It Chapter Two is good, but I wanted more from our favorite Losers.

It Chapter Two is the sequel to Andy Muschietti’s It, based on the 1986 novel of the same name from legendary horror writer Stephen King.

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The film follows the Losers’ Club of Derry 27 years after they temporarily put Pennywise the Clown down to rest. All are leading separate lives as adults, far removed from the horror and trauma of their hometown.

Only... not really. Eddie (played by James Ransone) and Beverly (Jessica Chastain) have gone off to marry spouses alarmingly reminiscent of their terrible parents — Beverly constantly fights with an emotionally and physically abusive man much like her late father, and Eddie has married a controlling and obsessive woman like the one he is so accustomed to from his childhood. Meanwhile, adult Richie (Bill Hader) has made it big as a popular comedian — telling the same sort of jokes that earned him the validation he looked for as a kid. An older and much more physically fit Ben (Jay Ryan) made it his life mission to shed the weight he received so much bullying for — harboring insecurities that show us he never really got over it. Bill (James McAvoy) is a writer, experiencing material success as we see his new book being adapted into a film. However, our leading Loser is still dealing with an inner sense of ineptitude as he continuously struggles to achieve that perfect ending.

Wait a minute... I'm only counting five Losers. Where are Stanley and Mike?

It is revealed early on that adult Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) is the only one that never left Derry. He stays to remember, so that when that fateful day of Pennywise's return arrives, the Losers’ Club can be ready. His dedication to Pennywise’s defeat proves vital, as we find out that, upon leaving Derry, the Losers forgot what exactly it was that they went through — repressing the trauma until it bubbles back up this time around. Elsewhere, we are heartbroken as we see that Stanley (Andy Bean) has committed suicide upon receiving a call from Mike to return to Derry (not a spoiler; the book's been out since '86, people.)

His reaction toward the gut-wrenching fear of Pennywise’s return sets the tone of the film: childhood traumas do not escape you — they follow you into adulthood. Each Loser has forgotten most everything about Derry, having been far removed from it for so long. But Derry hasn’t forgotten them. Their trauma has shaped large aspects of their adult lives, and it’s evident why this mission to put Pennywise to rest once and for all is so significant to their characters. They need to stop the cycle of endless pain and suffering, so they can finally move on.

metro.co.uk

One criticism I have with the film is its handling of LGBTQ+ portrayals. The opening scene features two gay men who are targeted for their relationship and brutally bashed because of it (ending with the death of one of them.) It's honestly completely barbaric. I understand this occurs in the novel, but the level of intensity to which it is portrayed is, in my opinion, unnecessary and torturous, with no real significant addition to the artistic faithfulness in translation from book to screen. You can include such a scene without gay bashing for no apparent reason. What makes this scene further disturbing is the film’s handling with a main character (Richie) confronting his own sexuality.

From my understanding, the novel leaves his sexuality open to interpretation, as well as his supposed crush on best friend Eddie, whom in the book he refers to as his "first love." In an interview with The New York Times, Hader repeatedly emphasizes the importance of portraying Richie as gay. He says that, while speaking with director Muschietti, he argued, “If it’s not overt, then why is he (Richie) in the movie? You can’t do a half measure on it. You’ve got to go the full way or don’t even allude to it. Let’s not be coy. Let’s just say what it is.”

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Only, it didn’t feel overt. Apart from two underwhelming scenes, it didn't even feel present. One scene was a flashback; we see a young Richie pleading with a boy to play another round of an arcade game with him. That boy is later revealed to be the younger cousin of Henry the bully, who then taunts Richie for his sexuality, claiming he was 'flirting' with his cousin. Frightened and embarrassed, Richie dashes out of the arcade, where we then see him scribbling his initials with another (R + ... ) on a bridge. Later, we see the adult Richie re-carving the initials (R + E) after Eddie's death. Of course, these scenes make his sexuality known, but there is still something missing. (I even had to ask my friend at the end if Richie was gay, because I wasn't sure.)

We never see Richie confronting himself, his fear of not being accepted as a gay man. Never does he even confess to his closest childhood friends that he’s gay. I don't even think "gay" is said aloud in the film once; only foul words that have the same connotation used in a derogatory manner. And Richie deserved that confrontation, that sense of taking off his mask and feeling the relief of being his real self.

Yet after nearly 30 years, it’s still unknown to the world, as Pennywise taunts the adult Richie with “I know your dirty little secret," making his sexuality sound like just that — a secret. And we know that major divergences were made from book to screen, so there's no real reason not to give Richie's storyline a little more love, especially since adult Beverly gets a fully fleshed-out storyline dedicated to figuring out whether Ben or Bill is the right one for her (she has tender moments with both, and kisses both!) *Not saying there's anything wrong with this, just saying they could've done more with Richie because of this. It’s dismissing of the core group's only gay character, especially disappointing since they attempted to make it central to his presence.

Overall, It Chapter Two feels like its trying to tell a story it's set for itself, but doesn't know how to get there. I would say that, rather than a sequel, this was the successful completion of the earlier story but without the depth of the first It. I also felt little genuine connection between the adult Losers. They lack the chemistry we see with the child Losers that was so vital to the success of It. It is understandable for them to feel distant from one another as adults, but the scene where they get dinner exists to show nothing has changed between them. It's all very comfortable. But we lose that as they each part to find their 'artifacts' for the ritual to kill Pennywise. They then exist as standalone stories, with hardly any interwoven connection. And I found that incredibly boring and unnecessarily drawn out (2 hr and 50 min runtime...)

What worked well was the comedy throughout — making the film less horrifying and more entertaining (especially Hader as Richie; that's arguably the best part of the film.) The adults were also well cast, emulating their younger counterparts perfectly as individuals. The feeling you are left with at the end is one of melancholy, but with a glimmer of hope. Pennywise has been slain, but they have lost so much in the process. Their only desire now is to seek a better tomorrow — one absent of trauma and instead a major step toward healing.

vanityfair.com