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It
Andres Muschietti
(2017)
129min
15 Certificate
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Review
Our Score
by
Alan Jones
The 1990 TV mini-series based on Stephen King's novel
It
scarred a generation and made the killer clown a genre staple. Director Andy Muschietti's artful take on the horror tale really is one of the most gripping and glowing of King dramatisations. This time the focus rests firmly on the first encounter seven outcast tweens have with an ancient child-killing, shape-shifting entity in their Maine home town. It's cleverly placed in the same time period that the book was written, and the 1980s look gives it real scope, while the affectionate King references provide a fun nostalgic texture. The kids, who call themselves The Losers' Club, face less-tangible personal demons than in the mini-series, and the result is well-sustained suspense, where the threats seem palpable and the fully developed punches aren't pulled. There's a creepy roadside-drain prologue and a nightmare sewer-system closing confrontation with evil clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård on disturbing form), though the bloody bathroom scene is the stand-out shocker that's on a memorable par with
The Shining's
lift sequence.
Summary
Premiere. In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of their small New England town. Part one of a two-part Horror based on the Stephen King novel, starring Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher and Sophia Lillis.
Cast & Crew
Bill Denbrough
Jaeden Lieberher
Pennywise
Bill Skarsgård
Richie Tozier
Finn Wolfhard
Eddie Kaspbrak
Jack Dylan Grazer
Beverly Marsh
Sophia Lillis
Ben Hanscom
Jeremy Ray Taylor
Stanley Uris
Wyatt Oleff
Mike Hanlon
Chosen Jacobs
Henry Bowers
Nicholas Hamilton
Hobo
Javier Botet
Georgie
Jackson Robert Scott
Patrick Hockstetter
Owen Teague
Gretta
Megan Charpentier
Leroy Hanlon
Steven Williams
Director
Andres Muschietti
see more
Other Information
Language:
English
Colour
Theatrical distributor:
Warner Bros
Guidance:
Violence, swearing
Available on:
DVD and Blu-ray
Released on:
23 Aug 2019
Drama
Full Episode Guide
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