It Chapter 2
Cast: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa
Director: Andy Muschietti
It Chapter 2 is another example of how filmmakers lose grip on the story in the sequel. The small but highly violent town of Derry revisits its past and finds that the old was indeed gold and the return of its heroes after 27 years does more harm than good to the nostalgia attached to it.
Mike, one of the members of the Loser Club, calls all his friends back to Derry as strange things have started to take place, which may mark the return of Pennywise The Clown. Bound by their childhood oath, they all return to find that the town hasn’t moved on much, but it seems only they are concerned about its past and what it could bring in future. The police, too, is conspicuously absent in most parts. That also means, the grown up boys—Billy, Ben, Richie, Mike and Eddie—and the traumatised girl Beverly, are supposed to fight Pennywise’s mindgames without losing their soul, quite literally.
After a tone-setting opening sequence, everyone forgets that they need to rush to the center of the problem and find a way to contain the clown. They just keep delving in their past which turns out to be more interesting than the present, even on second viewing.
Unlike the original, Chapter 2 is a drag with more focus on cringe horror than psychedelic effects. For instance, when Mike calls his friends in different cities, they either spill their coffee or just bang their car. It’s funny, not scary.
The set-up for the arrival of Pennywise has been planned so many times in the film that you stop caring whether he will eat the hand or the heart. A couple of scenes are set terrifically, one of them featuring Beverly visiting her old house, but they all lose steam before making you uncomfortable in the seat.
Like compassion, Derry seems to have lost its appetite for a gripping thriller too. It’s not psychological anymore.
But the biggest problem creeps in towards the end when it transforms into those old Ramsay Brothers films where you need to keep chanting and believing in yourself. It’s tiring, to put it mildly.
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The metaphors, which made the first chapter engrossing, are also gone. Instead, some bizarre theories about the original inhabitants of the place have been introduced. They simply fatigue you out.
Everyone, including otherwise delightful James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain, have not gotten their A-game on. They lost touch with Stephan King’s premise and the film.
IT Chapter 2 is a letdown, and isn’t worth your penny. Hope the real Pennywise is not listening.
Rating: 1/5
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