IT: Chapter Two
Now that the entirety of Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s epic novel has been told, it’s time to dig into the compare and contrast with the 1990 ABC miniseries, correct? If one so chooses, you can do that, but I think both adaptations of It have something to offer fans of King’s work, and horror fans, in general. As with the two versions of “The Shining,” I do think the cinematic telling is far superior, but to dismiss the television adaptation, which hues closer to King’s original novel, in both cases, is to not appreciate how the same story can be told by different voices, and how the TV versions can be a good lead-in for non-horror fans to the more intense film offerings.
I’ve never read King’s 1986 novel, though my mom has the massive hardcover somewhere, but just reading through the plot synopsis of It on Wikipedia, it’s impressive how much closer to the book the miniseries is, narratively, than Muschietti’s films. The basic narrative structure and story beats are better aligned in the miniseries, even if the production values- especially at the end- are inferior. That said, I think the films are not only more satisfying, from an emotional standpoint, but I greatly appreciate the chances it took in telling this story over five hours. If the rumors of a combined edit of “IT” by Muschietti are true, I’m all about getting that, at some point.
There’s an inevitable dip in quality of storytelling between “Chapter One” and “Chapter Two” that has less to do with horror sequelitis, but the nature of King’s original story. In “Chapter One,” Muschietti focused on the Loser’s Club when they were kids, starting with the the murder of Bill’s brother Georgie and culminating to the moment when the Losers force Pennywise into his hibernation at the end of the summer. It’s a very straightforward story to tell, with the group building in phases, the character relationships and types easy to define, and a clear beginning, middle and end. Picking the story up 27 years later in the way that King does is far easier to accomplish on the page, when you have 1100 of them to develop these characters as adults again, than on film. This film does a pretty damn good job of it, though, and a huge part of why it works is because, as he did with his child actors, Muschietti has put together a cohesive group of adult counterparts that feel like how these characters would be growing up; that’s something the miniseries, though loaded with talent in the adult cast, didn’t really do.
“Chapter Two” begins with a carnival going on in Derry. It is 27 years after the events of “Chapter One,” and a gay couple is enjoying themselves when they begin to be bullied by teens, and adults. One of the men, Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan), is viciously beaten while his boyfriend looks on, and thrown over the bridge they are standing on. He is trying to make his way to land, but Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) is waiting for him, and mutilates his body. Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), now grown, and working as the librarian in Derry, hears about the incident over a police scanner, and what he see signals to him that the time has come to reassemble to Loser’s Club. The rest of the group has all moved far away from Derry, and do not have any memory of their childhoods, but when Mike calls, the memories begin to come back, and they all reconvene to meet up, and listen to what Mike has to say.
As the Losers are reintroduced, fans of the book or miniseries will recognize their lives- Bill (James McAvoy) is a horror author currently writing an adaptation of one of his books his wife, Audra (Jess Weixler), is working on; Richie (Bill Hader) is a stand-up comedian; Eddie (James Ransone) is a risk assessor, and still a hypochondriac; Ben (Jay Ryan) has gotten himself in shape, and is a successful architect; Bev (Jessica Chastain) is a fashion designer whose husband is abusive and controlling; and Stanley (Andy Bean) is worrisome, but has a loving wife. If you know either previous version of the story, you will notice the lie in the last paragraph, but one of the things I find so striking about what Muschietti and screenwriter Gary Dauberman have done in their adaptation of this part of the story is that the key point I am leaving out of this particular review is made something more interesting and impactful in not only how the Losers come back together, but in how they’re doing so makes them stronger. This takes a very distinct left turn from King’s story in how it wraps it up, and it’s one I really kind of love, though I understand why the original story left the characters, and their memories, the way they did. What “Chapter Two” does, quite effectively, is bring back the Losers, and build up that bond between them, only to separate them in its own way again, much like “Chapter One” did, but for a different purpose. This has a very weird structure to it, which is partly because of King’s narrative, and partly because of how Muschietti and Dauberman rearrange the narrative to serve the story compared to the miniseries. “Chapter One” is a great movie because of how it makes a horror film with children at its center that doesn’t exploit the children; “Chapter Two,” because these characters are grown, is less effective unless it is reflecting on the childhoods of its characters, but still works because of how well they have cast these characters at both ages, and how well those casts work together.
Many people have pointed to some truly surreal choices and touches “IT: Chapter Two” makes during its 169 minute running time- which never felt dull, by the way- and yes, there are several of those. There is a needle drop that is crazy at a moment of terror, and just doesn’t work; there’s a cameo by director Peter Bogdanovich as the director making Bill’s book that is really weird since most of the audience will have no clue who he is; and there are story ideas from the previous versions that are discarded- why the adults in Derry are so accepting of what’s going on with Pennywise, the significance of Bill’s bike, Silver (though kudos for the King cameo it gives us here), “Beep Beep, Richie,” developing how the characters as adults reflect their childhood selves with each phone call Mike makes, and the complete erasure of Audra from the end of this film, though that one I’m kind of find with because of how acutely the film centers in on the Losers and their bond. There are some things from King’s book, like the Ritual of Chud, that have made their way into the story here, and I like that spirit quest element of the story here, even if it leads to some weird ideas; this film focuses a lot on the spiritual nature of these characters returning to Derry, and how each character is affected by returning to Derry, and the memories that brings up. This is why the film moves the way it does for its running time- “Chapter Two’s” scares are less effective when they are outward attacks on the characters but a reflection of what being back means for them. Then ending battle with Pennywise is as insane and silly as it was in the miniseries, although the eventual ending is compelling, but when these characters have to face their fears, it’s when “Chapter Two” really establishes itself as a solid and entertaining horror film.
