It: Chapter Two

                Just as the book was divided in two parts, the inevitable sequel has arrived to cover the second half of the story.  The kids only thought they had killed "It" but now its 27 years later and as adults, they reunite to return to Derry and face "It" once again.

                It is the rare sequel that outdoes the original but that is definitely the case here. While Pennywise the Clown may not seem as frightening as he did in the first film, only because we are familiar with him now, there are still plenty of thrills and chills in this new chapter.  The actual terror may be the same but the psychological terror has been escalated as the adults now have to face their greatest fears to destroy the one thing that threatens them all. The characters are well defined and there is a full bodied richness to the story that didn't exist in the first film. 

                The film balances the many flashback sequences well. The adults are all interesting but it's fun to see them as the kids from the first film again too. The adults are very well cast to match their younger selves. They are played by James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, and Andy Bean

                Standouts among the adults are Mr. Hader, Mr. Ransone and Ms. Chastain. Playing a comedian, it is easy for Mr. Hader's "Richie" to act as the comic relief and he has great chemistry with Mr Ransone as "Eddie". As the only woman in the group, Ms. Chastain does an excellent job balancing both strength and vulnerability.  Bill Skarsgard returns as "Pennywise the Clown" and as I mentioned, while not quite as terrifying in the first film, he's still got some creepy good scares left in him.

                Directed by Andy Muschietti, the film is almost three hours long but moves at a brisk pace. It allows for each actor to have a pivotal sequence in the story. The special effects are well done but turn silly in the final climax of the film, which ultimately is a bit of a bore. It relies on many similar horror ending cliches (steals one scene right out of "Poltergeist").

                Everything up until that moment is extreme fun and exciting to watch. As one character in the film is told repeatedly, "your books are great but your endings stink".  While the climax was a bit disappointing, I will say it is still a satisfying ending.  Of course, the film will probably make gazillions of dollars and we have most likely not seen the last of "It".

                I give it four out of five red balloons.