It, the movie, Reviewed

Synopsis:
It, the movie, concentrates on the small town of Derry, in Maine. The recent adaptation that is currently in the theaters is a remake of the original film released in 1990. Both movies are based off the novel, It, by Stephen King. This is a two part horror movie with the second installment to be released on September 6th, 2019. The movie tells the tale of a group of young kids that are terrorized by an evil being known as "It." The "It" being often materializes to them as a creepy clown, Pennywise, that wants them to come into the sewers to be with him often saying, "You'll float too." Pennywise  forces the kids to also face their own personal fears and demons which weakens their courage and strength as a group, hoping to take them apart one by one. The movie starts with the disappearance and of Billy's younger brother, George. Billy becomes obsessed with George's disappearance maintaining that he's missing and not dead. Other kids start to go missing as well, but the town barely seems to notice. These kids band together to fight off Pennywise and local kid bullies.

Movie Review:
I read this book as a kid, and loved the 1990's version as well. I was so excited to go see the new It movie. My husband and I went as soon as we had the chance to get a babysitter for the kids! This movie follows along pretty closely with the 90's version and keeps about the same plot line. There are a few important differences though.
One big difference is the addition of humor to this movie. Finn Wolfhard, who plays Richie, does a great job of keeping a light tone and adding humor (albeit raunchy humor) into a lot of scenes. This is a definite break from the 90's version which contained little to no humor. The added humor gives this movie a very different feel from the 90's one. I have to admit that I love Finn from Stranger Things, and enjoyed his character in this movie a lot.

Another difference is Bill Skarsgard's portrayal of Pennywise the clown. In the 90's version actor, Tim Curry, played Pennywise. Tim Curry is one of my favorite actors. He's played in so many good movies: Home Alone, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue, Anne, and a lot of voice work over the years. Skarsgard had big shoes to fill for Curry's role in It. Skargard's portrayal was interestingly different. He made you know right away that Pennywise was not a nice or friendly clown. The drooling and crazy eyes really showed the true intent of Pennywise in this version.

Another difference was the portrayal of Beverly Marsh and her role in the group of friends. Again, Beverly is the lone girl in the gang of kids set against Pennywise. She's also the love interest for both Bill and Ben, while the other boys love her in a brotherly way. Although, Beverly is seen in a much more sexualized way in this movie than in the 90's movie. She's also made the be the damsel in distress in the end of the new version, whereas in the 90's version she was very independent and the group counted on her to keep them together and fighting as a group.
There was a change of location with where Pennywise's entrance to his lair was in the new movie. In the 90's version, Pennywise's lair was a sewer house out in a bog at the edge of town. In the 2017 version, Pennywise has a tunnel that leads to his lair in an old abandoned house in the middle of town. The house affords for more torture of the kids and jump scares for the audiences that the old location did not really allow for.

Finally, and this is my favorite difference was the perception of safety. In the 90's version, the viewers knew the Pennywise couldn't really hurt them as long as they stayed away from drains, sewers, and of course his lair. In the new version, when Pennywise is terrorizing the kids individually and in a group they don't seem safe. It feels as though Pennywise could hurt them and kill them right then and there even though he really needs to be within reach of them. The blur of this perception helps viewers get into the minds of the kids and really feel the fear.
Overall, I thought this was an awesome movie and fully enjoyed the entire film. I am avidly waiting for the next part due out September 6th, 2019.