This film could have been one of those films where it's highly anticipated but once released turns out to be highly disappointing. It has happened so many times, however this is not the case. Now this is not as good as Chapter one but it is just as good. It's a definite worthy sequel which captures the same heart, soul, humour and scares.
Now I'll start with the negatives to get them out of the way. Now I get Henry Bowers is a big part of the book and the original adaptation but in this version, he seems very out of place, irrelevant to the plot and doesn't make the impact it should. It feels like they forced him into the film just because he was part of the book where really, he could and should have been cut out of it.
Also there's some development of Richie thats hints the character is gay but it's left to the viewers to decide whether it's true or not but I would have liked Richie to confirm it himself as I feel that would have really deepened his character.
Now the rest of the film is pure praise. Let's start with saying chapter 2 is a lot better than the original second half of the adaptation. The second half back then felt rushed at times and the ending was disappointing. IT took the form of a giant spider, Eddie died of a heart attack and remaining survivors tipped the spider over and ripped it's insides out so the characters never got the closure of the evil clown who made their childhood a misery. This sequel is so much better and you definitely get the sense of closure for the characters.
Now let's move onto the cast. I don't know how but the actors are all perfectly cast as the Losers. Its like they were all made for the roles but the best two actors of the group are Bill Hadar as Richie Tozier and James Ransome as Eddie Kaspbrak. As soon as these two appear onscreen, you instantly know who these two are playing and the chemistry between these two as friends are fantastic.
Ransome really captures Eddie's insecure, paranoid and germaphobic personality and Eddie gets a great character arc which makes his death much betterly handled and a really sad moment but Hadar really is the star of the show. Richie was the best character in chapter one and that doesn't change in chapter two. He has some hilarious one liners and some real comedic moments. When Hadars casting was first announced, I felt he was more of a comedy actor and was unsure he could do horror but how wrong was I. He brought some genuine terror to his performance as well as comedy.
Also as I mentioned before, there some hints that Richie is gay which as first seems out of nowhere but if you really think about it, it's very clever. Richie, in chapter one was always the loudmouth of the group, always going on about having a "long lang" and joking about his friends being virgins which can be seen as him trying to prove he's straight. Plus it was the 80s. Homosexuality was still something a lot of people wanted to hide in those times.
Now Bill Skarsgard was once again phenomenal as Pennywise. In this film, as well as terror and charm, there's one scene where he brings emotions to the point where some of us can actually feel sorry for him. Yes he uses this to manipulate a little girl for him to eat but it's still a touching, genuine moment and Skarsgard really pulls it off effortlessly.
There's also a lot of genuine scares and some very creative entities. The horrific old naked lady is horrible to look at, the demon Pomeranian is a clear stand out and the Stanley Uris spider head (no I didn't just make that up) is extremely gruesome and it's hard not to watch it without looking away and director Andy Muschetti really does a fantastic job with these scares and telling this story. He creates such tension and in the 3rd act, he crafts it perfectly. There are times in the 3rd act where it gets very psychological and how Muschetti directs it all fantastically. He's really delved into tbe world of Pennywise and created such brilliant and loveable characters.
As well as chapter one, there's some really touching and beautifully filmed moments between each character and they all get their moment to shine. They also venture on their own to rediscover themselves and the cleverly edited flashbacks really help with that.
This is probably one of the longest horror films ever but I didn't mind the runtime. It felt really nicely paced and came naturally with the story that was being told. The scenes with the adults going on their own journey was a genius decision as it helps viewers really connect with them just like we connected with the kids.
Ultimately there may be some misteps which prevents this installment from being better than chapter one but it still contains the humour, scares, heart, soul and such captivating performances which makes this a truly worthy sequel and a fantastic and pleasant conclusion to the story of Pennywise.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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