Stephen King's It

Four Winds · 11-09-2017 08:32PM

Went to see it earlier today. Thought it was very good, but not at all scary. A lot of fun and the kids’ performances were great.

I actually liked Bill Skarsgaard’s Pennywise more than I thought I would. Still not as creepy as Tim Curry’s - I think the because he appears more friendly that when he ‘turns’ it’s more unnerving.

Having said all that, I’m kind of sorry I didn’t wait to watch it at home. Getting a bit fed up of the cinema with people talking, giggling, being on their phones. :mad:

Insect Overlord · 11-09-2017 09:08PM

Four Winds wrote: »

Having said all that, I’m kind of sorry I didn’t wait to watch it at home. Getting a bit fed up of the cinema with people talking, giggling, being on their phones. :mad:

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was the crowd who were watching it with me last night. Nobody messing or talking over the film, and a lot of people laughing together at the funny moments. Late on a Sunday cut out most of the kids who'd have school in the morning.

Four Winds · 11-09-2017 09:15PM

Yeah perhaps it was my timing.

Still. It’s rare I get to go on a weekday afternoon/evening.

You’re right too though - the right crowd can definitely improve the experience in contrast.

johnny_ultimate · 11-09-2017 09:33PM

Some alarm bells started going off when the opening scene featured Gremlins and Beetlejuice posters in plain view - 80s homages have worn out their welcome recently. Thankfully, though, this isn't mere pastiche and such tedious place-setting is relegated to a few establishing shots of marquees - it's old fashioned and shamelessly formulaic, but unobtrusively so. Stranger Things is cool and all, but this feels like Stand By Me / The Goonies etc... without going out of the way to remind you that it's like those films. I guess It originated from the general cultural stew that was the 1980s anyway, so such similarities are inevitable.

It was a grand afternoon yarn - I'd struggle to point out anything it does particularly badly (maybe a handful of dodgy soundtrack choices aside), but nor does it really have an original bone in its body. What it is is absolutely competent, and I'd put more of a positive spin on that word than a negative one.

It does a decent old job at balancing its old fashioned teenage adventuring with darker undercurrents than would be typical of the fare (doesn't shy away from the abuse experienced by one character). Its adult characters are cartoonish at best, but their universal ineptness plays a satisfying role in enhancing the coming of age stories that give the film some sort of heart. Once or twice the CG nightmares overstep their mark, but generally they stay on the right side of practical vs computerised terror. If it lacks in explicitly frightening moments it does have a general creepiness that is well maintained. Well, by the limited standards of a mainstream genre film about a supernatural clown anyway.

Slight disappointment

both of the more irksome lads managed to survive the ordeal

.

A generous 't'was grand' out of 10.

The ever confounding Xavier Dolan loves it for some reason *shrugs shoulders*

https://twitter.com/XDolan/status/906994229238538241

willmunny1990 · 11-09-2017 09:42PM

I was disappointed I have to say. I was hoping for a serious horror with a serious portrayal of Pennywise. This wasn't it, not at all.

The child actors did well, good chemistry and very convincing although I found the humor forced. The setting looked and felt right, I believed its what Derry would of looked and felt like. The setting was right but they went another route with the execution and story, they went down the comedy route which I wasn't expecting.

There was a lot to potential regarding the forms IT takes but none were scary, I mean most were straight up funny with the trademark over usage of CGI. They showed way too much, most of the successful horrors with monsters, demons etc are far more subtle, more menacing. I know we had to see a fair amount of IT and its forms but it was overdone, with over the top goofy caricatures.

The jump scares were all telegraphed, you could see them coming a mile off, the only one that got me was

the bathroom scene when IT grabbed Bev by the neck

I didn't like the look of Skarsgard as Pennywise. The beauty of Curry as Pennywise was he was just a regular clown, approachable yet eerie and didn't rely on the overuse of effects and makeup. Clowns have a naturally eerie aura, they are unsettling as is, if nothing else the first IT got that much right. Skarsgard didn't have a lot of proper dialogue with the kids as Pennywise so I can't criticize too much , it was usually one of its manifestations which in turn was acted out with screeching music and over loud shouting.

I had high hopes but this wasn't what I was expecting, I stayed away from reviews and didn't read up on much about it before going in so the comedy surprised me, maybe it was intentionally supposed to be a teen, horror/comedy, maybe thats the road they wanted to take but it surprised and bitterly disappointed me.

Not bad for a bit of fun I suppose, but not what I wanted or expected.

gmisk · 11-09-2017 11:39PM

willmunny1990 wrote: »

I was disappointed I have to say. I was hoping for a serious horror with a serious portrayal of Pennywise. This wasn't it, not at all.

The child actors did well, good chemistry and very convincing although I found the humor forced. The setting looked and felt right, I believed its what Derry would of looked and felt like. The setting was right but they went another route with the execution and story, they went down the comedy route which I wasn't expecting.

There was a lot to potential regarding the forms IT takes but none were scary, I mean most were straight up funny with the trademark over usage of CGI. They showed way too much, most of the successful horrors with monsters, demons etc are far more subtle, more menacing. I know we had to see a fair amount of IT and its forms but it was overdone, with over the top goofy caricatures.

The jump scares were all telegraphed, you could see them coming a mile off, the only one that got me was
the bathroom scene when IT grabbed Bev by the neck

I didn't like the look of Skarsgard as Pennywise. The beauty of Curry as Pennywise was he was just a regular clown, approachable yet eerie and didn't rely on the overuse of effects and makeup. Clowns have a naturally eerie aura, they are unsettling as is, if nothing else the first IT got that much right. Skarsgard didn't have a lot of proper dialogue with the kids as Pennywise so I can't criticize too much , it was usually one of its manifestations which in turn was acted out with screeching music and over loud shouting.

I had high hopes but this wasn't what I was expecting, I stayed away from reviews and didn't read up on much about it before going in so the comedy surprised me, maybe it was intentionally supposed to be a teen, horror/comedy, maybe thats the road they wanted to take but it surprised and bitterly disappointed me.

Not bad for a bit of fun I suppose, but not what I wanted or expected.

This is pretty spot on for how I feel as well. CGI was over used and bad!
I also think the trailers gave away most of the good scenes which was disappointing and it just wasnt scary which was what i had hoped for

. The marketing has been outstanding though I would say as have the reviews in general hence the big numbers box office wise.

smurf492 · 12-09-2017 02:43AM

Every big flick is doused in CGI now which sucks. True IT did not need it... People on here complaining and comparing it to the book.. Come on folks, when has a movie lived up to the book.. And especially one of Mr King's more horror centric novels?

sticker · 12-09-2017 07:39AM

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was the crowd who were watching it with me last night. Nobody messing or talking over the film, and a lot of people laughing together at the funny moments. Late on a Sunday cut out most of the kids who'd have school in the morning.

I really enjoyed it, definitely not entirely scary but plenty of genuine jumps and a great cast and screenplay adaption. I hate the cinema as a rule but crept into a late viewing last night in a smaller screen. Everyone very well behaved which decidely added to the experience.

Fantastic adaption of the novel.

Rated Pennywise too. Very well portrayed

kerplun k · 12-09-2017 09:22AM

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was the crowd who were watching it with me last night. Nobody messing or talking over the film, and a lot of people laughing together at the funny moments. Late on a Sunday cut out most of the kids who'd have school in the morning.

That's one of the reasons I love going to the cinema. The right crowd can really enhance the experience, one thing that seems to be killing this nowadays is mobile phones, it seems every time I go these days, some IDIOT pulls out a phone and starts playing on the stupid thing intermediately during the film. Its becoming intolerable. If a cinema advertised a strict no phone policy, and enforced it, I'd pay extra for this.

I remember I went to see Deadpool on opening night, and this guy in front of me had this giant ass phone, he actually start googling, Deadpool, opened Wikipedia and start reading the plot about 30m into the film. It was the first time ever I asked someone if they would mind turning of the phone.

sticker · 12-09-2017 09:27AM

kerplun k wrote: »

That's one of the reasons I love going to the cinema. The right crowd can really enhance the experience, one thing that seems to be killing this nowadays is mobile phones, it seems every time I go these days, some IDIOT pulls out a phone and starts playing on the stupid thing intermediately during the film. Its becoming intolerable. If a cinema advertised a strict no phone policy, and enforced it, I'd pay extra for this.

I remember I went to see Deadpool on opening night, and this guy in front of me had this giant ass phone, he actually start googling, Deadpool, opened Wikipedia and start reading the plot about 30m into the film. It was the first time ever I asked someone if they would mind turning of the phone.

It’s a deal breaker for me - 99% of times I'll avoid the cinema because of this nonsense or chatting or hysterical laughter. My old age and intolerance may be a big factor but for me, the cinema is not an enjoyable experience most of the time.

DrPhilG · 12-09-2017 09:51AM

I'm not a huge cinema goer for similar reasons.

I'm a grumpy old man and I don't like people.

Who the hell decided that popcorn, one if the noisiest foods on earth, is the ideal cinema snack? Crisps, sweet papers, slurpy drinks. All enough to make me want to inflict pain and death on those around me.

The only positive is that my local cinema are quite strict on behaviour. They have staff watching a monitor outside the door and any acting the arse is quickly put down.

For bigger more packed shows they keep a staff member inside by the entrance too.

Tony EH · 12-09-2017 10:04AM

kerplun k wrote: »

I remember I went to see Deadpool on opening night, and this guy in front of me had this giant ass phone, he actually start googling, Deadpool, opened Wikipedia and start reading the plot about 30m into the film. It was the first time ever I asked someone if they would mind turning of the phone.

There were two clowns on their mobiles from minute one of 'War of the Planet of the Apes' when I was at it a few weeks ago. They were in the corner of my eye, but a bit too far away to ask them to turn the bloody things off. Thankfully, they left half way through.

The images on the screen probably didn't change quick enough for them. :rolleyes: Morons.

Contrast that with an empty cinema for 'The Limehouse Golem'. It was great. Pity the film wasn't.

gmisk · 12-09-2017 10:04AM

DrPhilG wrote: »

I'm not a huge cinema goer for similar reasons.

I'm a grumpy old man and I don't like people.

Who the hell decided that popcorn, one if the noisiest foods on earth, is the ideal cinema snack? Crisps, sweet papers, slurpy drinks. All enough to make me want to inflict pain and death on those around me.

The only positive is that my local cinema are quite strict on behaviour. They have staff watching a monitor outside the door and any acting the arse is quickly put down.

For bigger more packed shows they keep a staff member inside by the entrance too.

I think it very much depends on the cinema.
In my experience the worst cinema in Dublin for people is cineworld, never had many issues in the IFI or Lighthouse

Canis Lupus · 12-09-2017 02:49PM

Just back. I enjoyed it but I feel pennywise was hit and miss. Kids were great, really good job there. I would recommend it but don't expect a scary movie.

readyletsgo · 12-09-2017 10:43PM

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Just back. I enjoyed it but I feel pennywise was hit and miss. Kids were great, really good job there. I would recommend it but don't expect a scary movie.

Agreed. The kids were amazing!! Penny-wise was, idk, I liked this version but Curry was just so much better. It's not a bad thing I think, maybe just a generation thing. Currys Penny-wise was a clown, got the kids, this version was more of a (maybe) background character.

I still loved it though. Totally recommend seeing it.

The projector bit, so well done.

Off to watch the original now

Basq · 12-09-2017 11:12PM

Fun movie.. if the crude humour did get a bit much at times - the

they're gazebos

line was a belter though.

It was basically Stranger Things meets Stand By Me meets Nightmare On Elm Street.. there was pretty much zero originality in the whole thing.

Kids were all decent, but Skaarsgard was wasted. His only real opportunity to shine and be genuinely unnerving was

trying to let the rest of the gang leave Bill at the end

. Everything else was throwaway line and just crazy scrambling CGI-motion-nonsense to camera.

Get a solid adult cast for the next and it could be great though definitely needs less CGI-nonsense (oh.. I almost forgot the terrible

projector bit when Pennywise came out of the screen!

)

Recommended for a solid evening at the cinema though.

PS - haven't seen the mini-series in years but you know when Ben was in the library and the balloon came in? Didn't the miniseries have

balloons popping blood into adults phases who were unfazed? That always creeped me out.

PPS - anyone else notice the original (and best) Pennywise mask to the left when Richie was

walking towards the coffin in The Well House?

Mr E · 12-09-2017 11:23PM

Loud noises.

Mr E · 12-09-2017 11:25PM

Decent enough movie (despite ^^)

The kids did a great job and I thought the drooling Pennywise was good too.

The cast for Chapter 2 will be interesting. Definitely Amy Adams for Bev though - she's a dead ringer.

Basq · 12-09-2017 11:26PM

Mr E wrote: »

Definitely Amy Adams for Bev though - she's a dead ringer.

Jessica Chastain either..

Agent Coulson · 12-09-2017 11:29PM

Molly Ringwald

just for the in joke.

TerrorFirmer · 13-09-2017 09:32AM

Thought it was superb, a lot better than I had dared expect it to be. It hits a fantastic balance between horror, coming of age feature and comedy and just sails along despite being quite a long movie as well. Definitely one of the best King adaptations.

Bacchus · 13-09-2017 09:59AM

Basq wrote: »

It was basically Stranger Things meets Stand By Me meets Nightmare On Elm Street.. there was pretty much zero originality in the whole thing.

I heard its pretty much a rip off of this too ... some book by Stephen King ...

Basq · 13-09-2017 10:43AM

Bacchus wrote: »

Basq wrote: »

It was basically Stranger Things meets Stand By Me meets Nightmare On Elm Street.. there was pretty much zero originality in the whole thing.

I heard its pretty much a rip off of this too ... some book by Stephen King ...

I meant stylistically rather than the source material tbh..

Bacchus · 13-09-2017 10:55AM

Basq wrote: »

I meant stylistically rather than the source material tbh..

... and Stranger Things was stylistically copy and pasted from various 80s sources including Stand By Me, IT, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing, etc. The guys who made it got the idea after failing to get an IT remake off the ground (you can see the similar themes... starts with little brother going missing/dead, underground monster, told from kids perspective). Quote here from the Duffer Bros...

Ross: It's probably It for both of us. It's the big one, and It is obviously a huge inspiration for the show. That's probably the biggest, I think just because we're the age of those characters when we're reading it, so it's not that his other books aren't amazing, they were.

Matt: That made probably the biggest impact on us.

My point here is that this is one of those instances where the "originality" of the style/tone/story is a moot point as the things that it "rips off" are themselves rip offs of other works (including the source material for IT itself!).

Mickeroo · 13-09-2017 10:57AM

Similar to John Carter of Mars being called an Avatar rip off when it came out (though that film had other problems...).

El Duda · 14-09-2017 08:09AM

I didn't like the look of Skarsgard as Pennywise. The beauty of Curry as Pennywise was he was just a regular clown, approachable yet eerie and didn't rely on the overuse of effects and makeup. Clowns have a naturally eerie aura, they are unsettling as is, if nothing else the first IT got that much right. Skarsgard didn't have a lot of proper dialogue with the kids as Pennywise so I can't criticize too much , it was usually one of its manifestations which in turn was acted out with screeching music and over loud shouting.

Agreed. There was nothing sinister about him for the most part. His massive head made him look like a china doll.

Mr Starman · 14-09-2017 04:28PM

Loud, bombastic, predictable, boring, overly stylistic, lacks any kind of subtlety, unoriginal annoying 80's references to every 80's film/TV show I grew up watching, over use of crap computer effects too.

If this is the kind of yawn inducing trash that gets great reviews these days then its no wonder people stop going to the cinema.

kerplun k · 14-09-2017 04:43PM

Mr Starman wrote: »

Loud, bombastic, predictable, boring, overly stylistic, lacks any kind of subtlety, unoriginal annoying 80's references to every 80's film/TV show I grew up watching, over use of crap computer effects too.

If this is the kind of yawn inducing trash that gets great reviews these days then its no wonder people stop going to the cinema.

Just curious, but what would you consider a good film that was released this year?

Insect Overlord · 14-09-2017 04:52PM

Mr Starman wrote: »

Loud, bombastic, predictable, boring, overly stylistic, lacks any kind of subtlety, unoriginal annoying 80's references to every 80's film/TV show I grew up watching, over use of crap computer effects too.

The references to films, particularly those on the sign at the cinema, are accurate reflections of what would have been showing in 1989. They aren't just there for the sake of it. They're a legitimate part of the cultural context of the film.

q2xv9rjei4awgb · 14-09-2017 04:54PM

Mr Starman wrote: »

Loud, bombastic, predictable, boring, overly stylistic, lacks any kind of subtlety, unoriginal annoying 80's references to every 80's film/TV show I grew up watching, over use of crap computer effects too.

If this is the kind of yawn inducing trash that gets great reviews these days then its no wonder people stop going to the cinema.

You're just getting old pal

Stephen King's It

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