It Chapter Two review — Long but lively, it’s almost everything fans could hope for.

In the Stephen King horror classic, for some reason, every 27 years, muderous evil, often in the form of Pennywise the creepy clown, comes back to haunt the residents of Derry, Maine, and wreck havoc with their very souls.

In It Chapter 2, the kids from the first installation reassemble as The Losers Club 27 years later, because way back then they made a pact that they would reunite to fight the evil if it ever returned.

Clocking in  just shy of three hours, there’s a whole lotta scarin’ going on in It Chapter 2. And while director Andy Muschietti does a good job of keeping the creeps coming, after awhile all those chases, attacks, morphing and jump scares just become numbing. I found myself find wishing they’d just kill the damn clown already, or do whatever it is they need to do just make It stop.

Still, that’s not to say the film doesn’t have its moments. And Bill Hader is responsible for most of them. Hader is the grown up version of Richie, the wisecracker of the bunch, who has become a successful stand-up comedian. If you’re a fan of the HBO dark comedy series Barry, you know what Hader is capable of. But he’s not the only one who shines here.

Despite all the makeup and special effects, Bill Skarsgård, as Pennywise, shines through. He is indeed Evil incarnate, and is able to draw both characters and audiences in every time.

Unfortunately, however, award winning actors like Jessica Chastain, who plays a grown up Beverly, and James McAvoy, who plays the adult version of group leader Bill, are a bit wasted. Their back stories are far more compelling in the book. It’s impossible to fit everything from the 1,138 novel into two films, even if one of them is two hours and 49 minutes long. But It Chapter Two would have benefitted from fewer random chase scenes and special effects, in exchange for more human drama.

For all its faults, however, It Chapter Two manages to pack a major punch. Fans of the Stephen King, the Stranger Things genre, and horror movies in general, will not be disappointed.

Rated R 

1 Hour 49 Minutes

If this It Chapter 2 review encourages you to creep out and see it, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

https://youtu.be/M4_NFYeXVCU

It Chapter Two review — Long but lively, it’s almost everything fans could hope for.