IT: Chapter Two lives up to the hype surrounding it, proving to be a worthy sequel. Despite A-list actors and dark humor, the film does not come close to the previous title with scares. 

Directed by Andy Muschietti, who directed IT (2017), the film focuses on the Loser’s Club returning to Derry after twenty-seven years. After another murder occurs, Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa), calls the members of the Loser’s Club and tells them that ‘IT’ has returned. Together, Bill, Beverley, and the rest of the Losers have to face their fears by putting the dancing clown, Pennywise, to rest.

The film does a good job at sticking with Stephen King’s novel, unlike what the 1990s miniseries did. It includes the Ritual of Chüd, which is a vital part of the final battle with Pennywise. Chapter Two also has more scenes of the younger Losers that Chapter One left out, diving deeper into their characters and relationships with each other. The film even explains Pennywise’s actual form, but only gives certain Easter Eggs to the ancient turtle, Maturin, that guides Bill and the other Losers in the novel.

This film and the 2017 adaptation follows a linear timeline, while the novel and miniseries tells their first encounter in flashbacks. I like this change because as someone who read the novel, it was confusing at times to tell if the setting was in the past or the present. Since the novel is over a thousand pages, splitting the film into two parts saves the audience from watching a four hour movie.

The acting in the film is phenomenal. James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and the others portrayed their characters very well, and Bill Skarsgård once again played an incredible Pennywise, but Bill Hader is the star of the film. Hader, who plays adult Richie, makes the film even more entertaining to watch, and has some of the best scenes in the film. The returning child actors (Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Martell, etc.) again prove themselves as actors, adding more praise to the film.

Despite having a long runtime, two hours and fifty minutes, the movie did not feel that long. The beginning was a little rushed when trying to get the characters together, but the rest of the film was well-paced. I was hooked on whatever the film showed; I never felt bored.

Even the best of movies have their faults. The previous title delivered plenty of scares, but Chapter Two lacked to frighten me. Don’t get me wrong–Pennywise was horrifying–but the other forms IT took resulted in ineffective jumpscares. The CGI looked weird at times, and I wish they let Bill Skarsgård do more frightening things himself.

As much as I enjoyed the film’s dark humor, sometimes it felt out of place. I won’t spoil anything, even though the novel came out ages ago, but if the scene was serious, I didn’t want it to be ruined by jokes. Even so, it didn’t harshly impact the viewing experience for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this film. It might not be as scary as the 2017 prequel, but the dark humor, acting, and aesthetic sells it for me. Between these two films and the miniseries, I believe the two films excel at being as close to King’s original novel the most. I’d recommend to anyone, even if you don’t like scary movies. Also, it’s not just a horror movie; it’s about coming of age and facing your fears.

So, I give IT: Chapter Two an 8/10.