Jay’s Movie Review of “It”

The new film adaptation of Stephen King's "It" not only floats, but floats to the very top of my list of favorite horror movies.

WARNING: Spoilers below.

I didn't go to Tinseltown to see the new It movie with any real expectations. The original movie series staring the always entertaining Tim Curry, never really resonated with me on the same passionate level it sat with millions of others. Maybe I was too young to really understand what I was watching, and having never read the book probably didn't help either.

Having said that, the new adaptation might actually be my favorite horror film of all time.

This flick is much more than the standard jump-scare, extreme gore horror film we see every weekend. This film manages to truly capture every emotion the human body can feel, and it does so relatively quickly.

Taking a book that's well north of 1,000 pages long and condensing it to a couple hours of visual representation is certainly no easy task, but the powers-at-be on this film made it look easy. They effortlessly introduced the cast of lovable losers. There are seven of them. Filmmakers presented them in a way where the viewer feels like they know and understand each character. You know their quirky sense of humor, which is on display throughout the entire film, and you know their deepest fear, which is also being exploited from beginning to end.

This movie somehow manages to make a horror film, that is full of literal laugh out loud moments. I've never seen a movie that was able to balance those two polar opposites in a more seamless, natural way. When they make you laugh, you really laugh, and when they scare you, you've never been more frightened.

Every character in this film was meant to play their role. The casting department certainly did their job, as there truly wasn't one single noticeable weak-point in the cast filled with youngsters. They we're exceptional. No actor moved the needle quite like Bill Skarskgard. The Swedish actor took on the iconic role of Pennywise. He made the character his own and made it more menacing that ever. This character was never on the screen for too long, which might be why he was so perfectly frightening.

Trust me, you will love this new Pennywise, and chances are you won't be able to get enough of him.

Once our gang of "Losers" succeed in (temporarily) defeating this tormenting monster, they make a pact that if IT ever comes back, they'll come back too. This is refreshing because even after the tremendous job this movie did at telling such a wonderful story, it still left everyone begging for more. It looks like we'll get just that, as the production company has already committed to the sequel, which will center around the group of seven making their way back to town, 27 years later, to take on their old friend Pennywise once again.

At the end of the movie, the screen shows that iconic title, "It" standing alone but only for a moment. Quickly the words "Chapter One" overlay the two bloody letters. I simply cannot wait for chapter two, as this film was easily one of my favorite horror flicks of all time. I simply cannot find a flaw.

My official rating for the new "It" movie is easily 5/5 stars.

Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments below.