It, based on the Stephen King novel, is a royal letdown - Hindustan Times
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It, based on the Stephen King novel, is a royal letdown

Hindustan Times | ByRashid Irani
Sep 07, 2017 01:52 PM IST

A monster, a clown, a bunch of kids... there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before.

IT

Direction: Andres Muschietti

Actors: Bill Skarsgaard, Sophie Lillis

Rating: 2.5 / 5

Close on the heels of The Dark Tower comes another Stephen King adaptation that falls flat.

The fright master’s voluminous 1986 novel has been split into two parts for the big screen, and Chapter One of It focuses on a group of children terrorised by a bloodthirsty, shape-shifting clown.

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The kids, who call themselves ‘The Loser’s Club’, must confront their innermost fears while also facing down small-town bullies and cruel, uncaring parents.

Tensions escalate as the youngsters fall prey to Pennywise, a monster that surfaces from the sewers every 27 years to feed off the flesh of unsuspecting teens.

For a change from contemporary horror flicks, the cast of newcomers actually has an opportunity to act. Standouts include Bill Skarsgaard, who spills gallons of gore as the icky villain.
For a change from contemporary horror flicks, the cast of newcomers actually has an opportunity to act. Standouts include Bill Skarsgaard, who spills gallons of gore as the icky villain.

There’s nothing new or noteworthy about the plot. Admittedly, director Andre Muschietti (Mama) is adept at building up a sense of dread. But there are just too many plot elements and backstories to accommodate, even in the film’s two-hour-plus runtime.

For a change from contemporary horror flicks, the cast of newcomers actually has an opportunity to act. Standouts include Bill Skarsgaard, who spills gallons of gore as the icky villain, and Sophie Lillis as the flame-haired, sexually abused braveheart.

The climactic confrontation is long-drawn-out and merely serves to set the tone for the proposed Chapter Two. Here’s hoping it takes another 27 years for It and the gang to creep back into cinemas.

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