It

Based on about half of Stephen King’s massively overlong novel, It follows several scrappy adolescents as they band together to defeat a terrifying evil (which most often presents itself as a clown named Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgard). There’s ultimately not a whole lot within It that works beyond the level of passable competence, as the movie, which runs a needlessly bloated 135 minutes, tells an often excessively familiar story of ragtag outcasts and their efforts at overcoming a series of obstacles – with the less-than-fresh atmosphere compounded by a selection of one-dimensional, scarcely-developed characters (ie these protagonists are essentially defined by their most obvious, outward personality traits and that’s all). And while Skarsgard does an effective job of transforming Pennywise into an indelible villain, the decision to keep the creepy clown front and center throughout slowly-but-surely drains him of his effectiveness (ie the equivalent would be if the shark in Jaws had been a prominent presence right from the get-go). Having said that, It admittedly does boast a handful of extremely effective moments (eg the kids’ attempt to view slide photos is derailed by Pennywise’s sudden appearance) and the movie generally manage to hold one’s interest throughout – although the decidedly episodic structure does result in a palpable lack of momentum (which, in turn, paves the way for a less-than-enthralling climax). It’s ultimately clear that It most likely stands as the best adaptation of a seriously unwieldy book one could’ve hoped for, and yet one can’t hope that the inevitable part two is able to make a more markedly (and consistently) positive impact than this.

**1/2 out of ****