IT: Chapter 2 is the follow up to the 2017 IT which was a good, fun summer horror movie. The sequel dials back on the horror in favor of a longer, more character-driven version. The adult versions of the kids are all cast incredibly well.  Bill Hader as Richie gives my favorite performance of the movie, but all of the leads do a great job continuing their character’s story. The chemistry between them in the first act does keep you entertained, but the second act separates the group. The three hour run time can be felt most during the second act.

Each character gets their own Pennywise encounter that starts off suspenseful, but as it goes on, the movie becomes too repetitive and not creative enough to compensate for the length. Bill Skarsgård once again does an amazing job with the physicality and voice of Pennywise. The problem is every scare scene is too similar. It would have been much better if each character got uniquely horrifying encounters, instead of variations on spiders, blood and zombie-like illusions. The main bully from the first film, Henry Bowers-now played by Teach Grant, appears in the movie as well. But his character’s motivations aren’t compelling and it seems thrown in to be another connection to the previous movie.

Overall, IT: Chapter 2 has some good elements: the chemistry and strength of the leads, a few well-shot and edited Pennywise scenes and an ending for its characters that is satisfying. However, they don’t completely save it from dragging on, missing the mark on the creativity open to them for legitimately terrifying scenes. 3/5 paws