You’ll Float Too. - A Review of IT (2017)

First the terrifying novel in 1986, then the chilling mini series in 1990, after 27 long years, Stephen King’s IT has made its big screen debut in 2017. And boy, does it make an impression. After Bill’s little brother, Georgie mysteriously dies, he forms a group of friends called the Losers Club, to discover why children are mysteriously disappearing in Derry, Maine. However, they soon find out that who is responsible is another worldly shapeshifting monster, disguised as a clown that preys on children by using their fear as bait. The film opens with one, if not it’s most famous scene - Pennywise luring Georgie to lean in the storm drain for his boat, only to unexpectedly murder him. The audience does not see Georgie actually dying, but they do see Georgie sucked underground, and that is the last time that the audience sees him alive. Throughout the whole film, Pennywise only has a very simple word bank - he is made up of children, and children are naturally apart of him. The irony is that the children use a more mature vocabulary, as they curse throughout the film. The more kids that fall victim to Pennywise, the more childlike Pennywise will come across as.

I am definitely not the person that stays up late to watch a scary movie. However, I have always been fascinated by the stories that Stephen King tells, and I loved IT more than I thought I would’ve. As the audience, you personally connect with the characters of the Losers Club, and feel that you are going on the journey that they are on - bonding together to defeat Pennywise the dancing clown. Some may see this film more in the horror genre, but I see it as more of a movie about friendship, about sticking together to overcome your fears. Of course throughout, there is strong language and violence, but those characteristics help develop the characters and actions throughout the film. One of the best scenes of the film was the projector scene, where the Losers Club are projecting a map of the storm drains atop of the actual map of Derry. As the scene progresses, the projector starts moving by itself, showing pictures of Bill, Georgie, their parents and Pennywise. All of a sudden, the room goes completely dark and the only thing that we see is the projector flipping from frame to frame. Out of nowhere, there is a giant clown crawling through Bill’s garage. This not only had to be one of the best scenes in the movie, but also one of the scariest. I would personally think that IT (2017), is a “Good Good” film. The production, the editing, the actors, everything that went into the movie was executed so well, that even Stephen King himself praised IT.