It Chapter Two, coming off the heels of it's predecessor, we have the original Loser Club now all grown up forced to come back to Derry, Maine after their old enemy Pennywise comes back to terrorize the unsuspecting town.
The opening scene is nothing short of horribly gruesome, which sets the tone for the rest of the film; you really get a feel early on that Pennywise is back to his old ways of eating people and terrifying Derry. As the rest of the Loser Club went on to live somewhat fulfilling lives, Mike stayed back in order to make sure that when Pennywise returned, he would be there to call on the group so they can reunite and stop him for good; even though our beloved group had forgotten what happened during their childhood.
We're introduced to the now grown up members of the Loser Club, which are basically spitting images to their childhood selves, which is a major shout out to casting. That is all except for Ben, which after seeing the film you will see is for plot reasons. The chemistry between the cast as the adult Loser Club was nothing short of magical, even considering the gruesome circumstances. One of my favorite introductions in the film is of Beverly Marsh, Jessica Chastain was incredible from the visually stunning introduction for Bev to the character development that went on as she decided she had to go back to Derry.
With Bill Hader as Richie, James McAvoy as Bill, Jay Ryan as Ben, Isaiah Mustafa as Mike, James Ransone as Eddie and finally Andy Bean as Stanley, the cast truly gave a performances to remember, individually and together. Bill Hader and James Ransone definitely deserve praise as their interpretations of Richie and Eddie were cinematic gold. Seeing Bill Hader play off the emotions of the young Richie and carry them over to his adult self was truly a sight to see. The whole cast did an excellent job at showcasing the deep bonds these characters have with one another regardless of how many years have gone by.
Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise definitely has to go down as one of the scariest movie clowns. Skarsgard ups the creep level this time around and delivers a performance sure to have people talking. With horror scenes ranging from a little girl getting her head bit off, to a bathroom stall overflowing with thick, red blood, these special effects are sure to have viewers spooked every time they look at a sewer drain or even think about a clown.
Without giving too much more away of the film, this is definitely a must see. Although the run-time is longer than most movies, I would argue it was necessary for the story. The film was frightening, emotional, action-packed and so much more as we were taken back to Derry one last time to watch the Loser Club finally put an end to Pennywise and, in the words of Richie, “Kill that F***ing Clown."
Echo Grade: A+
