It

Director - Andy Muschietti (Mama)
Starring - Jaeden Lieberher (St. Vincent, American Dad), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ant-Man, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip), and Bill Skarsgard (Hemlock Grove, Atomic Blonde)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "You'll float too"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror has seen its fair share of horror icons over the years ranging from Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster, Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown are just a few.  Everyone has that one fear and for most, horror fans and movie goers alike, that fear is clown.  Personally, I find it funny that people are afraid of clowns but I also understand irrational fears considering I'm over 6 feet tall and weigh 300 pounds but yet I'm afraid of being raped after watching American History X as a teen.  No clown has evoked more fear into movie goers as Tim Curry when he donned the clown makeup.  Now, his reign as king of the terrifying clowns is being tested by Bill Skarsgard and the new adaptation of Stephen King's It.  I was able to check the film out in theaters with the wife but my review schedule collided with work and I was unable to do so.  After news of the release was announced I reached out and was able to get a review copy.  Glad I did because I really wanted to review this film and share my thoughts on what I consider one of the best films of 2017.

     The film follows a group of youths that are bullied at school and all have a troubled home life of some sort who come together as reluctant friends.  One of The Losers, Billy (Lieberher), lost his brother some time ago and is determined to find the missing body which he believes was washed down the storm drain.  Their adventure in the sewer quickly turns deadly as they band together to stop an evil presence from feasting on children like it has done every 27 years for centuries. 
     I like the original It mini-series but I've always heard that it had distanced itself from the original novel.  I have not read the original work from King so I have nothing to base that on but I do enjoy the mini-series.  With that being said, I was skeptical of the new film once I heard Skarsgard was cast as the iconic Pennywise.  I was familiar with Skarsgard after watching the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove and felt he would lack the charisma that Curry brought to the role.  However, after finally watching the film I have to say that he nailed it.  Sure, the humor isn't there like in the mini-series but Skarsgard was absolutely brilliant and made the film a lot darker that the other incarnation.  This leads me to the acting which was fantastic.  Most horror films and shows centered around children are sometime awkward to watch due to their inexperience.  This cannot be said about the cast.  These amazing young actors absolutely nailed it and are even more enjoyable to watch than the young cast in the original mini-series.  Their characters are so enjoyable to watch and many of you can even relate to their struggles and hardships.  With that being said, the real star of the film is Bill Skarsgard.  His portrayal of Pennywise is downright chilling.  His performance was absolutely brilliant.  He didn't bestow a fear of clowns in me but god damn he made me a fan.  The story for this one is a little different that the mini-series and more in tuned with the book (from what I've been told about the book).  The story has amazing pacing and plenty of character development and suspense to keep you glued to the screen.  The characters are well written and work very well with the story.  Finally, the film has a surprising amount of blood and solid practical effects.  There is more blood than I was expecting and some amazing practical gags that I would have expected the studio to cut costs and use CGI.  There is some visual effects scattered throughout that actually looks pretty well done and should last the test of time.  Overall, It was fantastic.  It was easily one of the best films of 2017 and the hottest release of 2018.  Check it out.