"Hiyo Georgie, what a nice boat. I'm Pennywise the dancing clown, now we aren't strangers are we?"
With his piercing burnt orange eyes shattering the darkness, his high pitched tone truly sent shivers down my spine. Poor little Georgie just wanted to play with his sailboat and instead, his disappearance kicked off a string of missing children that fell victim to Pennywise's tricks.
In one of the newest horror movies, Stephen King's classic IT story is retold -- portraying a truly disturbing clown with a sinister agenda. Overall, IT did an excellent job of ensuring I didn't sleep that night, much less blink my eyes. The daunting suspense and unsettling horrors completely explained my curiously of why so many people have an irrational fear of clowns. However, it wasn't simply the thrill that drew in the audience, it was the hilarious banter between characters and the nostalgia of a friend group who doesn't quit on each other. While many aspects of the film did Stephen King's IT novel justice, there are certain tidbits that could have been better addressed in the movie.
Ultimately, the film performed well in creating an eerie clown movie that forced the audience to second guess ever attending a circus again or coming within ten feet of a sewer drain. Although as mentioned, there are some issues to not of importance that could have been better addressed in the movie.
Starting at the beginning of the movie. Let's be honest, why did Georgie have to die? I understand his death ensued his brother's fierce desire to enlist a search in hopes of resuing missing Georgie. Yet, it is truly unsettling how Georgie is brutally mutilated prior to his feeble body being dragged into the sewer. His sweet voice, his admiration for his older brother, and pure innocence; Georgie didn't have to die the way he did.
Onto the main storyline of the film, we follow a group of boys dragged into the protagonist, Bill's, plan to find the clown and save the children that have gone missing. As each boy faces their most wretched fears, there is still a brevity to what is happening. Their reactions to these fears are full of witty sarcasm when interacting with their friends. The sassy banter between the boys really makes it difficult holding onto the reality that one of them might fall victim to Pennywise.
Throughout the storyline, it is perplexing to understand the motives behind Pennywise the clown. We can take away basic assumptions, such as he is a creepy clown that hopes to steal the souls of children by showing them what they fear most. However, there wasn't much more depth than that. There weren't any nostalgic flashbacks that explain Pennywise's backstory; I would have liked to know his reasoning behind attacking these children throughout Derry's entire town history. How did he end up there in the first place? What happened in the other tragic events in Derry's history? So many questions unanswered, but maybe this is a good excuse for a sequel.
Despite the intense horror, ultimately I had two favorite parts that had nothing to do with Pennywise's creepy blood covered hands or the haunted house taunting little children to enter.
First, there is a moment of doubt when the boys refuse to enter the haunted house, otherwise known as Pennywise's dungeon. This was the only lead Bill had to find his sweet brother Georgie. Throughout the film, Bill is perceived as weak because of his stutter. In this moment, Bill's stutter disappears as he steps up to the plate to face fear.
Second, this is at the very end of the film. Pennywise tries to strike a deal with the boys -- if they leave him alone with Bill as a sacrifice, he will not take any more children from the town and they will be safe. Of course, the nerdy, smartass, Richy, takes a stand. Ranting about Bill put them into such a huge mess, it is evident the boys are going to take Pennywise's deal and desert Bill for a tasty treat. Yet, right when all hope is lost -- you hear Richy says that he is mostly mad at Bill because they are going to have to kill this clown as he sputters "Welcome to the Loser's Club!"
Whether it was the disturbing behaviors of Pennywise the clown or the loyalty seen in the boys' friendship, IT's storyline is well developed. Trickling in comedic parts brought a brevity to a sinister tragedy, and the friendship of the boys has a goodhearted feel. Overall, the movie IT made me wish I was a neighborhood kid riding my bike around all day but also has led to my investment in a night light.
