Thanks to the 1990 IT made-for-TV miniseries, clowns have never been my favorite. This updated version of the first half of The Loser Club's encounter with the paranormal being just perpetuates that fear as the team of young heroes figure out how to face it.

There are many highlights to IT. Aside from being a well executed story with smooth cinematography and actually surprising scares...all the basics to pulling off a good horror movie...the film assembles a set of kid actors whose chemistry is practically flawless as they tactfully juggle their youthful lifestyle with horrific sequences.

The biggest highlight in IT though was, in fact, Pennywise. The things they do with this clown and its tricks in the movie is beyond frightening. It's important to recognize that this Pennywise and the Tim Curry version are wildly different. With a significant and impressive upgrade to visual effects, this Bill Skarsgård version trades wacky for absurdly bizarre, and it is phenomenal for this particular film's entertainment value.

The only struggle some might have with IT is the two and a half hour runtime. Wanting to find fault in this film otherwise? As Pennywise might say: you'll die if you try.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 2 | Reviewer's Preference - 2

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