Stephen King’s adaptations, much like his novels, fall mainly into three categories. In the first and highest you have films like Salem’s Lot (1979), The Shining, Pet Semetary (1989), The Dead Zone, IT (2017) and Misery. The films that occupy the middle section get by with a pass despite dubious quality; Cujo, The Night Flier, Children of the Corn and Silver Bullet. Then we have the third section which can aptly be described as utter, irredeemable crap; Sleepwalkers, Thinner, The Dark Tower and Dreamcatcher.
For my money the 2017 adaptation of what many consider to be King’s ultimate piece of work ranks as one of the best horror/fantasy films ever made. What makes the film so great is difficult to narrow down as it is a collection of all major aspects of film-making and the subtle touches being crafted so perfectly.
The cinematography and music hark back to the classic King films and emulated the same kind of atmosphere as Stranger Things. The story too was told beautifully and adjusted its tone accordingly.
So does the second part of the story match up to the first? The short answer is no. The drop in quality is pretty apparent throughout. There are some genuinely brilliant moments that rank higher than those in the first. Other than that though the rest feels really sub-standard. The dialogue lacks any sense of realism, and the difference in chemistry between the characters as kids and then as adults is so different that it’s difficult to believe that these are the same people.
Categorising this film, I’d say it falls comfortably into the middle section of King’s adaptations, which is a shame because one can see what its real potential is.
2/4
