I figured I should start this post off with a disclaimer because despite my usual method of reading and then watching the film, I haven't read It since I covered the book and mini-series in 2014. So this won't be a blow by blow comparison as compared to some of my past reviews since my memory of the book isn't that fresh. But there are at least some changes that are glaring enough that I can remember.
The trailers for this film looked promising from the beginning, and while sometimes they can be misleading versus the actual product, in this case I think they did a pretty good job of preparing you for the scares found within. And this movie does have a lot of them. Lots of creepy, gross creatures, lots of frightening moments with our child heroes in peril, and lots of clowns. But one thing I don't think the trailer shows as well that it really should is the strength of the Loser's Club and their friendship.
This is a pretty stellar child cast. Finn Wolfhard as Richie and Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie stand out in particular, but all of the kids do a great job in their roles. Eddie went from a pretty typical put upon nerd in the book to my favorite character in the movie. He's basically 13 going on 45, matter of factly listing all the things that could possibly go wrong with every foolish thing the kids choose to do, and he made me laugh constantly. Richie is still the wise guy, and his humor has been modernized to be less about doing character voices and more about saying sarcastic or rude things that occasionally cross the line. The kids don't say "beep beep" at him when he goes too far like they do in the book, but there's one moment where Pennywise says it to him as a nod to that.
The movie is definitely aware of the fact that it's a remake/reboot and that many people are familiar with the mini-series starring Tim Curry. I think if there's anything that makes these adaptations that are also remakes so distinctive in an unfortunate way is that they often feel the need to spend time doing callbacks rather than just telling the story. I suppose these little things are meant to be Easter eggs to make people who know the original feel like they are sharing a secret together, but in a horror movie where tension is everything, I don't need a wink and a nudge. I'd much rather just be absorbed in the moment.
And I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite, because I really loved the Lego turtle Bill picked up and carried with him from Georgie's room into the cellar. That was a really nice nod to the bigger picture that ties It to the Dark Tower mythology and gives me hope that we may see a little more of that in the next film. Because this movie is more accurately a half adaptation, as it only features the time when the characters are children. The timeline is moved forward, setting their childhood in 1989 rather than the 1950s. They also seem to be aged up a couple years from 11 to 13. I don't know that a whole lot of time was spent analyzing the differences between childhood in the 50s vs the 80s however. When Bill tells Georgie to go get the wax from the cellar to coat his paper boat in, my first thought was "No one was doing that in the late 80s." Perhaps that's a little harsh, but making paper boats and knowing to melt wax to coat them with so they don't disintegrate feels very much like a product of the 50s when kids were still making their own fun. In the 80s I feel like most of us would have just used one of those plastic tub toys instead. But we need the first creepy moment in the cellar so it's left in. It's not necessarily all a bad thing, but to me it just shows a little less thought involved. It seemed like they just figured they could mention Street Fighter and put Batman on the marquee and call it a day.
There are a few changes to the characters as well, though none of them are earth shattering. Mike seems to be the one that suffers the most of this, as his knowledge of Derry's history gets transferred to Ben, supposedly doing a ton of research since he's new in town(as he was in the mini-series, and not in the book). Mike instead has now lost his parents in a fire that killed a large number of people, another example of the awful things that frequently happen in Derry. He also is initially too kindhearted to kill the sheep that his family raises and slaughters for meat. While at first seemingly out of nowhere, this change works well, as it both shows how Mike has been hardened by the experiences with It when he is no longer hesitant to kill, and he also brings the bolt gun along with him for their final battle with the creature.
Probably the most troubling change is the one they make to Beverly. Her father's sexual abuse is covered with just the right level to make him creepy and wrong without spelling too much out for us, and her reactions, hanging out with the boys and cutting all her hair off, are natural reactions to that. But the big problem is that for the final act she basically becomes a damsel in distress, kidnapped by It and therefore forcing all the boys to come and rescue her. On one hand, I can see this being a way to get around that awful "Beverly helps them all escape the sewers" plot device that King chose in the book. Her peril is what is uniting them in this instance, with them all having gone their separate ways after their first fight with the creature. But her character is stronger than that and she doesn't deserve to become a victim in that way.
The way they fight it is also pretty different. The kids spend a decent amount of time in the book trying to figure out how they might be able to kill it, like making silver bullets. Here, the only real weapon they have is banding together and doing their best to not be afraid. Honestly, it's a good way to save a bit of time and get us straight to the conflict, and it helps you to wonder just how it might even be possible for them to do so. While it's great seeing the kids band together and slowly losing their fear of Pennywise, I also like that for at least a moment it very much becomes Bill's story. Having him face the image of Georgie one more time is heartbreaking and effective. The way Pennywise essentially runs away from them at the end may feel like a bit of a cheat to anyone who isn't familiar with the story, but knowing that part 2 is essential to make this feel whole goes a long way.
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