Excal Movie Review – Stephen King’s “It”

Have you seen It yet?! If you have not, I advise you prepare yourself for some creepy clown action. This movie is based on Stephen King’s famous novel, It, and really does the book justice. The movie concentrates on a group of unpopular kids who willingly fight against Pennywise, a shape-shifting demonic entity that feeds off their fear. Pennywise would target each of the kids specific fear and use it against them, shifting into their worst nightmare right in front of their eyes, but could easily disappear and appear without consent. Bill Skarsgård does an outrageously amazing job as Pennywise, adding his own twist on the character in comparison to Tim Curry in the It 1990 TV adaptation. Skarsgård had a lot of weight on his shoulders being Pennywise since he really had to redefine the character in a way that would out-do Tim Curry’s version in respect. He is seriously so creepy and unsettling; it’s been awhile since I’ve been completely creeped out and terrified during a horror film! He also does this very creepy laugh and does this thing with his eyes where one is looking one way and one is looking directly at the camera. Spooky. However, a lot of people think he was too coy or too subtle in comparison to Tim Curry’s version, proving to be less memorable. In my opinion, the mixture of his coyness with CGI and that evil laugh was enough to make me uncomfortable and I didn’t really need an obnoxious clown. I think we’ve seen enough of clowns and their unsettling pushiness, Skarsgård’s subtle demeanor made you wonder what he was planning next.

If you watched Stranger Things, you will love this. The Netflix show is influenced by Stephen King novels, with a similar concept of kids going against justice. This also makes me very nostalgic of E.T. Finn Wolfhard, one of the protagonists in Stranger Things; he is also a character in the movie, and is brilliantly hilarious. The director Andy Muschietti shows true art in visually objectifying fear and redefining it prior to every individual kid in the group. The main focus is on the lives of the each kid to understand their personal life and where their fear came from. The kid actors in It are charismatic and really make the movie. It made me reflect on my years in junior year, and how it felt always being the most popular kid in school. Their situation is totally relatable; who doesn’t like a group of underdogs fighting against evil?!

We all know how thick Stephen King novels are. This film is only part one of the novel, so hopefully as a result of good ratings and sales rumors emerge of a part two, which is pretty exciting. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend to all those horror film fanatics. And if you are too afraid, bring a friend. It is already named the “Biggest Grossing Scary Movie” by Forbes. I would without a doubt watch It again; there is so much detail Andy Muschietti left for us to uncover.