared to this one right now lol.  I thought the casting of the following kids were really good:  Bill, Beverly, Eddie, and Ben.  I think the kid from stranger things was decent as Richie but to me he just didn't seem like Richie, and I thought Stan and Mike were just okay castings.  Perhaps they needed to show them more, I'm not sure.  I liked when they were all together, but I think I liked the castings of the kids in the TV movie better overall.  However, I was not a fan of the adult castings in the TV movie so I hope the next movie has better adult castings. 

 

Bill S. as Pennywise was excellent, excellent, excellent! I liked that he gave it a different spin than Tim Curry and I think they made Pennywise look so much more menacing, like he's supposed to be! I mean, I get the TV series had it's limits, but I know a major complaint about TIm Curry's Pennywise was that he was too comical.  The exchange between this Pennywise and Georgie in the first scene-so so good! Much better done than in the TV movie. 

 

I was a little disappointed that in both movies, neither one showed a scene from the book of Eddie being tormented by Pennywise while trying to sleep in his bed....I remember that being such a scary part in the book.  But at least they showed the leper.

 

What I liked about this movie is that it showed I think more than the other movie did is that Pennywise was always there.

 

4 hours ago, rachel is awesome said:

I was annoyed at the oversexualization of Beverly

Have you read the book?  I think you'd be a little disturbed by what went on with Bev in it.

Edited September 10, 2017 by snickers

[BitterApple]

16 minutes ago, snickers said:

Have you read the book?  I think you'd be a little disturbed by what went on with Bev in it.

I appreciated that the directors chose not include "that" scene. 

[Robert Lynch]

Me too. I am glad the director made that decision. Funny that Bill is not a horror fan, but he has the highest respect for Tim Curry in the mini series. I think in an interview he wanted to try something different from Tim's Pennywise. So he made it his own.

Reminds me of Elizabeth Bank's Rita in the Power Rangers. She is also not a fan of Power Rangers, but her Rita was darker than both the Sentai and dubbed versions. Her creepiness escalated into a huge threat. She had a new take that was not close to any source material. Like Bill, she made it her own.

[methodwriter85]

21 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

Bill did a good job getting into the character of Pennywise. Usually, I am a little upset of changes done in movies, but the changes here surpassed the 1990 mini series with Tim Curry. I especially liked the 80s refences, especially seeing Street Fighter on an arcade cabinet. Finn Wolfhard was really funny here. 

Speaking of the 80s, didn't Bev look like a young Robyn Lively or what! I thought it was a twin or something. Uncanny..

I got a kick out of the Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Child reference. They both explore very similar themes. I loved the New Kids stuff, and of course, with her short hair the Molly Ringwald joke was pretty funny.

I had a lot of fun watching this. Bill Skarsgard, your life has pretty much changed.

[Anela]

I really wanted to see this, this weekend, but any times I checked were almost full (only the front seats were empty). I'm glad that the new Pennywise is good - I think Will Poulter was attached before? And I remember them saying that his audition had been amazing. 

[HolmesUltimateQu]

21 hours ago, snickers said:

Have you read the book?  I think you'd be a little disturbed by what went on with Bev in it.

I have not but I know what scene you're talking about. I was also glad they didn't include that. 

However, I do like that Beverly was tough though. She was the first one to jump in and go with Bill. She was the one who wanted to help Mike when he was getting beat up. So I did like her character. 

[kiddo82]

On September 9, 2017 at 1:53 PM, BitterApple said:

For the sequel, I think Amy Adams would be perfect as adult Bev. The blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair and freckles are a perfect match.

All I could think about whenever I saw Bev was "if they ever cast a movie where they need a young version of an Amy Adams character this girl will have a job."  

I liked it.  I have no familiarity with the book or the Tim Curry version but I thought this was super creepy/disturbing if not overtly scary.  

The other thought I couldn't shake was how did they direct the little boy who played Georgie? (who was cute as hell by the way.) "Okay, son, this is the part where the mean clown bites your arm off and you have to crawl through the street on your belly."  I hope that kid is well adjusted.

[enaiowen]

Unpopular opinion time:

 I remember being so excited about the mini series when I heard about it. I had read the book several times and it's my second favorite King novel after The Stand.  It started off well but that's about all I can say.

 I loathed  it.  Honestly, loathed it.    And (sacrilege I know)  the primary reason for that  was Tim Curry's portrayal.  I hated the costume and the makeup and even more, I hated his voice and his manner of speaking. Most of the time he just came across as a dirty old man.  The rest of the time he was so OTT campy  that I just found him ridiculous rather than frightening.  

I found the new version to be far closer to the picture in my head.  Just, off and wrong and deeply disturbing.

I am well aware that I am in the minority and miles vary.

Edited September 13, 2017 by enaiowen
Stupid auto correct.

[Racj82]

18 minutes ago, enaiowen said:

Unpopular opinion time:

 I remember being so excited about the mini series when I heard about it. I had read the book several times and it's my second favorite King novel after The Stand.  It started off well but that's about all I can say.

 I loathed  it.  Honestly, loathed it.    And (sacrilege I know)  the primary reason for that  was Tim Curry's portrayal.  I hated the costume and the makeup and hair vent more, I hated his voice and his manner of speaking. Most of the time he just came across as a dirty old man.  The rest of the time he was so OTT campy  that I just found him ridiculous rather than frightening.  

I found the new version to be far closer to the picture in my head.  Just, off and wrong and deeply disturbing.

I am well aware that I am in the minority and miles vary.

Everyone that doesn't have nostalgia goggles on says that the mini series was garbage. To be more specific, most like the kids part if the story, loathe the adult part and think that the only reason that mini series is beloved is because of Tim Curry. Saying the mini series sucked isn't a unpopular opinion. Saying Tim Curry as penny wise sucked would be though.

[Robert Lynch]

I think kid fatalities in movies was nothing new. In the remake of The Blob, the purple mass gets the kid from the water and he comes up covered with the goo. Super creepy. Anybody recalled that?

[raven]

9 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

To be more specific, most like the kids part if the story, loathe the adult part and think that the only reason that mini series is beloved is because of Tim Curry.

I don't remember much about the mini-series.  It was running the other day and I watched a bit of the adult stuff and it was awful.  I honestly don't remember much about Tim Curry's portrayal either. 

I saw this movie today and I liked it.  I've read the book and was a bit disappointed that we didn't get the werewolf, battery acid inhaler or a couple of other things that the individual kids used to protect themselves.   I remember Bev being a crack shot with a slingshot.  She did have good aim with the rocks.   I felt like we might have had some of the character stuff sacrificed to give Bev a few more badass moments that I don't think occurred in the book; we don't see an awful lot of Mike or Stan and we see nothing of Richie's or Ben's home lives. 

Still, the casting was excellent.  The kids were terrific together and did well individually; even little Georgie was cute without being overly precious.  The movie captured King's nostalgic yet creepy vibe very well; an insulated, small town horror feel; having to kill animals or being the new kid; of having horrible parents.  Seriously, the creepiest character that made my skin crawl was Bev's father, closely followed by Eddie's mother.  I do wonder if what I felt were some pivotal family scenes were filmed but cut (book spoiler)

Spoiler

Bill's parents ignoring him even when he says something like "pass the fucking salt"; when Eddie needs to go to meet his friends for the final battle, he bribes his mother by saying he would continue to take the placebos to make her happy.

IMO these were character defining and help to emphasize the kids feeling alone when at home.  I felt we cut weirdly when Bill runs to get Richie to help save Bev; we see Eddie and then suddenly everyone's all together.  Maybe we could have seen less of Pennywise twisting around for some other scenes. 

Bill Skarsgard was a good Pennywise; evil, mean and nasty.   I liked that they covered the every 27 years thing, showing what he's done in the past.  I don't think I heard the term "deadlights" at all, maybe that will come up in the second one.

The second half will depend entirely on casting.  I agree that the child actress in this one looks like a young Amy Adams.

[snickers]

The director said the reason you didn't see the werewolf or the mummy is because he felt those were the things kids in the 50s were afraid of, but not in the 80s. So he changed it.

 

i read the major changes between the first draft with the first director and the current one were: this guy took out "the scene" and also another planned sexual scene from the book with Henry bowers (book readers might remember that one) and this guy chose to add the leper scene and changed the original names back (some of them were changed) and this guy also really wanted the smoke pipe scene but it was too expensive so it got cut-bummer!

[raven]

55 minutes ago, snickers said:

i read the major changes between the first draft with the first director and the current one were: this guy took out "the scene" and also another planned sexual scene from the book with Henry bowers (book readers might remember that one)

There is no way they could include "that scene" and I do remember the other, not really necessary and I'm glad they cut it also.  Also glad not to see the

Spoiler

animal torture (unless that was a different book? I won't describe it here, I wish I didn't remember it), though they came close with the almost shooting the cat.

Freaking Stephen King and his weirdness.

Forgot to mention, I appreciated the humor in this one,  was a nice tension reliever and was used well. - quite a few people laughed in the theater,

[Anela]

2 hours ago, Racj82 said:

Everyone that doesn't have nostalgia goggles on says that the mini series was garbage. To be more specific, most like the kids part if the story, loathe the adult part and think that the only reason that mini series is beloved is because of Tim Curry. Saying the mini series sucked isn't a unpopular opinion. Saying Tim Curry as penny wise sucked would be though.

I watched it when I was fifteen, and had the flu, so I wasn't totally with it. When it first aired on TV. I watched it every year on lifetime, starting around 1998/1999, because I love the kid's part, but the adults were terrible. I also don't remember thinking thaf Tim curry was the greatest, but he was spooky at times. 

I was align to a friend of mine who lies Stephen King, and we're both happy to hear so many good reviews. I've been looking forward to it.

[backgroundnoise]

I was actually getting bored more and more as it went along.  It was the same kind of scene over and over:  Kid goes off by himself (even when they went somewhere as a group), gets chased by (fill in the creepy thing), and escapes.  Pennywise was creepy and the fast-forward scenes of him running up to whoever were well done, but even that got repetitive.

I didn't like them

Spoiler

making Bev the damsel in distress that the others had to rescue. 

They also lost some of the we-can-kill-it-because-we-believe scenes that were so effective.  Silver bullets/earrings will kill it?  Yeah, because kids believe they will and so Pennywise believed it too.  Asthma spray is battery acid?  Yeah, because Pennywise believed it.  They substituted in just a bunch of hitting Pennywise with pipes instead of the "magic" of childhood beliefs.

I'll go see Part II, but don't have any interest in seeing this part again.

[magpye29]

I enjoyed it, but the costumes really bugged me.  A lot of the stuff the kids wore looked like early 70s to me, not the 80s at all, especially those pulled up to the knees athletic socks.  Also, it was weird how the whole town looked like something from the 30s that got stuck in the 50s.  

Beverly to me looked like the love child of Amy Adams and Zooey Deschanel.  Stan looked like a very young Victor Garber circa Godspell.

I, too, did not like Beverly having to be rescued, and they effectively marginalized Mike by giving all his stuff to Ben.

Beverly's bathroom scene looked like Carrie taken to extremes.

[Robert Lynch]

But a lot of small towns from the 80s were like that. If you think about Maine, Virginia, New York, or Connecticut back then with these tiny towns with no update on pop culture, you'll be shocked as to how different it is from the suburbs. I remember in late 1989 when my parents traveled to upstate New York where a small town could have smaller population growth. And that still exists today. I think the town was called Pottersville. It was like a ghostly town with no life, even though there is life. It had to be a mile of one diner, truck pits, a tiny park, a church, some storefronts, seven homes, and just miles upon miles of forestry. You'll be shocked if you go further upstate and see nothing really changed at all.

[methodwriter85]

I kind of had that experience when I lived in a small Western P.A. town for grad school. The campus was updated (especially the dorms because they had apparently gotten money to replace all the dorms) but the town itself had a 1980's/1990's vibe even though it was 2010.

I thought Beverly's sundresses were fairly close to the late 80's/early 90's look, although the colors were more subdued. She was clearly wearing biking shorts under at least one of her dresses, which was also really accurate to girls in that age group.They were a little more accurate with the non-Losers Club kids, especially the mullet on Henry Bowers, which is so specific to that time period. I think they were going for a more "classic" look.