When It was released in 2017, no one could have expected the film to be as successful as it was. On a budget of $35 million, the film grossed over $700 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing horror film ever. In addition to its financial success, the film received positive reviews and was named one of 2017’s best films. Naturally, with that success, it was only inevitable that a sequel would arrive, though plans were already made in 2016. Given that the first film focused on the characters as children, the sequel would follow those characters as adults. Gary Dauberman, who co-wrote the first film, returned as sole writer, with Andy Muschietti also returning to the director’s chair. Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader among others would play the adult versions, and Bill Skarsgard returned as Pennywise. So, two years later, 2019 sees the release of It Chapter Two.
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27 years have passed since the first film, and now the Losers Club have all grown up and moved on. However, after a recent string of disappearances and murders in Derry, Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) reaches out to the others. Unfortunately, since moving on, the rest have lost all memory of their childhoods and are disturbed by the calls. Bill, Beverly, Ben, Richie, and Eddie meet up with Mike at a Chinese restaurant in Derry to rekindle their friendship. Unfortunately, they learn that Stanley Uris (Andy Bean) has taken his own life because the fear was too overwhelming. In order to stop Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard), they must reclaim their lost memories by retrieving artifacts from their childhood. While searching, their old bully Henry Bowers (Teach Grant) has escaped from an insane asylum to finish off the Losers. Will the Losers fail or finally stop the evil once and for all?
Given how well-done the first film was, It Chapter Two certainly had a lot to live up to. Even with all the hype surrounding the film, It Chapter Two still works but doesn’t quite live up to it. The first thing to mention is how, much like the first film, the cast is fantastic and well-acted. While Skarsgard still delivers as the evil clown, Bill Hader is the real scene-stealer, balancing both comedy and drama. The rest of the cast does a great job and feels like adult versions of the kids from before. Though McAvoy and Chastain are given more screen time along with Hader, everyone else is given their moment to shine. The story is an interesting exploration of how much of an impact childhood trauma can affect people, even into adulthood. Even if it seems minor, overcoming one’s childhood traumas is easier said than done.
Sadly, as is the case with many sequels, It Chapter Two doesn’t quite hold a candle to the first film. For one, with its almost three-hour runtime, there are times where the film feels padded with so much filler. Granted, the book itself is over 1,000 pages, so there’s plenty of material to cover, but some should’ve been cut. Also, while the first film was more unsettling than scary, this is overloaded with jump scares, which ruins the tension. The child actors from before return for flashback sequences that feel more like deleted scenes added to pad the runtime. Without going into spoilers, there are plot elements that aren’t well introduced or are dropped without any explanation. Even with those flaws, the film still retains the spirit of the original and works as a companion piece. Overall, It Chapter Two disappoints, but is still worth a watch.
It Chapter Two is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
