IT: Chapter Two was... fun.
Part two continues the tale of The Losers, now adults reluctantly returning to Derry to face Pennywise for a final time. The aging of the characters has the benefit of gifting us with some great casting. Bill Hader as Richie and James McAvoy as Bill are standouts though most everyone is excellent. Bill Skarsgård once again steals every scene he's in as Pennywise.
The aesthetics of the first film largely carry over here with some good cinematography aiding excellent costume, or should I say, monster design.
The film's problems begin to crop up once The Losers have reunited and set about their unenviable task. The film's approach to horror itself, unlike the book, is a predominantly visual and auditory affair, this being a visual medium that makes sense but the scares themselves lack variety and imaginative set ups. They are done so often with the same timing and execution that even someone with almost no horror film experience would begin to pick up the patterns. Because of the adherence to this pattern the psychological aspect of the horror isn’t developed much and feels abrupt. When the film tries to address its character's mental states, it does so with the same unsubtle approach as the rest of the scares using overt visual metaphors to communicate their interiority. This leaves the horror of the film a visual treat that promises more than it can deliver and leaves the viewer feeling cheated.
The horror of Pennywise is meant to be counterbalanced with the humor and camaraderie of The Losers and this aspect is actually quite well done, much like the first film, the comedy is far more effective than the horror and also more effective at developing the characters, this film is at its best when The Losers are together giving each other shit and reaffirming their strong bonds to one another.
This film is nearly three hours long but manages not to feel like it due to some decent editing that keeps the film moving along at an easy pace never far from a gag or a scare. I just wish the film had more to say at the end of it all.
7/10 Read the book.