Even though I definitely can’t say I had a great time during all of the two hours and forty nine minute run time of of director Andy Muschietti’s IT Chapter 2, the last hour or so was pretty thrilling.

Starring James McAvoy, Javier Botet, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader and Bill Skarsgård, I had to watch this final installment of the IT (1990) remake because the cast and trailers were great. I was also determined since this was essentially my last chance to see if I found any of the IT movies scary all. I definitely had a lot of feelings throughout but unfortunately, once again, scared really wasn’t one of them. At the very best I was very grossed out by the scene with the 8 plus legged severed head. I enjoyed much of the visual effects and the acting. Unlike in the 1990 IT film, this time both the children and the adult versions of the children performed pretty well.

As for the question of why the first hour and forty minutes of IT Chapter 2 wasn’t great, it certainly didn’t help that due to the editing and some characters looking similar, I didn’t find it easy to follow in terms of who was playing the adult version of whom. The other key reason is the pace. I know that much of the film is set in Derry, Maine which is essentially a slower moving place than a city, but that doesn’t mean the story had to move that slowly, surely? I remember that an hour into the film, I found myself disappointed to not even be half way through the movie.

There were also unfortunately some moments where I couldn’t fully suspend my disbelief. Firstly, the biting of the little girl’s head; how on earth did she not scream? Secondly, at the reunion dinner, how did it take so long for the restaurant workers to check on the disturbance, especially considering all the screaming and banging? Last but not least, the scene where Chastain’s character performs a certain feat of strength towards the end. I just don’t honestly believe she possessed the physical strength required to do what she did.

Overall though, thanks to the good performances – particularly by McAvoy and Chastain, plus the fun special effects, IT Chapter 2 is worth watching, if you’re curious. Especially so if you have more patience than I. 

Lastly, I couldn’t help but conclude by the end that Muschietti’s film seems to be quite a good advert for why therapy is important and often a good idea.

Happy Film Loving

G