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justa-fangirl · 8 years ago

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Get ready guys, this is going to be a whopper of a post. On my second viewing I took notes so I could remember everything, and I filled up half a notebook…

Granted, some pages only have a few scribbles because I was writing in the dark of the cinema and couldn’t see how much was on each page, so sometimes I’d do a few notes and then turn over so I wouldn’t accidentally write over something else.

Luckily, it is all mostly legible (ROCK WAARRR!), even though I was writing in the dark – but whether or not I remember what I was talking about is another matter.

I know people don’t really care about others’ unsolicited opinions on movies, but I just wanted to put my thoughts down for posterity. I have been looking forward to this movie SO. MUCH. that I wanted to write down all my first impressions on my blog so I can look back at it and remember how excited I was, and how I felt when seeing it for the first few times.

Before I get down to the spoiler-y stuff, I’ll start with this:

I loved this movie with all my heart.

I wanted an adaptation I could enjoy as much as I loved the book, even if it wasn’t word-for-word. I wanted to a magnetic Pennywise I could love to hate. I wanted to spend 135 minutes hanging out with the Losers’ Club.

And that’s what I got.

Of course, there were things I didn’t like or that I wish they’d put in from the book – but I have always been so positive about this movie that I don’t want to focus on the negatives right now. Usually, I am one of those people who’s like “HOW DARE THEY CHANGE ANYTHING FROM THE BOOK! AAARGH!” But with IT, I didn’t feel that normal anxious worry – from everything I’ve read and seen about it over the past year or so, I’ve just been excited, and had faith, and it’s made the experience so much more enjoyable. And I want to keep that good feeling going, because I liked that I could just enjoy it without paying too much attention to the negatives. So yeah, there were some bits where I thought “Oh, I wish they could have added this/changed that” but I’m just not letting them bother me. I love it too much to worry about that stuff.

As for the horror aspect, I didn’t find the book too scary, and I didn’t find the movie too scary either. But that’s because I was too excited to be scared, and that’s hardly a bad thing! I didn’t mind that I only jumped once or that I won’t be having nightmares about Pennywise. I still couldn’t sleep after I saw IT, but that’s because I was so excited I was wide awake, and that is the perfect reaction to get from a movie.

So my notes below are mainly going to be just pointing out stuff I loved and enjoyed. There will be some "But"s or "I just wish they would have"s in there, but only because these are thoughts I had while watching it – they didn’t ruin the movie for me at all.

I would never want a word-for-word adaptation of the book It, anyway, and I don’t think anyone of us would. (I’m sure we’re all happy to get rid of That Scene and some of Richie’s voices.) So if I don’t want an exact copy, I think the studio making other changes is only fair, too. I liked seeing new things, so that there were some surprises in the movie. And some of the little changes were actually improvements, in my opinion. Plus, there were changes where I was simultaneously like “Oh, man, I wish they would have done it more like the book…” but also thought “I love the way they’ve done this!” (Like making Neibolt Street more prominent). So even if there were bits I missed from the book, I also really enjoyed getting to see IT in a new way.

Okay, enough unstructured rambling. Time for a bullet-point list of rambling! Under the cut because of spoilers for the book and movie.

These notes follow the order of the movie, since I made them while watching. I’m planning to make a separate post about stuff I particularly loved about the cast, because OMG THE CAST, but the notes below mainly focus on the story and stuff.

This is also unfinished, because I’ve just spent like 2 hours writing and the 21 bullet points I’ve done so far are only 5 pages of my handwritten notes. And I’ve got 62 pages more to go… I actually have stuff to do today (all of it IT related, of course) and it’s already 2 p.m. so I think I’ll just post this as is, and carry on later! Who knows how many days it will take me to finish this!

So, my notes on IT :

Despite everything I’ve just said above about being super positive, my first note is actually a negative. (Oops, I forgot about this…) I just didn’t like the kids singing “Oranges and Lemons” at the beginning. Kids creepily singing a nursery rhyme…SO FRICKIN CLICHÉ!

I tried to make a note of all the posters in Bill’s room just because: ‘Gremlins’ above his bed, so clearly his favourite. ‘Beetlejuice’ on the wall. Possibly ‘Robocop’ near the door? I couldn’t tell. On the outside of his door (so clearly another favourite) was something that as potentially Dungeons and Dragons. It was always out of focus so I couldn’t tell, but that was my first thought – and in the credits there was a credit note for Dungeons and Dragons so it could be that. The Losers’ favourite movies and geeky interests are very important to me, and if there is any possibility of them playing D&D together, you can bet I will treasure this idea in my heart forever.

Georgie glaring at Bill as he spins around and picks up the walkie-talkie.

Georgie standing in front of the cellar door and going “Tch.”

Jackson Robert Scott going down the stairs to the cellar and whispering to himself “I’m brave” – I just wanted to cry.

At this point I was already like “Holy shit, Jackson Robert Scott is SO GOOD!” and I could have made notes about this non-stop because every time he came on-screen I was blown away. I am dedicating another post to talking about the actors’ performances, though, otherwise this post would be even longer with me singing their praises.

But bascially, someone please give Jackson Robert Scott an Oscar right now.

I loved the transition from Georgie being terrified in the cellar, stampeding up the stairs after the booming thunder clap, the tense, deep music you can feel down to your bones – and then we flash to him leaning on Bill with his arms around him, perfectly at ease now he’s with his brother, and it’s such a peaceful, touching, quiet moment between them. It made me even more sad for what was to come!

“Bill’s going to kill me.” NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (this is what I wrote down in my notebook) That line just about killed ME!

There was something so creepily off about Pennywise but I couldn’t put my finger on it for several minutes: his pupils were all over the place. It was such a great effect because it was a tiny detail that you’re looking at the whole time but you might not notice it, you just know something’s wrong with what you’re seeing.

I love Pennywise’s teeth – they remind me of a bunny. It makes him kind of sweet looking even whilst you’re thinking “He’s so disturbing!”

Pennywise: “I bet you have a lot of friends.” Georgie: “3. But my brother’s my best best.” Me: Pennywis（ＴДＴ）

Georgie’s death…Now, I feel bad for saying this, but the idea of this scene never made me particularly sad before. I know it’s a kid getting his arm torn off and dying but I always felt so aware that it’s just the set up for the whole story. Like this is just a tool to get things moving, so the death itself seemed secondary to that. But Jackson Robert Scott made this scene a tragedy for me now. It was awful, and I was so, so sad watching it. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it, especially those screams. I mean, I’m glad it’s now sad and emotional for me because it adds to the whole film, but also fuck my life. It also made the rest of the movie so much more personal and tragic, and I completely understood and supported everything Bill did because of it. I also totally connected with the way Bill was always on the verge of tears whenever thinking about or seeing Georgie, because I was like “ME, TOO, BILL!”

That being said, I thought the CGI wasn’t that great. I’m aware they had a pretty minuscule budget, though, so I was prepared for this.

I had some conflicting thoughts about the fact that we lost Mike’s dad in the movie. I thought it was a shame to lose him because that meant there were literally no decent or supportive adult figures in the movie. (He also had some really sweet and meaningful scenes with Mike, and his interest in Derry history felt so crucial to Mike’s development). BUT, in a way, that worked because it made the dividing line between kids and adults in the story much more strict – any grown-up is evil now, basically – and therefore added to the sense of threat in Derry. HOWEVER, that message doesn’t lend itself very well to Chapter Two, where the Losers are adults. We have just been taught all adults are bad, and yet next time round the heroes will be adults themselves. It’s so conflicting. (I mean, I’m perfectly prepared to love them as adults, because I am one myself and I know we’re not all evil.)

Why were the Derry High School girls so mean? Like there was no proper explanation about why Gretta hated Bev so vehemently, apart from the fact that she was annoyed she was a slut. It seemed lazy, but at the same time I found it funny because it was like they were proper 80s movie bullies, who are just wildly horrible for no apparent reason.

On one of my later viewings I realised Bev has bruises on her arm. You never find out where they’re from, and they could maybe just be from normal kids stuff...but it really seemed like someone must have done something to her. It was really subtle, but if you notice the bruise you just get such a sick, tragic feeling down to the pit ofyour stomach so I thought it was really effective.

One of the few things that I really didn’t like and which left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth was how they changed the Barrens into a purely negative place. In the book, this is the Losers’ safe place. Here they get to have fun and be themselves on their own terms, and some of the best, happiest scenes play out here. (I mean, yes, bad shit happens there, too, but that’s the nature of Derry.) But in the movie, the Barrens was a place Bill was forcing them to go out of his obsession over finding Georgie and it made all the others uncomfortable. It was a shame the Barrens got turned into a negative place. Even though we got to see the Losers having fun elsewhere in Derry, I missed the Barrens because that’s where I always picture the kids having fun. (I’m going to pretend that the quarry was in the Barrens. It may actually be, I’m not sure.)

Richie doing Street Fighter training = Yes. Good.

“She’s not dead. She’s missing.” I loved this line, and some similar ones later, where Bill is making this distinction. Since we fell in love with Georgie in the beginning ourselves, you really feel for him, wanting to believe his little brother is still alive. And because he was just so sad about it (again, gushing about the actors in another post), I understood how the other Losers couldn’t bring themselves to tell him “Georgie is dead.” You know it’s wrong of them to go along with it, but you understand why they can’t say anything.

Ben’s intro was also the absolute best. You got everything that is Ben Hanscom wrapped up in a few minutes: he cares about school and the work he produces, he’s clever and cunning (leaving school without Henry seeing him), full of hope and energy and positivity so you feel like he’d be a great person to know, but also just incredibly lonely and a bit awkward around people at first because he’s not used to spending time with anyone. Also super hardcore in love with Bev. His little face as she’s singing his yearbook! I saw the film 6 times over the opening weekend, and that never failed to get an “Awww” from some girls in the audience. II thought it was a fantastic character intro.

They never explained why Henry was looking for Ben. I mean, they didn’t need to – Henry is The Local Bully, we get it. But it was a shame we didn’t get to hear about Ben standing up to Henry in the end of year exams, because that was damn brave! And it probably would have been more impressive with him being “The New Kid.”

Speaking of which, how new is “new”? Like, it’s the end of the school year – when did Ben move to Derry? I would feel for him if it was the end of the year, that is a terrible time to move a new school. So it would have been good if they could have found a way to slip that in – I would have felt even more sorry for him.

Ben walking away with his headphones trailing behind = relatable.

At this point in my notes, I wrote “literally all of them are phenomenal” and please imagine this comment after every bullet point in this list because HOLY SHIT LITERALLY ALL OF THEM ARE PHENEMONAL! I had had absolute faith in this cast the whole time, because every interview, Instagram or clip I saw just filled me with confidence. It may seem naïve to think that way, but in the end I wasn’t disappointed so I don’t care. Like I can die happy because I feel like I’ve seen the quintessential Losers’ Club.

Although we didn’t really get to see any of Bill’s parents’ coldness and neglect, I did like the hint of it we saw in the interaction between Bill and his dad when Bill comes home from school. He sees his dad and his eyes kind of light up and he offers to help him with chores. Like no kid wants to hang out with their dad and do chores. But Bill is desperate to be noticed by his parents and involved in their lives again, and he thinks for a moment he might have a chance. But then no, and it’s heartbreaking.

When we saw the burnt hands in the trailer a while ago, I just assumed that Mike’s fear revolved around the Black Spot. It seemed to make sense - not only because racist cults/terrorists are horrifying but because it would bring in some of the history of the cycles that Mike could then share with the others. I was kind of surprised the burnt hands represented how Mike’s parents died in a fire, because the fact that there were so many hands didn’t make sense to me. It definitely looked creepy, but I think it would have been more powerful if it was just his parents’ hands at least.

My brother pointed out that Mike’s Pennywise scene was particularly loud, and made it all the more disturbing. I hadn’t really noticed that first time round, but I fully agreed the next time I watched it.

I also found the animal noises creepy af because I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Like was Pennywise hanging off a sheep and eating it, or just pretending to be a sheep? It was just weird and wrong, so I felt the whole thing was off-putting - and therefore doing it’s job. And Pennywise’s slow turn and wave as his eyes light up - genuinely creepy. I loved that bit.

Bowers, on the other hand… Shrieking “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY TOWN!” followed by him throwing a cigarette butt at Mike. It just seemed super lame compared to Pennywise, and I bet Mike felt the same. For once in his life he was probably like “omg, thank God, it’s just Henry Bowers.” Which shows you just how damn terrifying Pennywise is!

If you haven’t already, watch Belch’s face as he laughs at Mike and then gives him the finger. It’s hilarious.

At this point in my notes “emotional story” but I can’t remember what that means...

Also, in the scene where Mike first sees Pennywise we also get our only decent adult in Derry: the guy who comes out of the Quality Meats place and says “Mike...are you okay?” Bless this guy in his bloody apron, he’s all us adult viewers have to make us feel like we’re not the enemy here.

I loved Stan’s fear of the painting. It’s the kind of thing I think we can all relate to. Like when you’re a kid, isn’t there always some perfectly ordinary object or picture or song that just sends chills down your spine, but nobody else seems to mind it so you can’t really admit you’re scared of it? It reminded me of Georgie’s fear of the cellar - he doesn’t want to admit he’s afraid of it because he knows it’s a normal place, and other people go down there, and Bill’s not scared of it, and it’s in his own home so it should be perfectly safe. But none of that really dampens the power of the cellar, and it’s still a symbol of fear.

I went to see the movie in 4D and one of the effects was that the lights in the cinema flickered whenever they did in the movie. This would really effective because it made it seem like Pennywise’s influence was reaching out into the real world, too. So when the lights were flickering above Mr. Uris’s bookshelf they also flickered in the cinema and for a second I was genuinely like “Shiiiiiiiit! Pennywise could actually pop out of the screen!”

When you see the vague shape of the woman’s hands behind Stan in the shadows and she drops the flute - that was one of my favourite scary moments in the movie.

I’m sad that Stan never got his bird moment. In the book, I think he was the first one to fight back against It, and you were kind of in awe of him after that.

I loved the Derry Children’s Hour TV show that was always playing in the background. That was a great touch because you got to see how pervasive Pennywise’s influence was in Derry. Plus, it was just plain creepy.

I was disappointed in some of the negative/cowardly things they made Eddie say. He questioned Bill “First you said the Barrens and now the sewer. What if we get caught?” And then there was the whole “What if I don’t want to find them?” bit. Like whatever happened to the fact that Eddie would die for Bill? It just seemed wrong to play around with that intense loyalty he had, because that’s such a positive thing about Eddie’s character in the book. Yes, he’s scared and doesn’t necessarily want to get involved in this monster drama (I mean, none of them WANT this) but he would never say “I don’t want to help you find Georgie.” My sister has never read the book or seen the original miniseries, but when she saw this scene in an advert with Eddie saying “What if I don’t want to find them?” and “No offense Bill, but I don’t want to end up like…” my sister was like “Woah, that’s not right. You would never say that to your best friend.”

“Eddie Bear” = love. Stephen King missed a trick with that one.

I also loved when the boys wore shirts for places in Derry which we didn’t get to see in the movie, like Freese’s, Tracker Bros. and the Bike & Cycle Shop. I also found it really funny, though, because it’s like why are Bill and Richie wearing shirts for local stores? Like imagine kids wandering round with Wal-Mart shirts or whatever. But it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the shirts, it actually made me like them more.

“Do you want one from me, too, Mrs K?” = best line.

“Sorry, mommy!” No, THIS is the best line. How does he be so freaking adorable!

Ben’s shirts are amazing. I like how they gave him some embarrassing clothes, even if it was different from the book. You still got the same idea, and I think it was a great touch.

I thought the scene where Ben is flipping through the History of Old Derry photos was great. He gets to that picture of the tree and he just keeps going and going and the photo zooms closer and closer. And as much as I was trying to figure out what I was looking at, it was also making me stressed out because I knew I wouldn’t want to see what the picture was up close. It was really tense. I also liked how the picture number stayed at 149 every time Ben flipped the page, like Pennywise is just playing with him and is trying to get him to look at a horrible photo that will keep Ben awake at night.

It took me until my 10th time seeing the movie to notice that fucing HORRIFYING woman in the background at the library. My brother had mentioned it to me (he saw it first time round!) and I’d seen a post about it on tumblr, but I always forgot to watch out for her. Then I finally spotted her and she’s genuinely the scariest part of the movie for me!! I hope we find out more about this in the DVD because they HAD to have been planning something with this.

When we saw that movie still ages ago of the egg on the floor, I completely didn’t clock that it would be a reference to the Easter Ironworks explosion. It seemed so obvious as soon as I saw it in the actual film, so I enjoyed that ��oooooooh!” moment.I thought the archives scene was great. I know everyone laugh at the “Egg boy.” bit but I actually just found it scary because all of a sudden the music cuts and you hear a deep voice that definitely doesn’t belong to that headless kid.

Ben kicking Henry in the chest and then flipping backwards over the fence into the Barrens was a fucking baller scene. I loved it.

At this point in my notes, I wrote one sentence over another one and I can’t read either of them...I’m sure they were very deep and insightful.

We only got one brief Morlock hole! I was totally expecting it to come back, and then it never did. I didn’t mind that they made 29 Neibolt Street the entrance to It’s lair, though, because that place is fucking iconic. But I felt bad for the Morlock Holes getting shunted from the movie! I imagine the Morlock holes and 29 Neibolt Street having a horror movie location rivalry. Like the Morlock holes think they’re scarier because you go down into a confined space, and 20 Neibolt Street is like “excuse you, I’m literally a haunted fun house.”

When we saw Patrick loping off to chase Ben my brother leaned over to me and whispered “He looks like the poor man’s Adam Driver.”

Speaking of Patrick, he was fucking creepy! I mean, even though we didn’t get any of his backstory (which is fine, we don’t need it in a 2 hour movie) the actor managed to make really off-putting just through his movements and facial expressions. Total props to Owen Teague. The way he kind of loomed over everyone, smiled weirdly, kept licking his licks, his lopey walk…*shudder*

Eddie’s scream when Richie throws grey water rags at him

The whole banter between Richie and Eddie during this scene. I’d watched it over and over on YouTube because that was the clip they released during the MTV Awards or something, I think, but damn it was still so good.

“It’s summer!” I fricking loved this line every time it came up. It really felt like something a kid would say in this context: like completely meaningless to the situation (monsters don’t wait because it’s summer) but still feels reasonable because kids feel they are owed summer to do whatever they want.

I’m just going to copy-paste an earlier bullet point here because it’s relevant again and I really didn’t like it because they screwed over my Eddie! I was disappointed in some of the negative/cowardly things they made Eddie say. I mean, “What if I don’t want to find them?” Like whatever happened to the fact that Eddie would die for Bill? It just seemed wrong to play around with that intense loyalty he had, because that’s such a positive thing about Eddie’s character in the book. Yes, he’s scared and doesn’t necessarily want to get involved in this monster drama (I mean, none of them WANT this) but he would never say “I don’t want to help you find Georgie.” My sister has never read the book or seen the original miniseries, but when she saw this scene in an advert with Eddie saying “What if I don’t want to find them?” and “No offense Bill, but I don’t want to end up like…” my sister was like “Woah, that’s not right. You would never say that to your best friend.”

Don’t think I didn’t clock “Eddie, come on.”

Eddie’s whole conversation with himself as they’re biking towards the pharmacy, jfc so good

“How do you amputate a WAIST?!”

“Glad I got to meet you before you died.” and then Richie’s awkward shuffle - I just wanna hug him!!

Loved the Bradley Gang mural. I know we didn’t get the full story, but just the fact that this was painted on the wall implies that the town was okay with it and proud of the events, which is super dark when you realise what the mural is showing.

Eddie grabbing everything he needs from the pharmacy without even needing to look where the first aid supplies are. Iconic.

Bev in front of all tampons and pads, also iconic. I still do that every time I need to restock because it’s like overwhelming every time.

Bev flirting with Mr. Keene really didn’t sit right with me. You could interpret her biggest fear as growing up and/or being sexualised, so it just felt ridiculous for her to use her sexuality for her own advantage. Like she’s not comfortable with it, so she wouldn’t be able to just wield it around for her own purposes. But I suppose you could say she was able to do it because she knew it would help the Losers, and that’s very brave and strong of her to face a big fear like that without really even knowing the boys properly yet.

My 19-year old brother didn’t realise that Mr. Keene was supposed to be creepy. -_- When I said “There were no good adults in the film” he was like”What about the guy at the pharmacy?” I was like “Did you not see the way he looked at BEV?!” Whenever he does that slow look up her chest to her face and says “Well, how about that, you look just like Lois Lane” I ALWAYS hear some women in the audience groaning in disgust.

Everything from the Losers’ attempt at shoplifting throughout the alley scene is pretty much cinematic history. I mean it has everything: some soft kids trying to shoplift and just making the most noise possible, slow-mo Bev, Eddie’s second fanny pack, so much Richie, Stan smiling. I could watch these five minutes on repeat for the rest of my life.

Bev flinching when her dad went to stroke her face was so painful to watch. That plus the bruise and his creepy invasiveness just made you instantly worried about Bev, and left a dark shadow looming over the movie the entire time, which I found scarier than most of the regular horror elements. I read an article that said the adults were the creepiest part of the movie, and it’s definitely true. They really added to the threat on top of the supernatural horror stuff, and I think they seemed scarier because you COULDN’T escape or defeat the adults the same way you could with Pennywise. With Pennywise you can just physically take him on, but how do you do that with a world full of adults?

I’m sad that we didn’t get to see the boys building a dam, although I do understand you can’t have everything in the movie. But we got the loogie scene and everyone having fun at the quarry instead, which was definitely fine by me.

The loogie scene was absolutely amazing, particularly Eddie. When I took my parents to see it my dad actually laughed out loud as Eddie spit on the rock directly in front of himself.

I almost can’t bear to listen to Beverly’s song on the soundtrack, but I still have to everyday. It’s so heartwarming and lovely.

I LOVE the Bev sunbathing scene. Part of me kind of thought it was another thing Bev wouldn’t do, not on the first day of their friendship, you know? At this point, these aren’t her brothers they’re just some guys, which is evident in the way they all stare at her. However, it was still a super funny scene.

Richie’s smile when he pulls out the Standpipe postcard and says “Who sent you this?” is an absolute delight. It’s a perfect mix between mocking and light-hearted fun and curiosity - so so Richie.

I know that before the movie came out we all saw how Eddie fell over the bikes and Richie was the one who stayed behind to see if he was okay. But when I actually saw the movie I realised Richie stayed because Eddie tripping was his fault, and he felt bad. Eddie had stopped his bike on Ben’s front lawn and then Richie pulled up afterwards and dropped his bike directly behind Eddie, causing Eddie to trip over. So Richie stayed because it was his fault. Still such a great little background moment!

I know this has been pointed out many times, but I do love all the staples on the pillar where the lady is pinning Patrick’s poster. Shows just how many posters must have been put up there in the past.

So did anyone else notice Ben picking up what appears to be a dirty magazine and chucking it in his closet before the Losers come into his room? Because NO. I refuse to believe Ben would look at dirty magazines. I know he’s a teenage boy but I don’t care. Fake news.

I would give anything to know who Richie and Eddie are talking about when they come into Ben’s room. “He’s got like a rollercoaster and old guy’s bones? YEah, cool!” What??!!

Ben: “Cool, huh?” Richie: “NO. No.” = LOVE

Ben: “Derry started as a beaver trapping camp.” Richie: “Still is, am I right boys?” = I’m dead (my dad also laughed out loud)

That New Kids on the Block poster moment was so bizarre. There were a couple of really weird shots in the movie - like Belch’s slow mo shout later on. Not that I didn’t love it, but I was also like “Um...why?” Although Ben’s little smile when Bev hides the poster again was SO CUTE!

Eddie walking past the church while the choir sings inside was my absolute favourite moment in the movie. I don’t know anything about cinema, but I thought it was a great shot, and I loved the little nod to the book (like how Eddie likes to sometimes sit outside the church and listen to the music). I also thought that the contrast between this intro and the rest of Eddie’s Pennywise scene was really brilliant and moving. At first, we see Eddie as a carefree child strolling down the street, listening to the church choir. Then in a few moments we see him having to pop pills, not really knowing why, and then he’s being chased by the leper, all linked to very grown-up fears of disease, death, sex and sexuality (I know the movie didn’t have any of the blowjob references in the lepe scene, but it’s really hard to not think of that anyway).

#it 2017 #it movie 2017 #stephen king's it #the losers' club #the losers club #it spoilers #spoilers #it #it movie

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