It: 5 Things Chapter Two Got Right (& 5 It Got Wrong)

Stephen King’s It is far too big to be adapted into a single movie. But the author made adaptation pretty easy by splitting the novel in half. The first half takes place when the Losers Club are kids and first encounter Pennywise, while the second half catches up with them 27 years later as traumatized adults who reteam to rid Derry of the paranormal entity once and for all.

While the first It movie was praised as a masterclass in cinematic terror and effortlessly became the highest-grossing horror movie ever made, It: Chapter Two was met with much more negative reception. But it still did some things right.

10 Right: Casting The Adult Actors

Taking place 27 years after the first It movie, It: Chapter Two faced the unique challenge of casting adult movie stars to play roles that were portrayed by child actors in the original.

These roles were all wonderfully cast (with a couple of the child actors even getting their personal choices for their adult selves), particularly Jessica Chastain as Bev, James McAvoy as Bill, and Bill Hader as Richie.

9 Wrong: Bloated Runtime

The It sequel clocks in at 169 minutes, pushing the three-hour mark. Horror movies are best kept streamlined at around 90 minutes. They can go to two hours or just over at a push, but at nearly three hours, It: Chapter Two is ridiculously overlong.

The final cut plays like a rough assembly cut. So much of it could’ve been removed without sacrificing any plot, like the painfully unscary flashbacks that seem to be deleted scenes from the first movie.

8 Right: The Mrs. Kersh Scene

The scene with the old lady who now lives in Bev’s childhood home is the only truly terrifying moment in It: Chapter Two. If that scene had existed on its own as a short film — which is pretty much what the movie’s trailer was — it would’ve been a masterpiece.

The suspense between Mrs. Kersh’s introduction as a sweet, innocent old lady and the revelation that she can take the monstrous form of a witch is edge-of-your-seat tense.

7 Wrong: Unscary Set Pieces

Scenes from the first movie like Stan being attacked by the painting that came to life and Eddie being chased by a leper were so scary that they were almost unbearable to watch. By contrast, most of the set pieces in It: Chapter Two aren’t scary at all.

Moments like Richie getting chased by a giant Paul Bunyan statue are just goofy and awkward. One has to wonder if the filmmakers were even trying to scare the audience.

6 Right: Strong Themes

Pennywise serves as a snarling metaphor for trauma in It: Chapter Two. This is used as a springboard for some strong themes about how life isn’t predetermined and we have the freedom to shape our own fate.

This builds on the themes from the first movie — about how tough it is to be a kid — by showing how the characters have psychologically dealt with the haunting events of their childhood.

5 Wrong: On-The-Nose Handling Of Heavy Issues

There are some very serious issues at play in It: Chapter Two, like domestic violence and suicide, and for the most part, the movie handles them in a very on-the-nose way.

A movie about a demon clown doesn’t have a lot of room for subtlety, but there’s a social responsibility when dealing with issues like this.

4 Right: Moving Death Scenes

A couple members of the Losers Club lose their lives in It: Chapter Two, and in each case, it’s a moving moment that tugs on the ol’ heartstrings in a tangible way.

Stan’s first-act suicide and Eddie’s sacrifice in It’s cavern are both moving scenes, the former bringing a soulful shock and the latter resting on the actors’ performances.

3 Wrong: Disjointed Pacing

The pacing of It: Chapter Two is a mess, and it calls attention to the nearly three-hour runtime. At times, it races through huge chunks of plot, like what the characters have been up to for 27 years, and other times, unimportant scenes are agonizingly slow.

A perfect example of the latter is Stephen King’s indulgent cameo as the pawn shop owner, which only serves to wink at the audience in all the worst ways.

2 Right: Faithfulness To The Book

While it deviates a little from Stephen King’s source material, It: Chapter Two is, on the whole, admirably faithful to the book, perhaps even more so than the first movie.

Many filmmakers these days use the books they adapt as a jumping-off point to do their own thing, so it was refreshing to see a director with great respect for what he was adapting.

1 Wrong: Cheapening Pennywise

Whenever Pennywise showed up in the first It movie, it was a terrifying moment. The audience was suitably prepared for something horrifying, and when the clown finally made an appearance, he didn’t disappoint.

Quite the opposite happens in Chapter Two, with a lack of build-up followed by disappointment, and the result cheapens Pennywise’s stature as an iconic horror movie villain.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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