There are problems with this film and its largely narrative. Its 35 minutes longer than chapter one and yet there is very little reason for it. Overall these films run to 5 hours and 4 minutes which is about two hours longer than the 1990 version. Ok the 1990 is meant to be terrible (minus Tim Curry) but we spend five hours doing what could have been done in three. We have to spend an age seeing the losers as adults and they all react differently. It felt at times like they were padding things out to hold off the final act for as long as possible. There are a couple of moments where someone wants to leave and gets talked out of it.
It really doesn’t get going until they arrive at the chinese restaurant. Then what happens from that moment are a series of moments which are done well but then there is a gag that undermines it a little bit. Its first noticeable in the restaurant and then happens a few times. I’m not sure whether they felt it needed a bit of humour but I found it distracting. Also there a moment where young Eddie is covered in black goo and play Angel in the Morning for no reason. There are also a couple of moments which caused laughter in the screening I was in and I cant say that I was surprised or bothered. It was hard to take them seriously at times.
There are good things and they are largely the cast. I thought that all the people in this are on top for and I believe they are the same character that they were in the first film. I’m not the biggest James McAvoy fan and yet actually found him to be quite good. Jessica Chastain was equally as good as the grown up the Beverly. However everyone is overshadowed by Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise. I thought that he was really good in the first one and is equally as good in this one. Some people have commented that when he is out in daylight then he loses his menace but I disagree. I thought that every time that he was on screen he was scary and chilling.
The jump scares were quite good. The one scare with the giant statue man with the axe did make pretty much everyone in the screening I was in jump (including myself). Normally they are quite forgettable two seconds after they appear, but on this occasion they are well done. Also the fact that they have managed to degage the younger cast was done quite well. For a while I thought they must have filmed it during the first one but then I thought they can make people look younger like they did in the Avengers film and most of the time the de-aging effect is well done. There are a few moments where its quite obvious but overall its done well.
I don’t think that Chapter 2 is as good as the first. But its not terrible and bearing in mind I was worried that this film was going to disappoint me, thankfully it didn’t and that was a relief.
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