Critics say 'It' is missing something, but will still scare you silly

Nothing says "Summer's over" like a murderous clown. Stephen King's It releases in theaters Friday, and early reviews point to scream-worthy violence, clown imagery, and what Mashable's own Angie Han describes as "the very specific terrors of early adolescence." The film will likely perform well at the box office, but as reviews trickle in, it seems to fall slightly short of the massive weight upon this cultural legacy.

Read on for more reviews of Stephen King's It.

The cast

Andrew Barker, Variety:

Following the novel’s example, Muschietti has constructed a film that’s just as much “Stand by Me” as creature feature, and casting director Rich Delia goes above the call of duty assembling a group of youngsters who are every bit as funny, irritating and empathetic as the script requires. Lieberher and Lillis are particularly revelatory, their flirtations warm and believable, and Lillis bears more than just a superficial resemblance to a young Amy Adams. But Wolfhard all but steals the show as the gang’s cheerful antagonist Richie. Best known for his turn last year in “Stranger Things” — which itself shamelessly pilfered elements from “It” to more cohesive effect — the 14-year-old unleashes torrents of profanity and stupid-clever teenage quips with infectious panache.

Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent:

Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise, however, is fear itself, that most penetrative of emotions. A rendition that leans far more into Pennywise's origins as a primordial force of evil: from the dirtied, silken 19th century garb to Skarsgård's twitchy, ferocious performance. To the adult mind, at least, this Pennywise is far more terrifying.

Bill Edwards, Den of Geek:

Skarsgård gives a fantastic account of himself, supported by the filmmakers who have surrounded him with a collage of creepy imagery. The character feels wonderfully considered, with everything from his voice to his jerky movement precisely designed to twist you into a state of deep discomfort. It may lack the simplicity of Curry’s performance, as the film around never aims for the quiet unsettling feeling the old TV adaptation achieved in some of its more effective moments, but it’s hard to fault this new take on Pennywise.

The woes of growing up

Andrew Barker, Variety:

The film does, however, pick up on one key element of the novel, and King’s writing in general, that often goes missing in films based on his work: the notion that young people are uniquely burdened with atoning for the inequities of the adult world. Much of “It” takes place with no parents in sight, and when adults do break into the narrative, they’re invariably drunk, cruel, manipulative and indifferent if not hostile toward the fears and worries of those they ought to be protecting. As King puts it in the novel, “adults are the real monsters,” and Muschietti has plenty of ground left to cover when we see what kinds of adults these characters become.

Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent:

The adults in town can't see Pennywise, neither can they see the non-supernatural terrors that stalk them just as ferociously: bullying, racism, sexual abuse. All scenes that Muschietti renders with as much intensity as It's attacks. Willingly or unwillingly, adults turn a blind eye to what these kids are going through. Their isolation is palpable. The world of a child is one that's utterly closed off, but often not by choice.

Rosie Fletcher, Digital Spy:

It is a perfect lament to the death of childhood: the refrain throughout from the kids is that they just wanted to have a fun summer, and it's made all the more poignant because we know that, of course, they never will again.

The landing

Andrew Barker, Variety:

But as spine-tingling as a number of individual scenes are, the film struggles to find a proper rhythm. Scene-to-scene transitions are static and disjointed, settling into a cycle of “…and then this happened” without deepening the overall dread or steadily uncovering pieces of a central mystery. Curiously, “It” grows less intense as it goes, handicapped by an inability to take in the scope of Derry as a town defined by its buried traumas and secrets, let alone really plumbing the primal depths of fear that It itself represents.

Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent:

Andy Muschietti's new take on It, a tale of terror disguised as a clown, doesn't reach such divine heights. That's not exactly a surprise. What it does manage, however, is to stand as a deft and heartfelt piece of horror, capable of moving the soul just as much as it can terrorise it.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone:

For weeks now, the trailers for the film version of Stephen King's terror classic have been cranking us up to lose our shit. That evil clown Pennywise, a spectacularly scary Bill Skarsgard (Alexander's brother), is the stuff of nightmares. The full-length movie, however, can't match the trailers for sustained terror – it runs a punishing two hours and 15 minutes (and it's only half of the novel). But It works enough of the time to deliver on the promise of bad dreams. 

It opens in theaters Sept. 8.