For how middle-of-the-road I felt about It Chapter One, I was really surprised by how excited I was for Chapter Two in the weeks before I saw it. And for the most part that excitement ended up being warranted. A lot of the issues I had with the younger cast were mostly resolved with the older cast, and even though it was a long movie that felt long, it was long in that sort of way that makes you glad you’ve got more time to spend with these people.
But it kind of failed at being scary.
The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s “IT” manages to do an interesting thing. It draws on different aspects of the novel than the miniseries that came before, making it seem like a more faithful adaptation that separates itself from its predecessor, but it also has notes of familiarity that fans of both the book and the miniseries can enjoy.
Unfortunately, it’s not a great movie. It’s not a bad movie, either! The story shuffles along from point A to B as Pennywise the Dancing Clown terrorizes and murders the children of Derry, Maine. Its scares are good and its humorous moments worth some laughs, and the the virtues of moving the setting from the 1950s to the ‘80s — and being an R-rated 2017 film rather than a prime time 1992 TV miniseries — add to the experience.
It’s just missing a lot of heart.
Every year, I say I’m going to read more, and this time I actually did. But I only read two books in 2011, so that’s not really saying much. The 2012 count is at five completed books and one that I gave up on fairly early. All were books I had never read before and most had a science fiction-y slant to them. Here they are, separated by month. Continue reading
The Leisure Time Blog 