Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘It’ (2017)

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

What I've always found fascinating about the horror genre, is the fact that it has always been perfectly synced with the times. Our world, our culture and our strife are wonderfully encapsulated into moments of terror and in a way, that makes classic horror films their own disturbing time capsule. But the downside to such structure is that horror in a way, is not generational. You can't pop in a DVD of Dawn of the Dead and expect a younger fan to instantly be sucked in like they would with films from other genres because of the fact these gory little slices of history, are indeed a touch dated. But once in a great while, a horror film does come along that manages to transcend the test of time, as was the case with the original 1990 release of It. 

I say that, because 1990's It used a wonderful blend of Americana and outright fear to transcend the 'dating' issues that other horror films suffer from and the end result of that wonderful mix is a modern classic that fans across generations have enjoyed. But the only drawback to that film is that it never quite unleashed its true potential, because with it being a television miniseries, it was heavily censored, and while it pushed the envelope and paved the way for modern horror on T.V., I think we've all wondered what Pennywise would be like on screen without any constraints and thankfully, 27 years after the original aired on television, a remake that allows for a pure and unfettered visual interpretation of Stephen King's wildly popular novel has arrived at last and let me tell you now, the 2017 iteration of It, is nothing short of magnificent.

This is an absolutely terrifying horror film through and through because it truly goes to the darkest recesses of our imagination. The things we feared as children, and the things we fear now come to life in this motion picture and these unsettling and disturbing visuals will leave you uncomfortable and squirming in your seat as you watch them play out before your eyes and all of these scares work for one reason and one reason alone...Actor Bill Skarsgård's incredible portrayal of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. His Pennywise stands on its own, to the point where a comparison to Tim Curry's version of Pennywise is an utter waste of time. Because Bill has created something new and chilling. This interpretation of Pennywise removes any trace of the 'humanity' by way of joy we saw in the previous film. This clown is truly a predator, one that enjoys the thrill of the hunt and the taste of its fearful prey over anything else.

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However, once you get past the bone chilling scares and powerfully disturbing Pennywise, there's a few surprises to be found in this film as well. First and foremost, this film injects some serious life into the characters by making The Losers Club supremely relatable to the audience. The awkwardness of high school is something all of us recall and in a short period of time we are taken back those goofier moments in our lives and the diversity of the quirks from the aforementioned club allow for us to instantly tie ourselves to one or all of the characters. Yet, part of the magic of this voyage back in time is also the fact that this film does a fine job of reminding us of how tough it was to be a kid. We can all recall a moment where we felt as though a particular adult, or adults in general treated us with disregard because of our age and that's brought back to life in this film. 

But truly, the centerpiece of It, and what makes this film so magical, is the raw coming of age story that it turns out to be. By interspersing a killer clown between segments that reflect our youth and our past, we bear witness to the tough moments when these kids are forced to grow into something more. They have to fight their fears, and deal with a world full of cruelty and evil, and a thing from beyond that wants nothing more than to eat them, and seeing all of that play out on the silver screen, and seeing them slowly overcome those challenges is quite satisfying indeed and really, this kind of storytelling, and the feelings it evokes, instantly reminded of me of when I read the original novel many, many years ago, making this film a faithful envisioning of King's work and I'm thankful that the powers that be included this powerful piece of storytelling, rather than just giving us an outright slasher flick.

Which means that when you combine all of those elements together, you're left with quite the emotional experience when it comes to this film, with a focus on fear for certain, since there were genuine screams of terror in the theater I was sitting in and there was a definite sense of dread that washed over me when I realized there was a fair chance that something bad was about to happen and when all is said and done, I loved this motion picture. It's truly one of the finest horror films I've seen in recent years and I hope other horror properties, be them original or remakes such as this, take a page from this story and provide us with a complete experience, one that focuses on a quality story over the gore and easy scares and one stays with you long after the film has come to an end. But in the meantime, go out and see It as soon as you can, you'll be glad you did and in doing so, you'll help send a message to the horror industry that you want to see more quality horror such as this on the big screen.

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