”It: Chapter Two” Movie Review

    I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed “It” when it premiered a few years ago.  I am not a huge horror fan nor am I a big Stephen King admirer but the film adaptation of “It” was delightfully well executed.  The book the film was based on is massive, and “It” only comes around half of the source material, notably the portion which covered the main characters as children.  I was eagerly awaiting how “It: Chapter Two” would turn out ever since the project was announced.  Luckily for me, “It: Chapter Two” was finally released last week.

    The film takes place 27 years after the first film and follows Mike contacting childhood friends Bill, Beverly, Richie, Ben, Eddie, and Stanley to come back to Derry, Maine after it is discovered that Pennywise has returned.  The friends reunite once again to honor the pact they made as kids to stop Pennywise once and for all.  To do so, they must all gather personal tokens in order to do an ancient ritual they hope will be the key to killing Pennywise once and for all.

    Luckily for me, the film largely lived up to my expectations and I thought it was among the best films of the year.  The film isn’t perfect but the pros definitely outweigh the few cons the film has.  I have to admit that I was concerned considering in the original “It” miniseries, the part featuring the adults was the weakest act despite decent actors.

    Perhaps the biggest strength of the movie is it’s cast.  I loved the young cast of the first film and I was a little on the fence about some of the adult casting in this film, mainly Isaiah Mustafa since I was afraid he would take me out of the movie because of his Old Spice commercial fame.  Fortunately, Mustafa was actually fairly good in the film (although not the highlight either).  James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain headline the ensemble cast (and reunite after appearing in “Dark Phoenix” together this year) and give incredible performances.  The real standout performance came from “Saturday Night Live” alumni Bill Hader.  Hader is at times hilarious and at other times appropriately terrified.  Bill Hader really surprised me with how good he was considering Hader’s casting was the one I was most concerned with.

    In addition to the new cast, the young actors from the first film also return to play the young versions of the main characters.  Their performances are among the highlights of the film once again.  Their scenes play like a scarier version of the film “Stand By Me” which is also based on a work by Stephen King.  As good as the adult actors were, they still did not mesh as well as the young cast did.  Perhaps that is because the group seems to be close in real life, even appearing at public events like the Motor City Comic Con together.  The only problem with the young cast some people have in this film is because they were de-aged via computer animation (though I didn’t really notice it when I watched it).  Lastly, Bill Skarsgård also returns as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and once again kills it (pun intended).

    Director Andy Muschietti once again creates a creepy atmosphere and gets incredible performances from his cast.  Muschietti will no doubt have an incredible career ahead of him and I look forward to what he brings to the upcoming DC film “The Flash”.  The cinematography of the film is also incredible and several shots are stunning throughout.

    One complaint some movie goers might have about the film comes from how similar the film feels to the first part.  This is typically a problem most sequels face and this film is no exception.  Despite the fact that this film largely serves as a scavenger hunt, much of the scares remain the same.  The film is also not as scary as the first film and focuses more on being a character study (though the scares that do come up are very well executed).

    One potential problem audiences might have as well is the runtime.  At around three hours, the film is a real workout on the bladder.  There are definitely scenes that could have been edited out without hurting the final cut.  That being said, even at three hours, the film is fairly well paced and does not feel as long as it is.

    One incredible aspect of the film that wasn’t ‘needed’ but added a lot to the film were all the little nods to the Tim Curry miniseries and the Stephen King Book.  I also loved the little Stephen King cameo in the film which also proved King has a sense of humor about his work.

    “It: Chapter Two” isn’t quite as good as “It” but it was still a very good film.  If you enjoyed “It”, the sequel is definitely a treat you would be sure to enjoy.  I am hoping that “Doctor Sleep”, the next Stephen King adaptation, lives up to these films.  Fingers crossed.

Grade: A-

“Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” Movie Review

    With a slew of new movies hitting theaters this October, it’s easy to see how a movie can get lost in the shuffle.  What is a little harder to believe is that a sequel to a relatively fun family movie would get overlooked but that is exactly what happened with “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”.  The first movie was an entertaining Halloween offering for the family, much like this sequel, setting it apart from films like “Halloween” and “The Nun”.  Plus there is the nostalgia factor, what 30ish year old didn’t read at least one “Goosebumps” book growing up?  Was the movie just not up to snuff?  Is it because the target age bracket doesn’t have as much dispensable income?  Or perhaps was the marketing campaign poor?
    First, let’s look at the movie at hand and it’s premise.  The movie starts out with a couple of odd ball friends who start a trash pickup service.  The two friends open a book at the old house they are cleaning and accidentally unleash Slappy the Dummy.  The book happened to be R.L. Stein’s first unfinished “Goosebumps” book and like in the first film, the subject of the book comes to life.  Slappy decides the world needs to experience a true “Goosebumps” haunted Halloween and brings many creatures and monsters to life.
    Okay, so did this film give me goosebumps?  Well, I liked the movie overall.  Was it perfect?  Of course not.  Was it as good as the first movie?  I don’t think it was personally.  That being said, it was fun and the whole family could enjoy it, which is becoming less common lately.
    The movie had some pacing issues.  Towards the middle of the film and even the beginning, the movie drug some.  Once Slappy started his rampage, the film’s pace picked up quickly, but it took some time.  I did really enjoy the monster rampage though.
    The film starred Jeremy Ray Taylor and Caleel Harris as the two friends trying to survive school and unleash Slappy.  Taylor seems the more natural of the two child actors but neither were bad.  Madison Iseman plays Taylor’s sister in the film.  “Reno 911” and “The Goldbergs” vet Wendi McLendon-Convey plays their mother.  Chris Parnell plays the cashier with a crush on McLendon-Convey’s character.  They have a fun and funny chemistry while flirting in the film.  Most notably, Jack Black returns in an extended cameo as R.L. Stein.  Black is great and even though his role is very small, he is the highlight of the film.  Also of note is Ken Jeong as a “Goosebumps” and Halloween fanboy.  He was extremely humorous in the film.
    Of the stuff I liked, the “It” reference had me laughing out loud especially considering Jeremy Ray Taylor co-starred in the recent remake.  I also liked the cliffhanger ending which reminded me of the book series.  I also really enjoyed the character of Slappy the Dummy.  His cartoonish scheme and cackle had me laughing (although I am not sure it was always supposed to make me laugh, I did regardless).
    “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” wasn’t a game changer or the most entertaining film I ever watched.  It was worth the ticket price though which you can’t say about every movie these days.  Most importantly, like the book series, it’s a fun few years to waste.

Grade: B-