Movieman Madness: Cinema Spotlight VII - Andrés Muschietti (Part 3): "It: Chapter Two"

The general consensus with the It mini-series is that Part Two isn't as good as Part One. The less said about that spider, the better. With the same team, lead by Andy Muschietti, can they bring the same quality from Chapter One and greatly improve in the second chapter of the Losers club?

Twenty-seven years have passed since the Losers defeated Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård). Each have left Derry and moved on with their lives: Beverly(Jessica Chastain) is a fashion designer, Bill (James McAvoy) is a writer, Richie (Bill Hader) is a stand-up comedian, Eddie (James Ransone) is a risk assessor, Ben (Jay Ryan) is an architect, and Stanley (Andy Bean) is an accountant. Only Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) remained in Derry, working as a librarian and unconvinced that Pennywise is truly dead. Sure enough, It makes it's return, prompting Mike to call in the rest of the Losers.

Chapter Two functions like an extended edition of Chapter One with the adult Losers reminiscing their childhood days of Derry, both the good and bad; filling in many gaps of Chapter One with the young actors of the first film reprising their roles (the digital rendering used to keep the kids young can be noticeable at times but isn't distracting). At nearly three-hours, Muschietti dedicates the runtime on the Losers' memories as it contrasts their personal journey when they split up in Derry. So much so that no time is given to the other characters that played in role in their lives; adult Henry Bowers (Teach Grant) being the one exception.

One missed opportunity is with the character of Greta, a female bully who goes after Beverly and Eddie and gets away with her torment. Outside of a brief cameo, nothing is done with her character. When Pennywise take's her form in one scene, this could have been a shining moment for Beverly in facing a past fear as she did with her father. Speaking of Beverly, her abusive husband Tom along with Bill's wife Audrey are reduced to cameos despite their prominent roles in the book and mini-series, taking away further growth for Bill who continues to feel guilt for not being there for Georgie. The denizens of Derry continue to be vile as seen in the prologue as once again Pennywise's influence is suggested but never explored even when all is said and done.

The scares and gore is more brutal than its predecessor, courtesy of Skarsgård's petrifying portrayal of Pennywise. Chapter 2 shows more of his power that couldn't be shown back 1990. Chastain and her loser co-stars are spot on as the grown-up Losers as it's great seeing Ransone in a horror film since the Sinister duology, and Hader steals the show in his first serious role while still being funny.

While we didn't get to see many of the out-there elements from King's novel or tying up some narrative loose-ends, the Losers' camaraderie is what keeps this Chapter Two afloat (pun intended), though an explanation on one character's fate came off as problematic than sympathetic. Like with Chapter One, what Muschietti is able to squeeze in the run-time is commendable. With reports of a supercut in development, that includes additional footage, and combing both parts like the mini-series, I'd definitely watch it.

Collaborations:

Jessica Chastian in her second Muschietti movie.

Javier Botet reprises his role as Pennywise's leper form.

Trademarks

Beige logo

Real or not:

The Neibolt house once again messing with the Losers' minds.

Monster that lures Children

Monster History

Mike gives further details on Pennywise's history and
Beverly notices an unsettling picture.

Mama

This plush moose was used in Muschietti's first film Mama.
Belonging to the girls before the ghostly abduction
In Chapter 2, it's used as a carnival prize in the prologue.

Ordinary but Scary: