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IT CHAPTER 2 PARENT REVIEW

Do we all still float down there? IT Chapter 2 tells the conclusion of what happened 27 years later when the gang gets back together to take on the evil haunting Derry. With Halloween around the corner and all things spooky getting started, how kid-friendly IT Chapter 2? The parent movie review will help you decide (with bonus “when can you pee during IT Chapter 2” because this movie is long, folks!).

About IT Chapter 2

The Losers’ Club answers the call and fulfills their pledge to return to Derry because the evil of IT has returned. Set 27-years after the experiences in IT Chapter 1, the Losers are all far from losers any more. Each one has gone on to experience levels of professional success, even if the personal successes are lacking. Despite not remembering a whole lot from Derry, they reconvene to discover that Pennywise the clown is back and terrorizing the small town of Derry, Maine. 

Rated: R

Runtime: 2 hours 49 minutes

IT Chapter 2 Review

Before I went into IT Chapter 2, I watched the 1990 version of IT and the 2017 IT Chapter 1. I wanted to make sure I remembered the story and how things were to flow together for the concluding story. 

I’m not sure if that helped or hurt my enjoyment of the film, I’ll be honest here. There was a lot of IT to process in a very short time frame. So I’m not recommending you do the same thing before you watch the movie. 

As a side note: despite the very “made for TV” feel of the original combined with some lame acting by otherwise excellent actors, I didn’t hate my viewing of the OG IT movie. If you haven’t seen it in a hot minute, carve out some time and take a watch to see just how far things have come in Derry since the miniseries aired in 1990.

Following the huge success of IT Chapter 1 was going to be hard- I mean, the 2017 movie is the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. And I can’t say that IT Chapter 2 is quite as good, but I do think it will be as successful. 

Here’s why.

The Actors in IT Chapter 2

We get a lot of flashbacks to Chapter 1 which means the child stars are still in this movie. But the adult actors carry the lion share of the work here, and the casting director nailed the adult Losers’ Club. 

Casting the Old Spice guy as Mike Hanlon? Genius. Isaiah Mustafa- yes, the “I’m on a horse” guy- carries the role of the watcher, the one who stayed behind, and does it well. 

Jessica Chastain was also a fantastic Beverly, but she’s fantastic anything so this is not a surprise that she can also do horror well. She screams a lot, but hey, wouldn’t you in this position?

Bill Hader, however, is the standout adult actor here.

As Richie, the kid comic turned adult funny guy, he looks perfectly at ease in this role. And his comedic timing lands just the right levels of comic relief as things get tense throughout the movie. 

Bill Hader in everything, please. Wait- Bill Hader and Finn Wolfhard in everything. Yes, that will do. 

Pennywise the Clown Is Terrifying (I Know, Duh.)

Bill Skarsgård throws himself into this role with such zest that it’s obvious he’s having fun committing to the whole thing. Pennywise has always been scary, but this version of Pennywise is downright terrifying. 

If you aren’t frightened by this, I don’t know what to tell you. 

 

An Awesome Cameo & Jokes About The Original Ending

I loved that *redacted* showed up as a shop keeper here with the oh-so-Maine accent. I’ll let you see that for yourself! 

And even more, I loved that the movie acknowledges that the ending of the book IT was disappointing.

Spoiler alert: this movie DOES end well and had me in tears. 

What Didn’t Work In IT Chapter 2

I didn’t hate the movie, I just didn’t love it. Chapter 1 was certainly more scary and entertaining for me, though this one had its moments.

This movie was long and I felt every minute of it. It drags and is slow in places, and the storytelling is broken down into almost mini-segments at one point (that lasts a really long time before continuity is restored). 

The various manifestations of the evil IT were crazy and creepy enough, but there was an awful lot of them to keep track of. And it wore on me to the point that I was more bored than worried when a new one came on screen.

And the true form of IT was more, I don’t know if realistic is the right word here but it’s what I’m using, in the 1990 version. This version didn’t make me gasp as that one did. Too much CGI? We might be at that point in this movie. 

Warning to those in the LGBTQ community: there’s a vicious attack in the opening scenes that leaves one gay character dead and carried off by Pennywise, an uncomfortable scene not just for the brutality (expected in a horror film, right?).

It’s taking a very real fear vs an imagined one and kicking off the first 10 minutes with it. I understand that this was important to King that it was included, but entering into a fantasy of fears with a very real one did catch me off guard. 

But then again, maybe that’s the brilliance of the movie. A reminder of the very real horrors that exist as well as the ones built from fantasy. 

Overall, I liked the movie enough and felt it was a satisfying sequel to Chapter 1.

The ending totally got me: there were tears and feelings and all that awesome stuff, so, yeah, satisfying is my answer here. With shades of Stand By Me, the nostalgia of reading Stephen King for the first time as a kid was there and I appreciated that aspect of it all. 

Is There An End-Credit Scene In IT Chapter 2?

Nope, nothing happens at the end of the movie other than credits rolling!

Which are always worth checking out- I know someone’s momma is happy that you took the time to see her kiddo’s name as head Gaffer or whatever!

But there’s not Chapter 3 hint or anything along those lines when the credits roll. 

When Can You Pee During IT Chapter 2?

This is quite possibly the most important part of this whole review: when can you pee during IT Chapter 2?

Because at almost 3 hours, that’s a long time to hold your soda if you know what I’m sayin’!

If you need to run to the bathroom during IT Chapter 2, here are the best times to make a dash. 

• 20 minutes in after Mike calls Beverly and she has a fight. 
• 24 minutes in after Henry gets his knife.
• 35 minutes in after the Losers call Stanley’s wife.
• 52 minutes in when they visit the clubhouse.
• 1:27 minutes after Ben leaves the school.
• 1:45 minutes in after Richie fights Henry

IT Chapter 2 Parent Movie Review

If you’ve got teens and tweens like I do, then you probably already have the requests to see this movie in the theater. 

Is IT Chapter 2 safe for kids- or teens, anyway? 

With some major changes from the books to tone things down, I feel like this Rated R is more acceptable for my teens than it could have been. I’m not rushing out to buy them tickets, but I am not completely opposed to them seeing this horror film (mostly because they already saw the first one).

The child orgy from the book is gone (thankfully- because, WUT WAS THAT?!) and also played down was the child sex abuse. It’s implied but never shown on screen.

Language: yup, IT Chapter 2 has got it. But again- do you blame them for throwing around #allthecursewords with Pennywise hunting them down? I do not. It’s not nearly as F-filled as some other horror movies this summer, so on that level I can say teens won’t be too shocked. 

As mentioned above, the is an attack on members of the LGTBQ community as well as domestic violence between Beverly and her husband. 

I can’t call this family or kid-friendly in any way, but I also feel like 14 and up can handle what’s happening in this movie. I was a huge horror fan as a kid, so my bias for that could be factoring in here.

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