Saw It last night. It's easily one of the best Stephen King films (It sticks pretty close to the novel) and is a new modern horror classic. Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise is a revelation. He still gets a few silly or funny moments, but is more-so feral, beastly, animalistic and terrifying. All the kids in the losers club are fantastic, with the standouts being Finn Wolfhard (as Richie Tozier), Jaeden Lieberher (as 'stuttering' Bill Denbrough), Jack Dylan Grazer (as Eddie Kaspbrak), Sophia Lillis (as Beverly Marsh), and Jeremy Ray Taylor (as Ben Hanscom). It is definitely a horror film, but there's a coming-of-age tale woven into the fabric of the film (The Losers' Club forms when each member is just starting to go through puberty). 'It' can be a bit generic or conventional at times, some parts feel a bit rushed or condensed, and some of the scares can border on being silly. That said, Andres Muschietti (director), Gary Dauberman (co-scriptwriter), Cary Fukunaga (co-scriptwriter) and Chase Palmer (co-scriptwriter) are clearly crazy about Stephen King and worked their butts off to ensure 'It' would do Stephen King's horror epic justice. 'It' is scary, 'It' is creepy, 'It' is mad entertaining, 'It' will stay with you, and if you are at all a fan of horror or Stephen King, then 'It' is a must-see. I foresee 'It' becoming very well regarded and beloved. This could be one we end up talking about for years to come, in other words: A modern horror classic. BRING ON CHAPTER 2!
4.5 Stars
