AKenjiB
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Post by AKenjiB on Sept 24, 2019 23:58:08 GMT
Mixed bag. Bill Hader did a great job and I really liked the tribute to “The Thing.” Like the first film, there’s a lot that works really well (the adult casting, the chemistry between characters) and stuff that doesn’t work (loud jump scares, distracting CGI). I love the book but this film doesn’t really justify its length. The middle section when the characters split off is pretty repetitive and boring.
McAvoy’s stutter is a bit hit-or-miss (more hit) but that scene when he’s trying to buy the bike but can’t get the words out is some relatable shit. It’s FAR better than Richard Thomas’ dreadful attempt at a stutter in the 1990 miniseries, so there’s that.
Overall weaker than both the book and the first film but a decent time at the movies. Not really something I have much desire to revisit though.
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Pasquale
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Post by Pasquale on Dec 15, 2019 22:18:40 GMT
Such a good film. More memorable, than the original.
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Post by Martin Stett on Sept 19, 2020 0:52:14 GMT
Ooooooh boy, this was a mixed bag. I really liked the actors and each individual scene of the movie is still pretty strong.
But I have sooooo many negatives.
1. Poor Mike is given a bigger role, and it is 100% exposition of King's crappy fantasy setting. Only King novels I ever properly read were the Dark Tower books, and they were just as messy and annoying in their exposition. And please, Native American magic rituals? If you're gonna do that, go all in and at least, I dunno, give us a Native American character or show them some sort of respect, instead of shunting them to the side and saying that they failed because they suck.
2. Awful, awful CGI.
3. This doesn't add anything. This is the real problem I have with the film. No new lessons are learned, the characters go through the same exact arcs that they did in the first film, and in the end... it ends the same way. Exactly the same way. I wanted to see how the events of their childhood molded the Losers Club into broken adults, I wanted to see how they cope or evolve or shatter - instead, everyone goes through the same arc. Ben still feels bad about being fat. Bill still feels bad about Georgie. No evolution, no change. They've been idle for 27 years.
I can blame that on the AWFUL device of "forgetting" that both necessitates Mike's exposition and makes it IMPOSSIBLE for characters to grow. How can you move on and change (or stagnate in fear) from an event that you can't remember. If you want "forgetting" done right in a horror story, look at Kris Straub's Broodhollow graphic novels, which have actually used the device for some thematic resonance, as of book 2 (I haven't read further).
But you know what? I still liked it. The individual scenes are still pretty fun. Hader and Ransone make a terrific double act, Teach Grant is completely wasted but still excellent in his small role, Chastain is actually given a character of a sort and tries to do something with it. I was never bored. It's only in retrospect that this movie galls. It should have been so much more.
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