Review #1,293: 'It' (2017)

After what was a difficult and drawn-out development process, few would have expected It, an adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name and re-imagining of Tommy Lee Wallace's 1990 mini-series, to be such a colossal hit. The project first went into development back in 2009, with David Kajganich penning the screenplay for Warner Bros., who were understandably concerned with adapting such a hefty and thematically complex novel into one feature film. Cary Fukunaga signed on as director in 2012, with the production duties moving to New Line and Will Poulter lined up for the lead, before they both parted ways due to creative differences and scheduling conflicts. Mama's Andy Muschietti signed up as director in 2015, and filming finally commenced in 2016, with Bill Skarsgard on board as the titular alien clown. It was all a bit of a mess, but when the trailer debuted on Youtube and smashed the record for most views in 24 hours, it became clear that It would be a bona fide hit.

Since its release, It has pulled in $700 million off a $35 million budget, and is now the highest-grossing horror movie of all time, and the third highest-grossing R-rated movie. And for good reason. It is happy to deliver jump shocks and conform to the genre's tropes, but this is a handsomely-shot and wonderfully-acted coming-of-age drama too. It is The Goonies meets Stand by Me, only with a child-killing clown lurking in the background. Tim Curry's performance in the 1990 original is iconic and pretty scary, and I'm disappointed we'll never get to see what Will Poulter would have done with the role, but Bill Skarsgard proves to be a menacing presence underneath the thick clown make-up and razor-sharp teeth. The opening scene in which he confronts young Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) from a storm drain ("You'll float too...") is nastier than Wallace's version, and sets the tone for Muschietti's film. It doesn't shy away from the gruesome side of horror, and certainly doesn't take it easy on the kids at the heart of the story.

A year after Georgie's disappearance, his older brother Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) still hasn't given up hope. Much to his father's annoyance, he maps out the entire sewer system of Derry, Maine to calculate where his brother may be hiding, or where his corpse may have washed up. The stuttering youngster is part of the 'Losers Club', a gang of bullied school kids who enjoy spending their summers exploring the town's surrounding areas on their bikes, but always wary of mulleted bully Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton). Making up the rest of the gang are hypochondriac Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), timid rabbi's son Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), and the motor-mouthed Richie (Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard). They start to piece together an explanation for the alarming number of disappearances in the town's history when tubby new kid Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) researches the history of his new home. Everything seems to point to a deadly entity lurking in the sewers named Pennywise, a shape-shifting clown who changes his appearance based on the children's individual fears. It also appears to sexual abuse victim Beverly (Sophia Lillis) and slaughterhouse worker Mike (Chosen Jacobs), who both find a refuge in the Losers Club.

The decision to move the action from the 50's to the 80's seems like a no-brainer, especially for those of us who were born in the decade of perms and massive shoulder pads. It ramps up the nostalgic appeal, and the film is at its best when recapturing the spirit of the best coming-of-age movies. Yet for all of It's positives, Muschietti plays the horror frustratingly safe. It's competently done, but every time Pennywise jumps out from the darkness or contorts his body to an inexplicable degree, it's hard to shake the feeling that you've seen all of this before. Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg and Brian De Palma used King's source material to create something more unique and expressive, but it isn't too difficult to spot where Muschietti's jump-shocks will be coming from. It is often creepy, but never scary. I sincerely hope that directors will soon learn that computer-generated ghouls simply don't work, and that practical effects actually add the level of physicality required to frighten. While it may not make you sleep with the light on, It still makes for engrossing drama, unafraid to tackle difficult issues such as bullying, child abuse - both physical and sexual - and primarily the loss of innocence. It's now a long wait for Chapter Two.


Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hamilton
Country: USA/Canada

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,043: 'Midnight Special' (2016)

Billed as writer/director Jeff Nichols' first venture into mainstream film-making and his first stab at a genre piece, Midnight Special still manages to keep things grounded and rugged despite its sci-fi credentials. Clearly a throw-back to the alien-among-us movies of the 1980's, such as E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) and Starman (1984) - movies Nichols no doubt grew up watching - there are shady government officials, a suspicious cult, a sympathetic young investigator, a protective father, and a young boy with some astonishing, otherworldly abilities. Yet there's also the Southern setting, an unhurried pace and the presence of Michael Shannon, all key ingredients in the film-maker's oeuvre that help Midnight Special avoid being yet another homage to a bygone era.

The film begins rather frantically as two men, Roy (Shannon) and his old friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton), escape some unknown threat in the middle of the night with a young boy, adorned with UV-blocking goggles, in the back seat. Their intentions are shady, and we soon learn that the FBI are hunting the men in the hope of rescuing the child, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), who is clearly special in some unique way. Alton is Roy's son, and it's revealed that his father took him away from a shady cult led by the enigmatic Calvin Meyer (Sam Shepard), whose nightly sermons would consist of seemingly random numbers that were once spoken by prophetic Alton. As the curious investigator Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) tries to unravel the mystery of the boy and the reasons for his abduction, Roy and Lucas must dodge state troopers and gun-wielding cult members to deliver Alton to his excommunicated mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) and prepare for the huge event that has been prophesied.

For what is essentially a chase movie, Midnight Special moves incredibly slow at times. While the bursts of action or sudden violence that pepper the film are all the more exciting because of the shuffling pace, it can be a bit of slog at times, especially when the movie keeps you in the dark about a lot of which is going on. It very much reminded me of Nichols's second film, Take Shelter (2011), in which Shannon's troubled father's possible descent into madness manifests itself in his obsession over building a bunker that would shield his family from whatever catastrophic event he foresees. While the mystery was one of the main aspects that helped make that movie incredibly memorable, it does somewhat take away some of the sense of wonder in Midnight Special, even though it would seem that Nichols chose to reveal little until the end to do just the opposite.

Despite its pacing flaws, the film is still incredibly absorbing. The Southern setting is one I find oddly romantic, and Nichols is a master at immersing you in the world, something he did astonishingly well in the land of swamps and charismatic outlaws in 2012's Matthew McConaughey-starring Mud. The world of fleapit motels, empty, neon-lit gas stations and tough, righteous men is the perfect fit for a story rooted in science-fiction. There's something timeless about the setting, and this helps Midnight Special achieve its hat-tipping to the works of Spielberg, Carpenter et al. Nichols also does wonders with the film's humble budget, creating a few standout set-pieces that work better than most CGI-overkill blockbusters. Yet at its heart, the film remains a family drama with the fatherly bond between Roy and Alton always front and centre, and Nichols has stated that it is very much his reaction to becoming a father. It may not be everyone's cup of tea - I'm sure mainstream audiences will be put of by its leisurely pace - but Midnight Special is a rewarding experience if you stick with it.


Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, Adam Driver, Bill Camp, Scott Haze, Sam Shepard, Paul Sparks
Country: USA/Greece

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie