“It: Chapter One” more closely follows the original
Stephen King novel.
Photo By IMDb
“It: Chapter One,” a horror film based on the 1986 novel by award winning author Stephen King tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, as they are suddenly and viciously terrorized by Pennywise the Dancing Clown, only to face their own personal and deepest fears in the process.
The revamped film stars Jaeden Lieberher and Bill Skarsgard as Bill Denbrough and Pennywise the Dancing Clown, with Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, and Jackson Robert Scott in supporting roles. Directed by Andy Muschietti, the screenplay is written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman.
Upon release, the film set box office records, bringing in $631 million worldwide. Currently, it is one of the highest-grossing R-rated horror films of all time.
In the original story, King delved incredibly deeply in to each character in his 1,200 page novel. Muschietti’s take on the story more closely follows the original and embodies King’s obsession with individual phobia better than the original Tommy Lee Wallace adaptation starring Tim Curry as Pennywise.
This adaptation’s intention is to make you feel trapped and introspective while the characters try to dodge both their inner warning voices and the apparent lingering threats.
The film heavily relies on repetitive jump scares and extended sequences of prolonged breath-holding for its sense of doom. In general, the children’s placement in deep danger, their familial situations, and the origins of their crippling fears are more upsetting than Pennywise himself. As Dan Callahan from TheWrap points out, “Skarsgård is buried under his make-up for most of the film, and it is only toward the last third…that we can begin to really see the actor himself…putting the frighteners on.”
Unfortunately, while the quality of the cinematography and storytelling is not lacking, the movie itself is too long for the repetitive head-hopping structure, especially when the time restrictions prevents the same depth in to each backstory that the novel presents as essential.
Truly, the greatest appeal of the film is the impeccable performances delivered by the child actors, especially Finn Wolfhard in the role of Ritchie. The incredible chemistry between the kids hooks the audience and no chance is lost to reemphasize their growing interdependence.
Regardless, the final sequences are a powerful display of the cohesiveness of the group and illustrate their ability to come together not only to overcome their immediate threat but also their intimate fears and anxieties.