After the theatrical release of the first movie in the “It” series, fans were awarded a sneak peek of the second movie in the sequence after the credits. It teased older versions of the protagonists and gave us a chilling final music track, which soon became well known in the world of “It.” The second movie was scheduled to release two years later, and those who were interested in seeing it grew impatient while waiting for its arrival. When it came out, critics downgraded the movie, pointed out its mistakes, and even told others to save their money. Here are a few of Logan’s student views on the film.
Albert Joshua Quibin, a 9th grade Logan student, agreed to give us his take on the movie.
“The movie was a huge disappointment,” Quibin said. “It was the exact same movie as the first, but even more childish. It was quite a cliche, as in any horror movie when the protagonists are split, chaos erupts and the plot is set. With this being said, the film’s conversations and general dialogue was still appreciated, and even added a comedic tone to the film.”
One of the highlights of the first It film, the visual and sound effects, were seen as subpar by many critics and audience members.
“Nothing was really eye-catching as far as imagery and sounds,” Quibin said. “The only true iconic object in the entire movie was the infamous red balloons belonging to Pennywise. Whenever these red balloons appeared, everyone sort of knew that something was about to happen.”
This was similar to some of the previous reviews found on Google and IMDb. Many found the movie predictable, with little suspense. The final showdown with Pennywise also was a disappointment. Still, many fans of the book and the first chapter will still want to experience the film.
“If you saw the first movie, then yes, you should watch this one only to finish the series, or if you like horror movies then this would be a cool one to see,” Quibin said. “If you don’t see it though, it really doesn’t matter–you’re not missing out on anything. I would give it 2 stars because I was a bit bored, as well as disappointed in the movie. The wait wasn’t worth it.”
Another student, who preferred their identity to be kept unknown, reiterated the general view.
“Dude. It was so bad!” No other context was provided.
Most could assume from these two responses that this particular movie was a bust. But this reviewer had a different opinion about it.
It Chapter 2 was better than It Chapter 1. It was a longer movie but was more successful at drawing the audience’s attention, with a weird twist in imagery to go along with it.
(Some spoilers included below)
The movie opens up with a warm, loving scene. It involves laughter, children, a couple in love, and a series of lights from the nearby carnival. Minutes later, there is an extreme turn of events, with a very gory and gruesome scene. I could easily assume the film was going to be somewhat disturbing and expected there to be violence and blood at every set change – and I was correct. It seems as if Stephen King and the film’s creators left their sympathy at home when they made this film.
Another addition to the movie was the surplus of creatures and monsters that shared screen time with the main attraction, Pennywise. From spiders with baby doll remains, to flying severed heads – to even screaming paintings – the producers incorporated the much needed weird side of the series.
I really appreciated all of this, as I felt it was missing in the first film.
The horror visuals definitely made up for the lack of them in Chapter 1, and the movie finally obtained the surrealness it deserved. It can truly be classified as a horror film now. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves an interesting movie. Despite the fact of it being a “horror” film, the hidden meanings and dialogue, strange characters, as well as the jumps between past and present tense, will definitely leave its audience drawn to the screen. Oh, to the people out there with coulrophobia (fear of clowns), It would be best to stay away from this movie … maybe a little further … just by that sewer. Yeah, that’s a good place…
*WARNING: GRAPHIC MATERIAL INCLUDED, INVOLVING CHILDREN. IF ANY OF THIS IS DISTURBING TO YOU, DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM. NOT SUITABLE FOR VIEWERS UNDER 13*
