When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
IT stars Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant, TV’s Hemlock Grove) as the story’s central villain, Pennywise. An ensemble of young actors also star in the film, including Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip), Sophia Lillis (37), Finn Wolfhard (TV’s Stranger Things), Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chosen Jacobs (upcoming Cops and Robbers), Jack Dylan Grazer (Tales of Halloween), Nicholas Hamilton (Captain Fantastic) and Jackson Robert Scott, making his film debut.
Hawaii Dad Blog's Review
The opening scene of IT introduces us to Bill, a kid sick in bed, and his younger brother, Georgie. One day, Georgie follows his paper boat into a rain storm as it sails into a storm drain. When Georgie looks into the gutter for his boat, he meets Pennywise, the Dancing Clown. It was chilling to watch Pennywise converse with Georgie, as he made Georgie laugh and gained his trust enough so he would reach into the gutter to retrieve his boat, allowing Pennywise to abduct him.
The movie picks up six months later, where we are introduced to Bill's friends on the last day of elementary school before summer break. The stuttering Bill and his group of misfit classmates call themselves the Losers Club. They are all tormented by the school bully and his buddies. They are also dealing with issues in their lives at home, and on top of that, the members of the Losers Club each have an individual encounter with an apparition that personifies their deepest fears. The gang comes to realize that they are all having similar experiences and that Pennywise is behind all of it. They decide to hunt him down before he can abduct more children.
I personally felt that "IT" was a decent spooky movie. Pennywise is a terrifying looking clown that will undoubtedly cause nightmares for any children who happen to see this movie (children should not see this movie, however). I thought "IT" was best when it showed the bond of the members throughout the Losers Club, and their banter, which brought to mind another Stephen King adapted classic - Stand By Me, made me laugh several times. I did feel, however, that there were many questions left unanswered, or perhaps scenes that may have been added unnecessarily.
***Spoiler alert***
Fortunately, it seems that "IT" will have a chance to answer many of these questions in the sequel. At the end of its 135 minutes, the Losers Club members hold hands and promise to come back to Derry to fight Pennywise if the need arises. Then, a title card reading "IT: Chapter One" is shown before the credits role. I'll eagerly await Chapter Two and what I hope will be a satisfying and enlightening conclusion.
IT is now in theaters. Click here to find a theater near you.
Mahalo to the sponsor for the movie tickets.
