I am not a very big fan of remakes, and the reason for that is as simple as they come. Honestly, a remake just doesn’t have quite the same magic of the original. If you add in the technology of today, then the remake is full of CGI, and other special effects. It becomes less about the story being told, and more about the wow factor. Of course, that depends on the type of movie being remade. Since IT is basically a horror film, I was afraid that it would be all about the CGI, and the horror it brings, and less about the story. I am happy to say that I was wrong about this. Oh, IT brought the horror, but IT also brought the story. It was a fast paced story, but at least we got a story. The movie IT is definitely a new take on a horror classic!
Okay, so if I’m not a fan of remakes, you might be asking yourself, then why did she actually pay to see IT at the theatre? It really only boils down to one reason, and you can think of me what you will, AFTER you hear my reasoning. I’m a Skarsgård fan! Yes, you read that right! I’m a fan of the whole Skarsgård family, and Bill Skarsgård is of no exception. After seeing him portray Roman Godfrey in Hemlock Grove, I just knew he would kill it as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. As a fan, I wanted to see him just ace the part, so I had a date to watch IT on September 8th! I will get to that awesome performance a bit later in the review.
THE ORIGINAL VERSES THE REMAKE
As I already stated my fears about IT being more about the special effects, I was pleasantly surprised (and glad) that the remake didn’t go overboard in this area. After I watched the 2017 version, I decided to watch the original first part again that I found in a 5 dollar movie bin. I loved the fact that the remake stuck pretty damn close to the original, and with hardly any embellishments. Since the original was a made for TV movie, that version of IT couldn’t quite pack the horror in, not as much as IT would have liked to. We knew poor Georgie had his arm ripped off, but it was only implied, not seen. The remake of IT took care of that, and more! IT brought the blood, the horror that comes with Pennywise, and still brought about the story of these kids in the Loser’s Club.
The original movie was set in 1960, and the remake was set in 1988. In that year, I was in high school, and I got a chuckle out of seeing (and hearing) Ben“My heart beats there too” Hanscom jamming out to (drum roll please) New Kids on the Block! My friend and I exchanged a quick glance (and the aforementioned chuckle), because I was quite a huge fan of that particular boy band. Ben, hopefully having that band in your CD player will land you the girl! We will have to wait for part two for that answer!
In both the original, and the remake, IT doesn’t really state what will destroy Pennywise. I think I can get behind that, as these are children dealing with something that’s much bigger than themselves. In the original, Richie automatically thinks silver will do the trick, (he did just watch a werewolf movie) and in the remake, they are just winging it as well. I think, (and hope) that, as adults, they might take their time to think on it, but how does one get rid of a creature/monster that only comes around every 27 years? It can’t be easy, right? My Mom always said that Stephen King had one hell of a wicked imagination!
THE LOSER’S CLUB
Image Credit: New Line Cinema
I know my reason for watching this remake might have made me seem a bit shallow, but the fact that I love it for more than good ole Bill Skarsgård, should earn me some more credit! The kids playing the gang in the Loser’s Club really have some mad acting skills! All of them really put the viewer in their characters mind set, and made you root for them to overcome their fears. I can’t imagine accomplishing what these young actors did in this film. I would say that they have a very bright future indeed!
BILL SKARSGARD AS PENNYWISE
Image Credit: New Line Cinema
I’m going to really try NOT to compare the two Pennies, because they are as different and day. Tim Curry really made Pennywise a very creepy clown, right down to his mannerisms. I have a friend who absolutely freaks out when she sees a clown to this day, thanks to Tim. Curry’s Pennywise played mind games with the kids, and then brought the terror. Bill made Pennywise his own with a childlike quality, putting on an act or show, drawing you in, and then completely scaring the S@!T out of you!
He had this sweet, syrupy voice that you knew could turn deadly at the drop of a hat. I think what I found most scary about Bill’s Penny was this giggle that he had throughout the movie, kind of childlike, but super creepy at the same time! You know that little giggle or MHMMM we all heard from Professor Umbridge, right before she did or said something nasty? It was like that, but 20 times worse. I knew Bill Skarsgård would rock this role of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. I’m ready for Chapter 2, what about you? What did you think of the movie? Let us know in the comments section!
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