The Conclusion of the Losers Club & Their History with Pennywise!

Kaleidoscope's newest is on Warner Bros. & New Line Cinema's production of "It Chapter Two".  Directed by Andy Muschietti, the movie stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Bill Skarsgard, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, & Andy Bean.  Rated 'R', it has a running time of 2 hr., 49 min.

The year is 2016, & a gay couple wins a prize for a little girl at a fair.  After the couple departs the fair, they are crossing a bridge.  Here, they are accosted by some men who begin taunting them.  The taunting turns to violence, & 1 member of the couple is tossed over the bridge.  The perpetrators run away, & the other man in the couple runs down the embankment--only to see his partner killed by It, aka Pennywise the Clown, (Skarsgard) across the river.  Mike Hanlon--the only member of the Loser's Club to remain in Derry where he has become the town librarian--overhears the incident on his police scanner & rushes to the bridge.  Arriving there, Mike realizes that It has returned--27 years after he murdered Bill's (McAvoy) little brother Georgie.  Mike then calls the members of the Club--Bill, Beverly (Chastain), Richie (Hader), Ben (Ryan), Eddie (Ransone), & Stan (Bean).  Although the phone calls from Mike trouble them deeply, they all agree to return to Derry based on the pact that they all swore to as 'blood brothers' when they were children in the Club.  Unfortunately, after Stan hangs up, he commits suicide.  After the others arrive, they meet at a local Chinese restaurant & gather in a room that Mike has reserved for them.  As they catch up, Mike outlines what has so far occurred.  The night goes terribly wrong, however, when their fortune cookies reveal to the group what has happened to Stan; soon thereafter, various horrors are conjured up by It, leaving the dinner in disarray.  Act I soon concludes as the action & terrors ratchet up.

Muschietti follows up his success with 2017's "It" with the even scarier, & thematically deeper, "Chapter Two".  He adroitly handles the many transitions between when the Club-ers are kids & when they are adults.  Mushchietti wisely spends equal time among all of the characters, fleshing them out so that we understand how the 'children are fathers to the men/woman'.  Each of the main roles is rounded so that we understand how each one acts when when they all must ultimately deal with the full power of Pennywise in Act III.  While much credit is given to Muschietti as he realizes Stephen King's vision on screen, more credit must be granted to Gary Dauberman's screenplay.  The best of King's work--i.e., "The Shining", "The Body", "Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption", "Needful Things", along with "It"--approach great literature in that they are thematically rich, contain depth of character, & comment on the human condition.  This film is not just a horror film, although it works very well on that level.  The script deals with the depth of friendship & with promises made that must be fulfilled.  It focuses on the 'coming of age' archetype as it follows a group of friends over a 27 year span.  The scenes center on sacrifices that must sometimes be made for the greater good.  The screenplay also, in the film at least, provides the theme of the crumbling of small town America and what that means for the success of the American Dream; Muschietti's camera anchors the film in the many scenes that display the dichotomy between the vibrancy of downtown Derry 27 years ago and the quiet desperation of its current state.  The roles have been well cast.  McAvoy's Bill is a close parallel to King himself.  Although King does not have a stutter, the vocal affliction provides a nice metaphor for BIll's inability to complete his current novel (shades of Jack Torrance) and his dealing with people who constantly critique the poor ending of his most recent endeavor (as many people complained of 1990's "It" miniseries's conclusion).  Chastain is wonderful as she balances the horrors of Beverly's childhood with the external horrors of the present.  Hader provides the film's comic relief in numerous segments; as with most comedic actors, he also handles well the more dramatic moments of Richie.  Ryan is excellent as the physically transformed Ben, a Ben who still harbors the shy, pudgy boy of his childhood who could not vocalize his love for Beverly.  Mustafa is perfect as Mike, the bedrock of the Loser's Club.  Although he never physically left Derry, it has always been in him just as with the others who were always 'with' Derry.  Ransone is very good as mama's boy Eddie who must finally stand on his own.  As scary as Skarsgard was in "It', he is even more terrifying here as he has more to do.  It is in this film that he now stands as the equal of 1990's Tim Curry's Pennywise.  Checco Varese's cinematography is fine if horror-film generic.  The same came be said for Benjamin Wallfisch's effective but predictable score.

I give "It Chapter Two" 9 out of 10 nuggets.  This is a film that works well as both a horror film as well as one with depth of character, theme, & the human spirit.  Additionally, look for King's cameo as the operator of a second-hand store.  Catch a ride on the nearest airborne red balloon & head to your local cineplex for a super film experience.