Because the original IT novel is a massive tome, Warner Bros and New Line Cinema wisely decided to split their adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved and horrifying tale into two parts. The first IT movie came out in September 2017, where it was met with a lot of positive reception and made over $700 million worldwide. Now IT Chapter Two is little over two weeks away, but as is often the case with these kinds of major motion pictures, some lucky folks have already seen it.
We have a little longer to wait for the full IT Chapter Two reviews to arrive, but looking at the reactions peppering social media now, it looks like the nearly three-hour IT Chapter Two is also getting a warm reception, though opinions range on whether or not it’s better than IT.
Starting off, CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell, a longtime Stephen King fan, declared that while he liked IT Chapter Two, it didn’t quite measure up to IT when it comes to scares, though the cast, i.e. the adult members of The Losers Club, shine brightly.
Mike Ryan from Uproxx also enjoyed IT Chapter Two for the most part, although the pacing wasn’t quite as good as it was in the previous movie. He also mentioned in a follow-up tweet that he wishes the eponymous entity’s powers and motivations were more clearly defined.
Slashfilm’s Chris Evangelista wasn’t a fan of how IT Chapter Two began and the cast chemistry, but ultimately found it to be an enjoyable movie, saying in a follow-up tweet that when looking at the two IT movies together, it’s one of the rare Stephen King adaptations “that actually understands King’s voice and successfully translates it to the screen.”
Paul Shirley from JoBlo was among IT Chapter Two’s biggest fans, praising the tone and cast, particularly Bill Hader, who plays the adult Richie Tozier. As you’ll see from other reactions, it sounds like Hader steals the show.
Collider’s Haleigh Foutch thought that while IT Chapter Two didn’t quite measure up to its ambition, it still worked overall, from the performances to the horror.
Finally, Erik Davis from Fandango felt that IT Chapter Two was a worthy successor to IT (though it’s definitely a heavier story) and added in another tweet that “the last 45 minutes or so are real strong.”
These are just some of the IT Chapter Two reactions that are now available online, so feel free to look around Twitter to learn what other people thought of the movie. But based off just these tweets, evidently we don’t need to worry about the sequel having dropped the ball… for the most part.
Set 27 years after the events of IT (which took place in 1988, 30 years later than the novel’s first time period), IT Chapter Two sees The Losers Club members reuniting in Derry, Maine to confront Pennywise the Dancing Clown again and defeat him for good. Along with the frequently-praised Bill Hader, the main cast includes James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone and Andy Bean, as well as Bill Skarsgård reprising Pennywise.
We’ll also see the actors who played The Losers’ Club members as kids in IT reprise their roles, some of whom have been digitally de-aged. Andy Muschietti directed again and Gary Dauberman returned to co-write the IT Chapter Two script with Jason Fuchs.
You can judge IT Chapter Two for yourself when it scares its way into theaters on September 6. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage concerning the sequel, and in the meantime, keep track of what other movies are coming out for the rest of the year in our 2019 release schedule.
