RichC2

It is, you gotta use Google for it.

site:forum.dvdtalk.com it

Mr. Flix

You've finally been vindicated! CinemaSins removed a sin from their "Everything Wrong With It" video for this very moment in the movie (around the 4:10 mark):

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDnLkeknnW0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

funkyryno

I noticed the bikes, too. There's no way a kid in the '80s would've been caught dead on one of the clunkers those kids were riding. Had nobody on the production crew ever watched "Rad"?

Rival11

This comment actually made me revisit the flick - Your "It's a horror film for kids" line is what struck me.

I actually started thinking about the film through those terms but thankfully, I don't see it that way. What I did notice is that the gore and creepiness should have been much more sinister - some of it was though as well (the basement scene, waving arm scene, and a few others).

But kudos to your comment for sparking me to re-watch it and for feeling that is should have been a tad more sinister.

Rival11

lol I mad them remove it or they just caught in general? I'm sure i'm not the only one on this forum that caught that

EDIT: just switched between my work network to home network (as my job doesn't allow me to watch youtube videos) and watched the video - you were just saying in general - gotcha

Mr. Flix

Yeah, I thought it was awesome that they caught that subtle moment and praised it, just like you did weeks ago. It was one of my favorite moments in the entire movie, and it's so subtle.

Norm de Plume

Thankee. I didn't intend to change anyone's mind, but simply express what I felt. I will never watch It again. Too many films to watch, too little time to waste. But I totally respect the opinion of those who did find It effective.
I agree that inherent "sinisterness" is what is lacking. Even though no punches were really pulled and kids were being killed, as in the rather graphic opening scene, the scares are not plausible, and the film just somehow seemed geared to childish or credulous sensibilities, or to people who are scared of clowns to begin with. It is like Stand by Me (which I like) incongruously rehashed as a horror film.

Rival11

I hear ya - I'm going to read the book in full before the second movie comes out.

Off topic, I wonder how many people think the movie the shining is better than the book - the movie, while epic on Stanley Kubrick levels, comes NOWHERE near how effective the book is and it's sad as they really could have adapted more of the material.

Norm de Plume

^I haven't read The Shining, but the film I adore.

WarnerBros.2001

I'm planning on getting it.

Mr. Flix

I just watched this a second time, and in my opinion the movie does not hold up well for repeated viewings.

Any tension you have on an initial viewing is completely gone the second time through, as it becomes laughably repetitive each time the kids easily escape Pennywise by just, you know, closing the door on him.

Richie, who I found annoying the first time through, was almost unbearable the second time. His quips are delivered too fast, spoken too fast (he's often hard to understand), and really aren't all that funny.

The other kid actors are decent to good (save Eddie, whose delivery is consistently too dramatic), and there's no denying Bill Skarsgard nailed the Pennywise role. I just wish he'd been given more scenes like the one with Georgie at the beginning, where he was more subtly menacing. The way one of his eyes trails off to the side while they're talking is wonderfully creepy. And the lurking librarian is still a nice touch.

It's too long, gives zero explanation as to Pennywise's behavior -- some kids go free, some are killed, some need to be lured to him, sometimes he goes to them (Beverly) -- and the ending absolutely sucks.

I gave the movie a B first time through, but on second viewing it's a C. Honestly, Gerald's Game was the home run Stephen King movie in 2017.

Mabuse

Most annoying is how the kids are repeatedly lured away from the group, even after they'd learned that their only safety against It was their unity as a group.

And you're right, without the book's ultimate explanation of what It is, the movie is basicly just a supernatural slasher film.

Supermallet

I’m hoping the next film dives deep into the mythology behind It, which is far more interesting than the specific struggles of one particular group of kids. Now that the filmmakers have the audience on the hook by making the straightforward first part, they should go all in on the craziness of the novel in the second.

GoldenJCJ

You know, I’m torn. I really enjoyed the movie and liked it on my first viewing. I liked the coming of age side of the story which reminded me a good deal of Stand By Me. That said, the points you make above definitely distract from the overall story.

I think ultimately whether this movie will hold up over time or fall apart on repeat viewings will depend on how well part 2 works. If the filmmakers play it safe for part 2 and don’t dive into Pennywise’s mythology a bit it could sink both films.

I’m also holding out hope that the incoming extended cut explores more of Pennywise behaviors.

Supermallet

For me the biggest distraction was the frequently poor CGI.