Review #957: 'It' (1990)

Throughout the Stephen King adaptation boom of the 1980's and 90's, one aspect that kept writers and directors scratching their heads was how to stay faithful to the sprawling text, while condensing the story into one digestible sitting. While movies such as Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1990) were masterful, they had to stray away from the source in order to avoid becoming a rambling mess. With It, King's hugely successful novel about a shape-shifting entity who preys on young children, the story plays out over two made-for-TV 90 minute episodes. While this format allows the characters and dense plot to breathe, it also highlights a noticeable drop in quality come part two.

The first part takes place mainly in the cursed town of Derry, Maine, in 1960. The younger brother of Bill Denbrough (the late Jonathan Brandis) is approached by a clown named Pennywise (Tim Curry), who lures the little boy into a storm drain with promises of candy and balloons before attacking and killing him. Bill becomes the leader of the Losers Club, a small gang of sorts that consists of outcasts, most of whom have long been the target of a notorious bully. All the kids have problems of their own at school or at home, but they have all been approached by the sinister being who calls himself Pennywise, who terrifies them by feeding on their fears. As they learn the history of the monster who is terrorising their town, the Losers Club decide that it is down to them to end the horror once and for all.

The young cast portraying the Losers Club (along with Brandis, they consist of Brandon Crane, Adam Faraizl, Emily Perkins, Marlon Taylor, Seth Green and Ben Heller) surprisingly outshine their adult counterparts, forging a chemistry with each other strong enough to convince that these are real friends united by shared experience. The opening segment is expertly paced, juxtaposing the events in Derry 30 years ago with the group as adults, all leading their own lives apart from one another, who will find their fates intertwining once again as they learn of children going missing in their home town once again. As they prepare to return home to face an enemy they thought had been destroyed, they think back to their life as children and the bond they once shared.

While the first half brings to mind the heart-warming nostalgia of another King adaptation, Stand by Me (1986), and is genuinely terrifying at times, the second half sinks into strung-out melodrama. The adult cast, consisting of mainly of TV alumni (Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, Tim Reid, Harry Anderson and Richard Masur), look like they're sleep-walking through their roles and, as well as sharing little in the way of physical resemblance to the kids playing them, they share little of their natural chemistry also. I haven't read the novel, but I cannot imagine the climax being quite as ridiculous and underwhelming as it is here. More than likely a victim of its TV budget, the three hour-plus running time ends on a whimper. If the quality had been maintained throughout, this could have been one of the most effective King adaptations to date. Instead, it lies somewhere in the middle. However, Curry deserves high praise of his portrayal of what is surely cinema's scariest clown.


Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace
Starring: Tim Curry, Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Annette O'Toole, Tim Reid, Jonathan Brandis
Country: USA/Canada

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie