It's been an eventful year for Stephen King to say the least. Not only have two of his works, The Mist and Mr. Mercedes been adapted to television, but his epic sci-fi tale The Dark Tower also made it to the big screen. However, without a doubt the most anticipated King adaptation of the year was Andy Muschietti's iteration of King's 1986 novel IT. The gargantuan novel follows a supernatural shape shifting being who feeds on fear (and children), and how a group of kids called the Losers Club team up to defeat it, and return 27 years later when it resurfaces again. It's a tough novel to adapt, spanning two generations and focusing on the lives of 7 different individuals both in the past and in the present, and as iconic as the 1990 miniseries is, it never really had the freedom to do the novel much justice. So how does Muschietti's film hold up? Well I am delighted, and relieved to report that IT is a solid adaptation that manages to capture both the atmosphere, and more importantly the emotional heart of King's novel.
The film follows the Losers Club as kids, updating the events from 1958 to 1989, essentially one half of the novel. Straight off the bat in the opening scene, Muschietti lets us know that this is not a kids film, as we watch Georgie Denborough (Jackson Robert Scott) encounter Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) for the first time. It's a suspenseful and surprisingly terrifying scene where director Andy Muschietti proves that this will be a darker adaptation of IT much more in line with the novel. Muschietti creates this incredible atmosphere of unease throughout, utilising distorted camera angles and Benjamin Wallfisch's brooding score. It gives this sense of ever present terror, much like in the novel, that evil is always there, lurking and ready to pounce. Some of the jump scares however do feel a bit predictable. The first half of the film follows each of the Loser's individual encounters with IT and its many forms, and after a while it does feel a bit repetitive and formulaic. While there are some genuinely scary moments, I feel as though there were other moments when the jump scares just couldn't cut it.
That's not to say the film wasn't scary however, the fear factor is really turned up to 11 when Bill Skarsgard gets the opportunity to showcase his talents as Pennywise. Skarsgard is phenomenal in the role, never attempting to mimic Tim Curry's performance and truly making Pennywise his own. His version of Pennywise is much more unhinged and animalistic, and his onscreen presence is enough to send shivers down one's spine. While there is some CGI used to make Pennywise feel that little bit more unnatural at times, I feel like the real highlight of Skarsgards performance is that thing he does with his eyes, you'll know it when you see it and it's not CGI, just pure Skarsgard. He's sure to act as the nightmare fuel for a new generation of cinemagoers. He's not the only form that IT takes however, he has a number of other tricks up his sleeve that will be both familiar and new to fans of the book. Some of the most unsettling are the disgusting leper and an eerie painting, as if Pennywise wasn't terrifying enough as it is.
Along with Skarsgard, all of the child actors are excellent in their respective roles, bringing to life their novel counterparts with ease. Jaeden Lieberher plays Bill Denborough, the stuttering leader of the Losers who is motivated to find and kill IT after his little brother Georgie goes missing. Right from the opening scene we empathise with Bill as it's clear that he has a lot of love for his little brother, made all the more believable by Lieberher's very natural performance. Stranger Things breakout star Finn Wolfhard takes on the role of Richie Tozier, the foul mouthed joker of the group who has some of the films best one-liners. Jeremy Ray Taylor steps into the shoes of Ben Hanscom, the new kid in Derry who joins the Losers. I always found him to be the novels most likeable character and Taylor's charming performance makes it the same case in the film as well. There's a running joke between him and Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis) about his guilty pleasure for New Kids on the Block so look out for that. Speaking of Beverly, Sophia Lillis is fantastic as her and gives a multi-layered performance that perfectly reflects her character in the novel. When she is with the Losers, she is the cool girl with whom they are all infatuated, however, beneath her cool exterior Beverly is a very troubles character, and Lillis plays both sides of Beverly excellently. All of the actors share a very natural and believable chemistry, allowing us to get behind them and empathise when necessary. I can't think of more perfect casting choices.
While IT may not always be as scary as it could be, it manages to do what many King adaptations cannot, and that's capture the essence of the source material. If Stand By Me is the most faithful King adaptation, then this is the Stand by Me of horror. Childhood is a major theme of King's novel, not only the lighthearted innocence of it all, but also the vulnerability, and both sides of that coin are represented here. We watch the Losers bond together, joking around and playing in the Barrens, but we also get a glimpse of the darker side as seen in King's novel, the fears and the conflict. Along with the supernatural threat of IT, the Losers are also faced with a gang of brutal bullies and the adults of Derry who are seemingly oblivious to the strange events at hand. Each one has their own personal demons to face as well as IT, and there are certain times when it feels as though some of the adults are more terrifying than Pennywise himself. IT genuinely feels like it is a Stephen King adaptation, immersed in that feeling of childhood nostalgia that King writes so well, the film is both faithful and respectful to its source material. Everything feels so accurately portrayed, not just the characters, but the town of Derry itself and the sinister house on Neibolt Street are exactly how you'd picture them when reading the book. It is certain to please both fans of the novel and newcomers to Kings work as well.
Despite falling victim to some of the usual horror tropes, IT is an excellent film that manages to bring to life that sense of childhood nostalgia from the novel so perfectly. All of the characters feel so real and they share a very natural chemistry together, each of them have their own personal issues that provide an added layer of depth, allowing us to further empathise with them. Bill Skarsgards Pennywise is one of the most terrifying creatures to grace horror cinema in recent years, bringing this incredibly unsettling onscreen presence to the character. Not only does it manage to capture that sense of sheer dread from the novel, but also the emotional heart and that accurate depiction of childhood that King is so talented at writing. Overall, IT (or IT: Chapter One) is a solid adaptation of Stephen King's novel that is sure to issue in a new generation of fear to younger cinemagoers. Roll on Chapter 2.
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