“IT CHAPTER TWO” — 21⁄2 stars — Bill Skarsgard, Isaiah Mustafa, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, Jay Ryan; R (disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive language and some crude sexual material); in general release; running time: 169 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Andy Muschietti’s “It Chapter Two” is a kind of Rorschach test for fear. If creepy visuals is your thing, then the second installment of Stephen King’s popular horror yarn will have you crawling into your seat. But if you require a little tension and unpredictability to get the job done, you should look elsewhere.
The plot is an all-grown-up echo of 2017’s “It,” which brought a half-dozen middle school outcasts together to battle a murderous supernatural entity in their hometown of Derry, Maine. Twenty-seven years after the events of Chapter One, the sadistic clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgard) is back in action, and the so-called “Losers Club” is the only team fit to stop him.
After a grisly murder opens the film, the one Loser who never left town — Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) — summons the rest of the club back from their adult lives. In almost every case, the members of the team have matched material success with some sort of poison pill. De facto leader Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) is a successful author, albeit with a reputation for unsatisfying endings. Richie Tozier (Bill Hader) is a successful standup comedian, but hiding a deep personal secret.
Beverly’s (Jessica Chastain) success in business is overshadowed by an abusive marriage, and the formerly pudgy Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan) has thinned out and bulked up into a wealthy real estate magnate, though he still pines for an unrequited love.
Once the gang returns to Derry, suppressed traumatic childhood memories start to come back, but Mike convinces them to stay the course. If they can each find a token of a childhood fear, he explains, an ancient ritual should banish Pennywise for good.
From here, “Chapter Two” settles into a familiar pattern as each club member revisits a ghost from his or her past to secure an artifact and confront a fear. To make matters worse, the gang’s old bully nemesis Henry Bowers (Teach Grant) has escaped the local nuthouse, and along the way, of course, Pennywise tries to counter the Losers’ every move.
This formula creates endless creepy scenarios, and in most every case, the effects and visuals deliver the goods — especially when it comes to Pennywise himself. Fans of the 1990 TV miniseries and Tim Curry may beg to differ, but Skarsgard does an excellent job as the villainous clown.
The trouble is that you can pretty much see every scare coming a mile away, and rarely does “Chapter Two” develop any real degree of tension. The story also has a way of getting lost in its supernatural ambiguity, and though the theme of confronting fear is salient, dividing it between so many cast members (the Losers Club boasts seven total members) makes it hard to develop any real depth.
But to King fans — and fans of the first film — that may not matter. The cast has changed, but the story is pretty much the same. It’s also just as R-rated as the first film, which felt like an adult version of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” It isn’t the most gory or violent R-rated horror film out there, but it’s definitely beyond PG-13 territory.
Content aside, the real issue with “Chapter Two” is its scare factor. Though it certainly has its merits, “Chapter Two” isn’t scary enough to get a solid thumbs-up. It delivers great visuals and spooky imagery. But scares? Maybe you just have to have a fear of clowns.
Rating explained: “It: Chapter Two” is rated R for a good deal of violence and frightening imagery, persistent adult profanity and some sexual content, including themes and some creature nudity.