It: Chapter Two (2019)

[Athena]

For all the It anticipation.

[AimingforYoko]

Quote

Twenty-seven years later, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

 

Edited May 9, 2019 by AimingforYoko

[raven]

This trailer premiered today

[BooBear]

34 minutes ago, raven said:

This trailer premiered today

Just me or were both trailers terrible?

[GoldenGirl90]

Definitely cannot wait to see this.

[Robert Lynch]

Bill Hader! Yay! And the kids look so big at 2:29 in the 2nd trailer. It's really an interesting contrast to their first appearances in the first film. Finn, Dylan, and the rest are really growing up. Let's hope it lives to the expectations of some amazing scares. I heard they would put a deleted scene from the first movie that features Pennywise set in Pilgrim times. 

[Spartan Girl]

I'm not watching this alone.

[BitterApple]

Loved the teaser trailer, love the casting and cannot freaking wait til September.

[BetterButter]

[Robert Lynch]

Looks like fun. Bring it on, Bill!

[BooBear]

3 hours ago, BetterButter said:

Much better.

[Robert Lynch]

Was that Bill Hader at the end or Bill Skarsgard? 

And who is the young boy in the Funhouse with mirrors? Another new character?

Edited July 19, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[Robert Lynch]

Looks great!

[p719]

On 5/9/2019 at 6:34 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I'm not watching this alone.

I won't either.

It's RATED R for disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive language, and some crude sexual material 😂

[Robert Lynch]

Got tickets!

[BetterButter]

[Robert Lynch]

2 hrs. and 49 mins. That's pretty long for a horror film. Not that I am complaining.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[Anela]

9 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

2 hrs. and 49 mins. That's pretty long for a horror film. Not that I am complaining.

It's a long time to sit in one place. I hate to miss part of the movie, running to the bathroom. 

My dad said he'd go with me, if he could fall asleep, so I guess he'll get a good nap. 

[Robert Lynch]

4 hours ago, Anela said:

It's a long time to sit in one place. I hate to miss part of the movie, running to the bathroom. 

My dad said he'd go with me, if he could fall asleep, so I guess he'll get a good nap. 

That is one awesome dad. Yeah, that is a bit much for a horror film. I am pretty sure Bill Hader and Bill Skarsgard steal the show.

Is it ironic the actor playing Pennywise was a baby when the mini series aired in 1990? And the story about Bill Hader and Finn Wolfhard is really awesome. Bill, you deserve it. 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[Robert Lynch]

But I have tickets for next Tuesday. I hope I enjoy it.

[Notwisconsin]

I saw it this morning in a nearly empty theater. It was very well done, and Pennywise was very funny, but it wasn't great like the first one was. Steven King's cameo was cute. 

[Robert Lynch]

1 hour ago, Notwisconsin said:

I saw it this morning in a nearly empty theater. It was very well done, and Pennywise was very funny, but it wasn't great like the first one was. Steven King's cameo was cute. 

I have been reading all these mixed reviews so far. I just hope a nearly 3 hrs film gives me my money's worth. I heard the director Andy is thinking a third It film. Not sure about that.

[Proclone]

I just got back from seeing it.  I get why a lot of people aren't going to care for it, but I enjoyed it.  I didn't even really feel the length too much (well my bladder did, but that's another story).  It's not as scary as the first one, but it's so much better than the second half of the miniseries focusing on the adults.  I think the nature of the story is that the part about the kids is just so much more compelling than the adults.  And there's really no way to completely overcome that, but I do think that this works as a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Skarsgard is once again fantastic as Pennywise.  Hader was also excellent a Richie and added a lot of pathos to a character that could be really annoying if not handled carefully.  All the performances are really good.  Though I was sad that Mike seems to be just there again.  They could have used the opportunity to expand his character.

And I agree the Steven King cameo was cute.  As was the running joke about the endings to Bill's books sucking (something King get's frequently accused of). 

I would have liked to have seen some resolution of what happened between Bill and his wife, though.  In the book she gets taken by Pennywise as well...and well the less said about that the better in my opinion, so I was glad that was cut from the film.  But there seemed to be no resolution to whether they were still together at the end.

[Robert Lynch]

I heard the CGI on the young actors' faces was distracting. I guess they could have made it in 1991 or 1992, but I guess the director wanted to keep 1989.

[calliope1975]

Saw it today and really liked it. I've read a ton of King but somehow managed to skip his big ones - The Stand, The Shining, and It. I guess I remember the adult part of the old miniseries more than the kids' part because a lot was familiar especially the restaurant scene. (Of course, that makes sense because it's a book adaptation.)

I figured the adult cast would be good, but I was so impressed at how much they really seemed like adult versions of the kids I loved in the first one. I see upthread they used CGI on the kids? That tracks since there were a few shots I thought they looked weird but thought it was makeup or the camera lens. It wasn't too distracting for me though. 

It was long, and at times felt it, but I don't know what I would have cut. It's just a lot of story to tell. I also loved that they bullied and negged Pennywise to literal death. That's 2nd to my favorite bad guy defeat of Dr. Strange annoying the crap out of Dormammu and getting him to leave Earth alone. 

I even shed a few tears at the end there. Hader was great throughout but really touched me at the end. I'd like to see it again, but I'll probably wait until it's released on DVD and then do a double feature one night. 

ETA: I've changed my mind. I think the Henry Bowers stuff could have been cut. While it added a more human threat to the supernatural threat, overall it didn't add anything to the movie. Maybe that story line was more relevant in the book. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by calliope1975

[raven]

Overall I liked it, though it did clunk in some parts.

The adult characters were apart for too long.  I didn't like their individual quests.    The opening scene was horrifying - and it's straight out of the book - but felt like it belonged in another movie in a way.  If the movie was trying to say something about Pennywise's influence and being back, it failed for me.  The whole cosmic turtle ritual of Chud in the book is trippy (to say the least) but replacing it with a trippy Native American ritual was just awkward.   Some of the CGI was goofy but I usually feel that way.  Even though we only saw him briefly, Bev's father was still one of the creepiest things in the move - that perfume scene!  Shudder.

I liked Mike's expanded role, especially since I recall him not having too much of a role in the first movie.   All the actors had good chemistry with each other.  Stephen King's cameo was fun - I liked that the movie incorporated humor - it is a coping mechanism even in horrific situations.  A lot of my theater laughed when it was obvious laughter was intended.

I also enjoyed the homage to the "head crab" scene from The Thing - that was great! 

1 hour ago, calliope1975 said:

I even shed a few tears at the end there. Hader was great throughout but really touched me at the end.

I agree - I was really moved by his scene at the end.   I was less moved by Ben and Bev - they were fine, but not the sweet romance the movie was going for.   I was more interested in the Richie/Eddie relationship - Hader and James Ransone had good chemistry and the Losers realizing Eddie was dead was very moving, as was Stan's letter to his friends.

I guess Ben seeing the boy in the funhouse was more of Pennywise's tricks - there was no blood, and Pennywise typically leaves some gore around.  The kid is never mentioned again after they go into the house, so I'm going with it was a trick, though it would have been nice to have a definitive answer in the movie on that.

[AimingforYoko]

30 minutes ago, raven said:

I guess Ben seeing the boy in the funhouse was more of Pennywise's tricks - there was no blood

You mean Bill. And there was blood, it sprayed all over the glass. Pretty sure that kid is as dead as the girl with the birthmark under the bleachers.

Hader was the MVP, he's really turned into quite the actor.

[Laurie4H]

I liked it.  I felt it was a little erratic and long but I enjoyed it for the most part.  

Was Richie gay in the original movie or the book?  I can’t remember.  Also the beginning, was it a hate crime in the book?   I ask because friends were talking about that being added in but I didn’t know.

They used CGI on the kids faces?  I just figured they filmed scenes a few years ago to be used in both movies.  

[Racj82]

Yeah, I noticed no cgi on the kids. And I was watching on a big screen in the third row with my glasses on. This is going to be one of those things that people only notice because they were told or read about it beforehand.

Can't agree in the props for the expansion of Mike as character because he wasn't. He's a exposition machine with barely any substance beyond that.

I never read the books but seemed to be implied that was Eddie was gay (closeted) in the miniseries. 

Coming from the books or not, I can't get invested in the Ben/Bev love story when Ben is just typical Hollywood looking dude. There is zero hill to climb here.

One thing I was missing was that Bev always seemed cool and mature than the boys but Chastain doesn't read as cool at all. I know people age and change but every other character read the same as adults and kids.

I didn't cry at the end but I got the feels on the inside.

I was happy to hear I love you between two of the guys. Simply because they all clearly love each other but the words were never uttered to one another.

I don't care at all about Bill's marriage. There is also nothing to suggest they are not together anymore. Bill never even really read as into Bev and their early argument wasn't anything they couldn't move past.

Hader and Ransone were both MVPs. Not just Hader. Also, two of the best adults playing the older version of kids I have ever seen.

[Spartan Girl]

Aside from all the jump scares and Pennywise eating those poor kids, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Much better than the TV version for sure.

I agree that Hader was the MVP. And the guy that played Eddie was a dead ringer for the child version.

Stephen King's cameo was the best. Although the in-joke about how Bill's endings suck...which endings of Stephen King's do people hate?

[Dandesun]

I've seen in many cases that the endings to a lot of his early stuff ended up the same... with explosions or whatever. Like... Carrie, the gym blows up. Salem's Lot, the town catches on fire. The Shining, the hotel blows up. IT... the town gets washed away in a flood.

That sort of thing.

[Luckylyn]

I really enjoyed it.  I felt the pacing was fine despite the length.  I do think it would have benefited from some scenes being trimmed.  The kid/adult groups had wonderful chemistry.

One thing the movie made clear was that although all except one left Derry that Derry had never left them.  Bill married a woman who resembles Bev and struggles to write happy endings because Georgie never got a happy ending.  Eddie and Bev married people who recreated the abusive dynamics they had with their parents.   Ben as an adult lived a life of loneliness similar to what his life was like before he bonded with the Losers. The book is better at conveying how alone Ben is.   Richie hides behind humor and avoids being vulnerable.  I think Mike and Ben were the most underwritten app n the film.  Ben’s whole arch is simply loving Bev.  Mike’s purpose is to provide exposition and bring the group together.   I appreciated the way that the actor who played Mike handled the pressure Mike had to be under as the gatekeeper of the group who was never allowed to forget past traumas.  

I’m okay that they cut out Bill’s wife getting kidnapped and the catatonia.  I do wish we had gotten more of a positive view of the marriage in the movie.  

I found some interesting articles about Richie and Eddie 

Eddie/Richie subtext was there in the novel and fans have been debating it since the novel was released.  It’s interesting that the actor who played Eddie in the tv miniseries wanted to make Eddie/Richie overt but I’m not surprised the team behind the miniseries weren’t willing to tackle it in 1990.  My interpretation was that Richie was a bisexual because he shows attraction for both Bev and mainly Eddie.   I do think Eddie and Richie had mutual but unconsummated feelings for each other.  The current movie is explicit about Richie’s feelings but Eddie’s remain ambiguous.

[Racj82]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Aside from all the jump scares and Pennywise eating those poor kids, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Much better than the TV version for sure.

I agree that Hader was the MVP. And the guy that played Eddie was a dead ringer for the child version.

Stephen King's cameo was the best. Although the in-joke about how Bill's endings suck...which endings of Stephen King's do people hate?

IT. A lot of people hate the ending of this novel. Many other ones but you don't have to look past this book for the in joke to work.

[Morrigan2575]

Best review of this movie was Jeremy Jahns who freaked out mid review after realizing Isaiah Mustafa was the Old Spice guy 

[ihavenoidea]

Quote

Yeah, I noticed no cgi on the kids. And I was watching on a big screen in the third row with my glasses on. This is going to be one of those things that people only notice because they were told or read about it beforehand.

I noticed the cgi on Richie and Ben big time. Richie looked like a cartoon his eyes were so big. Ben's head was huge.  The rest looked about the same but I can tell they also used something to make the voices higher, especially Eddie.

I liked the movie overall.  I thought all the adults were very good.  Some parts could have been cut, like the beginning, even though I know it was in the book. I also thought the mirror scene with Bill and the kid could have been completely cut out. That kid popping up everywhere seemed kinda hokey, and we already knew how guilty Bill felt.

[shireenbamfatheon]

I've loved James Ransone as an actor ever since I saw him in Generation Kill so I was excited when he was cast as Eddie. He was wonderful here and his and Richie's dynamic was the highlight of the movie. Finding out that Richie was in love with Eddie after the latter died? Heartbreaking. And not gonna lie, I'm disappointed about the 'bury the gays' trope employed here, though as I understand it, the lgbt aspects were a lot more subtextual in the book?

The actors all did very well and really managed to sell the Losers' bond despite their characters spending so much time apart. The only actor who didn't work for me was Chastain as Bev. She's an otherwise amazing actress but she's never been good at selling vulnerability imo, and every time she came on screen I'd go "that's famous actress Jessica Chastain." 

A complaint that ties into my dislike of Chastain's portrayal of Bev is that I didn't like the romantic subplot in the movie and it took a lot away from the character. It was cute and heartfelt when they were kids, but Ben holding on to his crush for 27 years because a girl was kind to him, and then spending half his screen time scowling at Bill for standing too close to her during super serious moments was just too irritating to me. I can definitely see it making sense in the book (which I haven't read yet), but the time frame between Bev leaving an abusive relationship and hooking up with Ben was too short. And Ben not being given anything else to do but win her over? Ugh. 

On one hand, I'm very happy that Bev managed to escape the cycle of abuse and found a good man to love, but I'd have preferred her just dedicating some time to therapy and self-care after forty years of abuse instead of moving on to another man so soon. But again, I'm sure it's a lot more believable in the book where both characters are probably given more depth and things to do.

[Robert Lynch]

On 9/7/2019 at 10:59 PM, Laurie4H said:

I liked it.  I felt it was a little erratic and long but I enjoyed it for the most part.  

Was Richie gay in the original movie or the book?  I can’t remember.  Also the beginning, was it a hate crime in the book?   I ask because friends were talking about that being added in but I didn’t know.

They used CGI on the kids faces?  I just figured they filmed scenes a few years ago to be used in both movies.  

Andy Muschietti describes the reasons behind It Chapter 2

[starri]

16 hours ago, shireenbamfatheon said:

I'm disappointed about the 'bury the gays' trope employed here, though as I understand it, the lgbt aspects were a lot more subtextual in the book?

I honestly think the book hints it more strongly about Eddie, as there's a scene in it where Eddie asks for a lick of a popsicle (ahem) that Ritchie has, despite being a germphobe.  But Richie also kisses Eddie's body on the cheek after he dies.  Dennis Christopher, who played adult Eddie in the miniseries said on Twitter recently had he wanted them to clearly establish that Richie was closeted.

I think Bury Your Gays was unavoidable, just because of the source material.  Which sucks.

[AstaCharles]

Saw the film yesterday. Really enjoyed it. The length of the film didn't bother me. Only thing i wanted to see: one of the Losers  insult the gum chewing ditz from the pharmacy. 

Hopefully there's a scene in the uncut version

[MaggieG]

Saw it this weekend and enjoyed it, though I did think it was a bit too long. I thought the de-aging CGI on the kids was very noticeable on Finn Wolfhard. Probably because I just finished Stranger Things season 3 and he is much taller in that and a bit older looking.

I'm also glad they left out the subplot of Bill's wife and Beverly husband showing up. The Henry Bowers going after them parts were scary in the book, but fell a little flat in the movie. Zombie Patrick was creepy as hell although I did chuckle when he was driving the getaway car for Henry.

Bill Hader was the MVP for me. He had a great mix of humor and vulnerability.  Him crying in the lake at the end and everyone embracing him, made me tear up.

Definitely some scary scenes, the one in the restaurant with all of the fortune cookies was to me the scariest, followed by Mrs Kersh and Eddie's leper.

I also enjoyed the humor, the adorable puppy and Richie and Eddie's reactions to it were pretty funny.

Everyone was freaking out during the scene where Pennywise was scratching words on Ben's stomach but I just noticed his abs😉

[Anela]

On 9/7/2019 at 8:57 PM, raven said:

I also enjoyed the homage to the "head crab" scene from The Thing - that was great! 

Eek! that bit put me off meatloaf for years, when I saw The Thing, as a kid. 

[Anela]

On 9/6/2019 at 6:12 PM, Robert Lynch said:

I have been reading all these mixed reviews so far. I just hope a nearly 3 hrs film gives me my money's worth. I heard the director Andy is thinking a third It film. Not sure about that.

I hope they don't make a third one - although I haven't seen this one yet. It rarely goes well, when people try to expand on the success of something, at least that I've seen. 

[shireenbamfatheon]

7 hours ago, starri said:

I honestly think the book hints it more strongly about Eddie, as there's a scene in it where Eddie asks for a lick of a popsicle (ahem) that Ritchie has, despite being a germphobe.  But Richie also kisses Eddie's body on the cheek after he dies.  Dennis Christopher, who played adult Eddie in the miniseries said on Twitter recently had he wanted them to clearly establish that Richie was closeted.

I think Bury Your Gays was unavoidable, just because of the source material.  Which sucks.

I just saw a compilation of all the "subtextual" clues in the books, and now I understand what you mean. Richie's literally holding on to the popsicle while Eddie starts sucking on it. Then there's Eddie stroking Richie's cheek before dying, Richie kissing his cheek, and the "but he knew well why" line. No wonder so many people believe the book characters are coded as LGBT.
If this was always King's intention, I wish he'd been more overt about it. If he could have six 13-year-olds run a train on a 13-year-old girl, he could do this too.

Speaking of the book; I read that the adults go back to forgetting each other again which is just heartbreaking. I'm glad the movie changed that or I would have been a sobbing mess.

[Robert Lynch]

7 minutes ago, shireenbamfatheon said:

I just saw a compilation of all the "subtextual" clues in the books, and now I understand what you mean. Richie's literally holding on to the popsicle while Eddie starts sucking on it. Then there's Eddie stroking Richie's cheek before dying, Richie kissing his cheek, and the "but he knew well why" line. No wonder so many people believe the book characters are coded as LGBT.
If this was always King's intention, I wish he'd been more overt about it. If he could have six 13-year-olds run a train on a 13-year-old girl, he could do this too.

Speaking of the book; I read that the adults go back to forgetting each other again which is just heartbreaking. I'm glad the movie changed that or I would have been a sobbing mess.

That's true. They forget about everything at the end.

[Spartan Girl]

Is it wrong that I giggled at Richie's face when he got caught in the dead lights? It just reminded me of one of Bill Hader's SNL skits.

What kills me about the scene with Vicky (the little girl) was how close she got to getting away. Unlike Georgie, she knew Pennywise wasn't a friendly clown: "You're not my friend, you're scary." And then that fucker played her with the crocodile tears and invoking her sympathy over her birthmark. Ughhh.

[Robert Lynch]

On 9/8/2019 at 7:05 PM, ihavenoidea said:

I noticed the cgi on Richie and Ben big time. Richie looked like a cartoon his eyes were so big. Ben's head was huge.  The rest looked about the same but I can tell they also used something to make the voices higher, especially Eddie.

I liked the movie overall.  I thought all the adults were very good.  Some parts could have been cut, like the beginning, even though I know it was in the book. I also thought the mirror scene with Bill and the kid could have been completely cut out. That kid popping up everywhere seemed kinda hokey, and we already knew how guilty Bill felt.

Especially if you watched Shazam this year and noticed how deep Jack Dylan Grazer's voice was in that film.

Edited September 10, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[AstaCharles]

18 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Is it wrong that I giggled at Richie's face when he got caught in the dead lights? It just reminded me of one of Bill Hader's SNL skits.

I burst out laughing when that happened. Loved it.

[Robert Lynch]

Finally saw it. I actually sat next to a couple that brought their kids, but they were well-behaved kids. I think I watched horror before I was their ages, so that gives me a chuckle here and there. I was four with my first horror experience. They had to be eight or six. 

I did managed to get the feels when Eddie met his end. Bill Hader was awesome, right? I, unfortunately, can never get afraid of horror films because I grown use to them. I am one of those that played Myst, Silent Hill, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, and other survival video games that was my norm over the years. That was just me over the years.

Speaking as an arcade expert, did anyone spot Mortal Kombat? It was suppose to be 1989, but that arcade didn't appear until 1992! Minor nitpick.

Still, it was long, but well down. I actually liked it more than the mini-series. 

[Racj82]

8 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

Finally saw it. I actually sat next to a couple that brought their kids, but they were well-behaved kids. I think I watched horror before I was their ages, so that gives me a chuckle here and there. I was four with my first horror experience. They had to be eight or six. 

I did managed to get the feels when Eddie met his end. Bill Hader was awesome, right? I, unfortunately, can never get afraid of horror films because I grown use to them. I am one of those that played Myst, Silent Hill, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, and other survival video games that was my norm over the years. That was just me over the years.

Speaking as an arcade expert, did anyone spot Mortal Kombat? It was suppose to be 1989, but that arcade didn't appear until 1992! Minor nitpick.

Still, it was long, but well down. I actually liked it more than the mini-series. 

I went to a 11 20 pm showing and a woman brought what had to of been a 5 year old girl and a 7 or 8 year old boy. On the inside of was cracking up. But, I always look at ratings as suggestions. Know your kid and yourself and make your own judgement. If you or your kid are easily scared or can't sleep because you saw something creepy, skip this. Ive been watching horror movies since I was 8. I had to learn to get over my fear of horror on my own. 

The 8 year old knew doctor sleep was a sequel to the shining before any real visual or sound clues told you that so he's ahead of the curve.

A lot of debate has been had about if these IT movies are scary. My answer is that no they aren't. But, no horror, scares me these days. Especially mainstream horror. I know the tropes. I'm prepared. We know how these movies work. But, if you are scared by any horror movies, yes this is scary. 

I will admit I jumped when the old lady monster jumped out the water in the final act. It was just perfectly timed. 

The timing on Richie being caught in the dead lights was amazing too.  

[Robert Lynch]

I admit I laughed when one of the couple's kid silently whispered, "It's Mike from Stranger Things!" That made my day. Did nobody noticed The Lost Boys poster and how the carnival kind of resembled Santa Cruz a bit?

Edited September 11, 2019 by Robert Lynch