It is finally September! And as the ninth month of 2017 is coming to an end, the 23rd Athens International Film Festival has started, bringing films from all around the world to the greek capital. Yesterday it was time for the premiere of the most recent adaptation of Stephen King's critically acclaimed novel IT. So highly anticipated is this film that people were even holding red balloons in the movie theatre and after a small video message by director Andy Muschietti, the room darkened and we were transported to Derry, Maine.
For those of you unfamiliar with the 1,397-page book or the 1990 cult classic adaptation starring Tim Curry as the clown Pennywise, these are some things you should know. IT takes place in Derry, a small town in Maine where strange things happen and kids and teenagers seem to disappear daily. That's how the story begins, with little Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) going out in the rain in a yellow raincoat to play with his paper boat. Soon, he loses his boat down the sewer drain and as he tries to get it back he meets a peculiar presence dressed as a clown (this time, the scary clown is being brought to the screen in the form of Bill Skarsgard [Allegiant (2016), Anna Karenina (2012), Atomic Blonde (2017)]). But the clown is not what he first seems to be and quickly more and more children go missing. Georgie's older brother Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) along with his outcast friends, witty Ritchie (Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard), booknerd Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), hypochondriac Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), reserved Stan (Wyatt Oleff), derermined Mike (Chosen Jacobs) and misunderstood Beverly (Sophia Lillies), realise that something is going wrong in their small city and try to find who's to blame in order to fight him.
Directed by Andy Muschietti [Mama (2013)] and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman this second adaptation of the huge novel is a success. Having read the book and even though I know one should not compare the two mediums, all I can say is that there has finally come another director (other than Frank Darabont) who has managed to capture Stephen King's atmosphere of hopelessness, mystery and companionship flawlessly. Of course there are some particularly controversial or stand-out scenes missing but this does not take away from the overall feeling. What is also apparent is the great work that has been done by every department in the making of this film, such as costume and production design, cinematography, music department as well as make-up, effects and casting. Everything has been thought down to the last detail.
The movie is quite loud and it has the classic jump scare moments which surprised some of the audience members. But most of all it is a well-made horror film which does not depend solely on cheap tricks and clichés. Adapting just half of the book for this first part of IT, Muschietti takes his time to introduce us to every single character and create the feeling of true friendship between his seven protagonists - which is an emotional reminder of Stand By Me (1986)-. This is something that has been missing from most recent films: the time to learn the characters and identify with them, thus care for them even more as the film's coming to its 3rd act. And that's why it succeeds. Pennywise might be ridiculously scary and iconic but the ones who steal the show are the kids and their raw talent as well as their professionalism. The way they act with each other and the realistic way they deliver their lines is what drives this film on.
So, what we're looking at here is an instant classic and I really can't help looking forward to what comes next.
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