A Horror Geek’s Review Of It 2017

The new movie version of Stephen King's It has made tons of money and everybody's talking about it after only four days in theaters. Does it live up to the hype?

I'm a proud geek who loves sci - fi, comic books and comic book movies, and horror. I distinctly recall being terrified by the 'It' mini - series starring the incomparable Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue) as a kid. I was excited when it was announced that 'It' was finally going to get the big screen treatment, and decided to start reading the novel in preparation for the movie.

The novel is a massive, 1100 - page monster and I'm only a quarter of the way through. I saw the new movie over the weekend and really enjoyed it. In my geek opinion, the best movies, books, TV shows, etc. are those that have characters you care about. If you don't care about the characters, the best plot and special effects and acting don't mean squat. I think this especially applies to horror movies, because you have to care about the people going through the horror or the movie is just about watching people die in creative ways.

The new 'It' succeeds because of the talented cast of child actors. You care for them instantly, partly because they're kids but also because of the tremendous performances the actors give. Bill Skarsgard does a great job with his own take on Pennywise, and I don't think it's fair to compare his performance to Tim Curry's because both actors worked in different formats (TV mini-series, theatrical movie) and at very different times (1990, 2017).

Best of all, the new 'It' succeeds because it focuses on the characters, staying true to the focus and style of Stephen King. Click here to listen to my full review via my podcast, The Geek Sheaux with Chris Meaux, or watch via YouTube above!