In recent years, the horror genre has started to become a bit unpopular. Not saying that horror films were failing in any way, but rather that nothing really revolutionized or brought new life into the genre since "Paranormal Activity". People started to see the horror genre becoming rather bland as the only horror franchise worth seeing is the "Conjuring" universe, whose films aren't the most critically beloved. But then, "It" was released. A film that the studio believed will be a modest hit at most. After all, outside of the source material by Stephan King, the director and actors were very unknown and the dark themes of the film could turn audiences away. Except it didn't. The film will become the highest-grossing horror film of all time and was a critical darling to all, spawning a sequel that I will also be reviewing. The plot revolves around the Loser's Club, a group of kids who are outcasted for various reasons, and their encounters against an ancient evil force known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, leading to a plan to somehow defeat the monster so no kid can be harmed again in the town of Derry. The movie mostly follows the story from the book, but does divert some aspects that are reasonable to leave out. While I'm fine with the story in general, what I'm not fine with is the overall tone of the film. The film bounces around from a serious horror to a goofy comedy in a bunch of different ways. While I'm fine with the realistic dialogue and certain moments that reflect on the youthful energy of the cast, scenes like the rock fight, cleaning up the bathroom of blood or the constant referencing of The New Kids On The Block removed out-of-context from the film look like they belong in a completely different movie. This also affects Pennywise as an antagonist, but I will discuss him later. The tone however can be really distracting as it feels like the filmmakers had no real direction at all.
When it comes to the characters, the kids that take up the Loser's Club are extremely well-written and acted by child actors that bring the film the energy and charm that is needed for the movie to work. From Bill, Richie, Ben, Beverly, Stanley, Mike, and Eddie, all of the children characters are likeable and you root for them to survive and take down Pennywise. In terms of who's my favourite kid characters, it's Bill, Richie, and Mike, but every kid character is likeable and anyone can have their favourites. The secondary antagonist, Henry, is also a nice obstacle for the Loser's Club as it's a threat more grounded in reality, which is a bully who is being manipulated by Pennywise to becoming more psychopathic. I won't touch upon the parent characters, since they barely appear and while having quirks and traits of their own, don't matter much in the film, outside of Beverly's abusive father. But then, you have Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgard. He's the other half of the cast that needs to prevail as the most iconic character in Stephen King's library. Pennywise is sadly affected by the film's uneven tone and his performance shows. Although his design and scenes of horror prove that he is a scary force, Skarsgard portrays Pennywise unintentionally goofy at these scenes, especially his weird dancing at the end of the film. It doesn't help that his design in general is too unnatural. Tim Curry's portrayal had a much more grounded design that gives off charisma to unsuspecting kids. Skarsgard is too creepy and obvious that he is sinister and it makes the scene with Georgie unrealistic. With that said, Pennywise is enjoyable to watch, but I don't find him scary at all and actually find him funny then horrifying.
The directing by Andy Muschietti is really solid, if you choose to ignore the tone. He captures the town of Derry as your typical town, but with something in the atmosphere giving you an off-putting vibe. Whenever the Loser's Club is onscreen together, the colours are more brighter and warmer to show the innocence of adolescents. However, whenever the kids aren't together, most of these scenes have a more darker or toned-down aesthetic, showing either the insecurities of the kids or the tension-building mood. The visual effects can be a mixed bag though as while some creature effects work out due to their movement and design, the effects used on Pennywise is unnatural and brings up the question of why they couldn't use practical effects with Pennywise, who is a physical actor. The cinematography by Chung-hoon Chung also helps bring Muschietti's directing view in the film with a lot of open shots that capture the surroundings of the characters and gives off a dirty yet polished feel with the camerawork. The score by Benjamin Wallfisch is good, but can overstay its welcome in certain scenes. I will also praise that Muschietti doesn't cram in so much 80's nostalgia outside of the New Kids On The Block references. I actually love the attention to detail in some scenes, especially when a character is playing the first Street Fighter arcade cabinet, not the famous Street Fighter II, which the movie, Captain Marvel, made the mistake of showing during a flashback scene in 1989, when the 2nd entry wasn't made until 1991. Overall, Muschietti, Chung, and Wallfisch all did a great job with the film and will perhaps get more recognized work in the future.
Reading the title of this review, I will answer the question of whether "It" is overrated with a big yes. For me, the tone is a huge issue, along with some mediocre visual effects that both affect Pennywise as a character and device of horror, providing me with mixed messages about whether moments were intentionally made from the director. However, I must say that I still think the movie is quite solid with a great cast, solid directing and cinematography, good composing, and the feeling of dread and a sinister nature whenever the film manages to handle its tone. For me, it's not the most unique or revolutionary horror film with a problem in its identity, hence why I find it rather overrated. I feel that movies like Split or Get Out coming out of the same year makes me consider those movies more flavourful when it comes to the product. "It" however is a solid Stephan King adaptation and although it's not the greatest horror film in recent years, it has reminded people that horror films can still be well-made and fun to watch.
Verdict: 7.5/10. Very good, but not going down as a great horror film of the decade in my opinion. Could the sequel be just as good though?
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