‘It Chapter Two’ Provides Ideal Casting With A Surreal Running Time [REVIEW]

Two years after “It” became the highest grossing R-rated horror film of all time, the second and “final” chapter in the franchise premiered in theaters over the weekend. I say “final” in quotes because there have been rumors swirling that Bill Skarsgård, who plays Pennywise, isn’t opposed to a stand alone It movie, but back to the subject at hand.

Directed by Andy Muschietti, “It Chapter Two” picks up 27 years following the events the Losers Club (Beverly Marsh – Jessica Chastain (adult)/Sophia Lillis (young), Richie Tozier – Bill Hader (adult)/Finn Wolfhard (young), Bill Bendenbrough – James McAvoy (adult)/Jaden Martell (young), Mike Hanlon – Isaiah Mustafa (adult)/Chosen Jacobs (young), Eddie Kasbrack – James Ransone (adult)/Jack Dylan Grazer (young), Ben Hanscom – Jay Ryan (adult)/Jeremy Ray Taylor (young), and Andy Bean – Stanley Uris (adult)/Wyatt Oleff (young)) experienced in the 2017 film “It.”

The Losers promised to return to Derry, Maine and kill the supernatural being Pennywise if he was to return. Unfortunately the oath must be fulfilled once violent deaths and child disappearances start in the small town again, so the Losers come home to face their fears and the demonic clown for round two. I’ve been very vocal about not being a fan of clowns, but Pennywise and the “It” franchise is a clown story like no other that makes it entertaining to watch. I headed to the theaters opening weekend to check out the film for myself and below is my breakdown on the highlights, and “dead lights,” of “It Chapter Two.” SPOILERS AHEAD 

Photo: Warner Bros.

Was Bill Hader’s Richie Tozier Oscar worthy?
Critics who watched “It” before the film release were raving about Bill Hader’s performance as the adult version of Richie Tozier, played by Finn Wolfhard in the 2017 film. Others who got to see the film before it officially hit theaters also raved about how great Bill Hader was to watch in this role, so I had high expectations about what Bill was going to do on-screen as Richie.

Now don’t get me wrong, Bill made for some of the funniest moments of the movie just like Finn did in the first one but I wasn’t blown away to the point where I’m agreeing with the Oscar buzz he was getting from “It Chapter Two.” Hader did give a wonderful portrayal of Richie and was able to capture what Finn already put in place for the character. I will admit his emotional scenes did get me misty eyed and I remember a lot more details about his scenes than the others because they really did stand out, but Oscar buzz I’m not getting. Good job though Bill.

Ideal Casting. Surreal running time
I will never get off my soap box and not be awed at just how amazing the casting for “It Chapter Two” is. Casting Director Rich Delia deserves an award for bringing together the perfect group of people to pull off this second film. Even down to Henry Bowers (Teach Grant (adult)/Nicholas Hamilton (young), I couldn’t stop smiling at how ideal the casting was which made it easier to decipher who the adult versions of the characters were. The only thing that bothered me with the look of the cast was Finn Wolfhard’s age down to reflect a similar appearance to what he looked like in the 2017 film.

All my Stranger Things fans know and have witnessed the growth spur Finn has had since season one to season three of the show. “It Chapter Two” goes back and forth in time to show how the young Losers experienced Pennywise when they had that big fight and didn’t talk to each other for a bit and of course them as adults returning to Derry. To me the age down for the younger cast didn’t seem noticeable outside of Finn. I couldn’t get past that Baby Face Snapchat filter Finn was rocking and it was really distracting whenever he came on screen.

As mentioned above, the film has a timeline that jumps to the young and adult versions of the characters. Although the transitions were seamless it made the film a little too long; the running time is 2 hours and 49 minutes. Each character must locate a meaningful token to sacrifice in a ritual they must do to kill Pennywise. They all split up to locate their token in town which then creates five sub stories of going back in time. That’s what made the film longer than it needed to be, but I guess it was necessary to give Pennywise scares.

Photo: Warner Bros.

Fear Factor
As a self-proclaimed fear fan and horror lover I may not be the best person to listen to. It takes a lot to scare me, but the “terrifying” images are not scary. Many are quite amusing as I feel the first “It” is in general. The jump scares were easy to anticipate so I’m mad at myself for jumping ONCE and towards the end of the film. Almost made it.

Bill Skarsgård really does a stupendous performance of Pennywise. His cadence and mannerisms are haunting to watch and I would probably be afraid of him if this character wasn’t so comical. One thing I love about this franchise is that it blends the fear and funny perfectly. In one instance you could be feeling the hairs on the back of your neck rising and the suspense building in your chest, but then it’s alleviated in the same sequence because of a joke or a humorous happening. I don’t think you need to go into this movie thinking you’re going to be scared out of your wits or even have nightmares after. It’s an exciting thrill ride where some moments fall flat, but worth a watch in the theater on a big screen and in surround sound.

I give “It Chapter Two” three Glambergirlblog kisses 💋💋💋.

Watch the final “It Chapter Two” trailer and a recap of the first film from the cast in the clips below. Did you check out the second “It” film this weekend? Do you plan to? What did you think? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section.

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Photo: Warner Bros.